Galatians 4:21

Galatians 4:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
• New International Version (NIV)Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?

Context of Galatians 4:21

19My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you-- 20but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for I am at a loss about you! Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the Law? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. 23But the son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.

Galatians 4:21 word by word

Λέγετέ μοι, οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι, τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε;Read the interlinear

• Tellλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• me, you who wantθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• to be underὑπόhupo · by/under: underG5259
• lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• listenἀκούωakouō · to hearG191

Cross-references for Galatians 4:21

• Galatians 4:9But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again?
• Galatians 3:10For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”
• Romans 6:14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.
• Romans 7:5For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were brought to light by the Law, were at work in the parts of our body to bear fruit for death.
• Romans 9:30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is by faith;
• Romans 10:3For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
• Matthew 21:42Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘A stone which the builders rejected, This has become the chief cornerstone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
• Matthew 22:29But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, since you do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God.
• John 5:46For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.
• John 10:34Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law: ‘I said, you are gods’?
• John 12:34The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how is it that You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
• John 15:25But this has happened so that the word that is written in their Law will be fulfilled: ‘They hated Me for no reason.’
• Romans 3:19Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;

Commentaries on Galatians 4:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Ye that desire to be under the law - Ye who desire to incorporate the Mosaic institutions with Christianity, and thus bring yourselves into bondage to circumcision, and a great variety of oppressive rites. Do ye not hear the law? - Do ye not understand what is written in the Pentateuch relative to Abraham and his children. It is evident that the word law is used in two senses in this verse. It first means the Mosaic institutions; secondly, the Pentateuch…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Tell me … - In order to show fully the nature and the effect of the Law, Paul here introduces an illustration from an important fact in the Jewish history. This allegory has given great perplexity to expositors, and, in some respects, it is attended with real difficulty. An examination of the difficulties will be found in the larger commentaries. My object, without examining the expositions which have been proposed, will be to state, in as few words as…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-27Verses 21-27 The difference between believers who rested in Christ only, and those who trusted in the law, is explained by the histories of Isaac and Ishmael. These things are an allegory, wherein, beside the literal and historical sense of the words, the Spirit of God points out something further. Hagar and Sarah were apt emblems of the two different dispensations of the covenant. The heavenly Jerusalem, the true church from above, represented by Sarah…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Do you not understand what the law actually says?: The Galatians tried to achieve righteousness through the law, but they did not truly understand its meaning (see Luke 24:25–27; 1 Timothy 1:7).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. desire--of your own accord madly courting that which must condemn and ruin you. do ye not hear--do ye not consider the mystic sense of Moses' words? [Grotius]. The law itself sends you away from itself to Christ [Estius]. After having sufficiently maintained his point by argument, the apostle confirms and illustrates it by an inspired allegorical exposition of historical facts, containing in them general laws and types. Perhaps his reason for using…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 4:21

• Justification

In the dictionaries

• Doubt
• Flesh
• Observe
• Zealously
• Abraham
• Allegory
• Galatians, Epistle to the
• Genesis
• Hagar
• Hebrews, Epistle to the

Commentaries on Galatians 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings