Galatians 4:7

Galatians 4:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
• New International Version (NIV)So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Context of Galatians 4:7

5God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. 8Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?

Galatians 4:7 word by word

ὥστε οὐκέτι εἶ δοῦλος ἀλλ᾽ υἱός· εἰ δὲ υἱός, καὶ κληρονόμος διὰ θεοῦRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whereforeὥστεhōste · soG5620
• thou artεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• no moreοὐκέτιouketi · not any moreG3765
• a servantδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• a sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• andδέde · thenG1161
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• thenκαίkai · andG2532
• an heirκληρονόμοςklēronomos · heirG2818
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• throughδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547

Cross-references for Galatians 4:7

• Galatians 4:1Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.
• Galatians 5:1So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
• Galatians 3:26For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
• Galatians 3:29And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
• Romans 8:16For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
• Genesis 15:1Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
• Genesis 17:7“I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
• Psalms 16:5Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.
• Psalms 73:26My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
• Jeremiah 10:16But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel, his own special possession. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
• Jeremiah 31:33“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
• Jeremiah 32:38They will be my people, and I will be their God.
• Lamentations 3:24I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
• 1 Corinthians 3:21So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—
• 2 Corinthians 6:16And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
• Revelation 21:7All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Commentaries on Galatians 4:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Thou art no more a servant - Thou who hast believed in Christ art no longer a slave, either under the dominion of sin or under obligation to the Mosaic ritual; but a son of God, adopted into the heavenly family. And if a son, then an heir - Having a right to the inheritance, because one of the family, for none can inherit but the children; but this heirship is the most extraordinary of all: it is not an heirship of any tangible possession, either in…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Wherefore - In consequence of this privilege of addressing God as your Father. Thou art no more - You who are Christians. A servant - In the servitude of sin; or treated as a servant by being bound under the oppressive rites and ceremonies of the Law; compare the note at Galatians 4:3 But a son - A child of God, adopted into his family, and to be treated as a son. And if a son … - Entitled to all the privileges of a son, and of course to be regarded as an…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-7Paul argues that the purpose of the law of Moses for God's children was fulfilled when Jesus came, so we are no longer bound by it.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-311-7. The fact of God's sending His Son to redeem us who were under the law (Ga 4:4), and sending the Spirit of His Son into our hearts (Ga 4:6), confirms the conclusion (Ga 3:29) that we are "heirs according to the promise." the heir--(Ga 3:29). It is not, as in earthly inheritances, the death of the father, but our Father's sovereign will simply that makes us heirs. child--Greek, "one under age." differeth nothing, &c.--that is, has no more freedom than…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 4:7

• Adoption
• God
• Heir
• Jesus Continued

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• God
• Christ, Messiah
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Doubt
• Flesh
• Observe
• Zealously
• Adoption
• Bondservant

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