Galatians 4:19

Galatians 4:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
• New International Version (NIV)My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,
• English Standard Version (ESV)my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
• New King James Version (NKJV)My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,

Context of Galatians 4:19

17Others zealously court you—not in a good way, but they wish to shut you out so that you will court them. 18To be courted is good, but let it always be in a good way—and not just when I am there with you. My dear children! Again I suffer labor pains until Messiah is formed in you. 20I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, for I don’t know what to make of you. 21Tell me, you who want to be under Torah, don’t you understand the Torah?

Galatians 4:19 word by word

τέκνα μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω μέχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• little childrenτεκνίονteknion · childrenG5040
• of whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• I travail in birthὠδίνωōdinō · be in laborG5605
• againπάλινpalin · againG3825
• untilἄχριachri achris · untilG891
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• be formedμορφόωmorphoō · to formG3445
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• youσύsu · youG4771

Cross-references for Galatians 4:19

• 1 Corinthians 4:14I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to warn you as my dearly loved children.
• 1 Timothy 1:2To Timothy, a true child in faith: Grace, mercy, shalom from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua, our Lord!
• Philemon 1:10I beg you for my child Onesimus—for whom I became a spiritual father while in chains.
• James 1:18By His will, He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created.
• 1 John 2:1My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Intercessor with the Father—the righteous Messiah Yeshua.
• 1 John 5:21Children, guard yourselves from idols.
• Numbers 11:11So Moses asked Adonai, “Why have You brought trouble on Your servant? Haven’t I found favor in Your eyes—that You laid the burden of all these people on me?
• Isaiah 53:11As a result of the anguish of His soul He will see it and be satisfied by His knowledge. The Righteous One, My Servant will make many righteous and He will bear their iniquities.
• Luke 22:44And in His anguish, He was praying fervently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling down on the ground.
• Philippians 1:8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Messiah Yeshua.
• Philippians 2:17But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and the service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
• Colossians 2:1I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those in Laodicea, as well as for those who have still not seen me face to face.
• Colossians 4:12Epaphras, who is one of your own, a slave of Messiah Yeshua, greets you. He is always laboring in prayer on your behalf, so you may stand complete and fully assured about everything that is God’s will.
• Hebrews 5:7In the days of His life on earth, Yeshua offered up both prayers and pleas, with loud crying and tears, to the One able to save Him from death; and He was heard because of His reverence.
• Revelation 12:1A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
• Romans 8:29For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Commentaries on Galatians 4:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19My little children - · My beloved children. As their conversion to God had been the fruit of much labor, prayers, and tears, so he felt them as his children, and peculiarly dear to him, because he had been the means of bringing them to the knowledge of the truth; therefore he represents himself as suffering the same anxiety and distress which he endured at first when he preached the Gospel to them, when their conversion to Christianity was a matter of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19My little children - The language of tender affection, such as a parent would use toward his own offspring; see the note at 1 Corinthians 4:15; compare Matthew 18:3; John 13:33; 1 John 2:1, 1 John 2:12-13; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:21. The idea here is, that Paul felt that he sustained toward them the relation of a father, and he had for them the deep and tender feelings of a parent. Of whom I travail in birth again - For whose welfare I am deeply anxious: and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-20Verses 19-20 The Galatians were ready to account the apostle their enemy, but he assures them he was their friend; he had the feelings of a parent toward them. He was in doubt as to their state, and was anxious to know the result of their present delusions. Nothing is so sure a proof that a sinner has passed into a state of justification, as Christ being formed in him by the renewal of the Holy Spirit; but this cannot be hoped for, while men depend on the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19The Galatians were like Paul's spiritual children (see 1 Corinthians 4:14–15; Philemon 1:10). Bringing them to Christ was like giving birth to children and experiencing labor pains. It was difficult but rewarding. Now, Paul felt his work was not finished. until Christ is formed in you: Paul uses the picture of giving birth to explain something important. If the Galatians continued to trust in Christ as Paul had taught them, Christ's image would grow in…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. My little children--(1Ti 1:18; 2Ti 2:1; 1Jo 2:1). My relation to you is not merely that of one zealously courting you (Ga 4:17, 18), but that of a father to his children (1Co 4:15). I travail in birth--that is, like a mother in pain till the birth of her child. again--a second time. The former time was when I was "present with you" (Ga 4:18; compare Note, see on Ga 4:13). Christ be formed in you--that you may live nothing but Christ, and think nothing…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 4:19

• Love
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Doubt
• Flesh
• Galatians, Epistle to
• Observe
• Zealously
• Child; Children
• Form
• Galatians, 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