Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
Gal 4 V1 V2 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=minor spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) So it is with us—when we were infants we were enslaved by the principles of this world,
OET-LV Thus we also, when we_were infants, we_were having_been_enslaved under the principles of_the world.
SR-GNT Οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι. ‡
(Houtōs kai haʸmeis, hote aʸmen naʸpioi, hupo ta stoiⱪeia tou kosmou aʸmen dedoulōmenoi.)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT So also, when we were children, we were being enslaved under the elemental principles of the world.
UST Likewise, when we were spiritually immature because we did not yet believe in the Messiah, we submitted to the rules that everyone in this world lives by. Those rules controlled us like masters control their slaves.
BSB § So also, when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles [fn] of the world.
4:3 Or elemental forces; similarly in verse 9
BLB So also, we when we were children, were held in bondage under the principles of the world.
AICNT In the same way, when we were infants, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world;
OEB And so is it with us; when we were under age, as it were, we were slaves to the puerile teaching of this world;
WEBBE So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.
WMBB (Same as above)
NET So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the world.
LSV so we also, when we were children, were in servitude under the elements of the world,
FBV It's just the same for us. When we were children, we were slaves subject to the basic rules[fn] of the law.
4:3 The word translated “rules” here is subject to wide interpretation. Originally the word referred to the alphabet, then took the meaning of the “ABC's” of life. Paul is comparing the ceremonial law to such letters and symbols, basic instructions useful for existence but having no power to save and heal. The same word is used in verse 9.
TCNT In the same way also, when we were children, we were enslaved to the elements of the world.
T4T Likewise, when we (inc) (OR, we (exc) Jews) were like young children [MET], we were controlled by the spiritual powers of this world. They controlled us like masters control their slaves [MET].
LEB So also we, when we were children, we were enslaved under the elemental spirits of the world.
BBE So we, when we were young, were kept under the first rules of the world;
Moff No Moff GAL book available
Wymth So we also, when spiritually we were children, were subject to the world's rudimentary notions, and were enslaved.
ASV So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world:
DRA So we also, when we were children, were serving under the elements of the world.
YLT so also we, when we were babes, under the elements of the world were in servitude,
Drby So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the principles of the world;
RV So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world:
Wbstr Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
KJB-1769 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
KJB-1611 Euen so we, when wee were children, were in bondage vnder the [fn]Elements of the world:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and footnotes)
4:3 Or, rudiments.
Bshps Euen so we, when we were chyldren, were in bondage vnder ye rudimentes of the worlde:
(Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under ye/you_all rudimentes of the world:)
Gnva Euen so, we when wee were children, were in bondage vnder the rudiments of the world.
(Even so, we when we were children, were in bondage under the rudiments of the world. )
Cvdl Euen so we also, wha we were children, were in bondage vnder the outwarde tradicions.
(Even so we also, wha we were children, were in bondage under the outward tradicions.)
TNT Even so we as longe as we were chyldren were in bondage vnder the ordinaunces of the worlde.
(Even so we as long as we were children were in bondage under the ordinaunces of the world. )
Wycl So we, whanne we weren litle children, we serueden vndur the elementis of the world.
(So we, when we were little children, we served under the elementis of the world.)
Luth Also auch wir, da wir Kinder waren, waren wir gefangen unter den äußerlichen Satzungen.
(So also wir, there we/us children were, were we/us gefangen under the äußerlichen Satzungen.)
ClVg ita et nos cum essemus parvuli, sub elementis mundi eramus servientes.[fn]
(ita and we when/with essemus parvuli, under elementis mundi eramus servientes. )
4.3 Sub elementis. In elementis neomenias, id est lunares dies, et sabbatum significat, non quod in elementis sperarent ut pagani, sed quod in his Deum venerarentur. Mundi. Quia lex non cœlestia sed terrena promittebat: vel transitoria, ut est mundus.
4.3 Under elementis. In elementis neomenias, id it_is lunares days, and sabbatum significat, not/no that in elementis sperarent as pagani, but that in his God venerarentur. Mundi. Because lex not/no cœlestia but terrena promittebat: or transitoria, as it_is mundus.
UGNT οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἤμεθα δεδουλωμένοι.
(houtōs kai haʸmeis, hote aʸmen naʸpioi, hupo ta stoiⱪeia tou kosmou aʸmetha dedoulōmenoi.)
SBL-GNT οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ⸀ἤμεθα δεδουλωμένοι·
(houtōs kai haʸmeis, hote aʸmen naʸpioi, hupo ta stoiⱪeia tou kosmou ⸀aʸmetha dedoulōmenoi;)
TC-GNT Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου [fn]ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι·
(Houtō kai haʸmeis, hote aʸmen naʸpioi, hupo ta stoiⱪeia tou kosmou aʸmen dedoulōmenoi; )
4:3 ημεν ¦ ημεθα NA SBL WH
Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
4:3 Before Christ came, God’s people were like underage heirs to a large estate (4:1-2). They would inherit a great fortune (4:5), but they were still subject to their guardian (3:23-25).
• the basic spiritual principles of this world: This probably refers to the principles of law that govern the world apart from Christ; these principles were fully expressed in the law of Moses (3:23-24; cp. 4:5).
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
οὕτως
thus
Here, the word So indicates that what follows is comparable to, and similar in some way to what has just been described in 4:1-2. Use a natural form in your language for introducing something that corresponds to something that was introduced previously. Alternate translation: [In a similar way]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive
ἦμεν
˱we˲_were
The word we here refers to all Christians, including Paul’s readers, so we would be inclusive. Your language may require you to mark these forms.
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι
when ˱we˲_were infants
Paul speaks of people who have not yet trusted in Jesus as if they were children. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly, or you could translate this phrase as a simile. Alternate translation: [when we did not yet believe in Jesus] or [when we were like children spiritually]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἤμεθα δεδουλωμένοι
under the principles ˱of˲_the world (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι)
If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you must state who was doing the action, Paul says that the elemental principles of the world were doing it. See the note on personification regarding the elemental principles of this world. Alternate translation: [the elemental principles of the world were enslaving us]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
δεδουλωμένοι
/having_been/_enslaved
Paul speaks of being under the control of the elemental principles of the world as if it were slavery. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent metaphor from your culture. Alternatively, you could express the meaning plainly.
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὑπὸ
under
Here, the word under means “under the power of” or “under the authority of.” See how you translated the word under in 4:2 where Paul uses it with a similar meaning. Alternate translation: [under the power of] or [under the authority of]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου & δεδουλωμένοι
under the principles ˱of˲_the world & /having_been/_enslaved
Here, Paul speaks of the elemental principles of the world as though they were a person who could enslave other people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this meaning plainly. Paul speaks of the elemental principles of the world as though they have the power to enslave a person, but it is actually humans who do not yet believe in the Messiah, who willing submit to these elemental principles and allow themselves to be enslaved. See 5:1.
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου
the principles ˱of˲_the world
Here, the elemental principles of the world could refer to: (1) the religious and/or moral teachings that people, whether they be a Jew or non-Jew, seek to obey in order to please God and think of themselves as praiseworthy and good. Alternate translation: [the elemental rules of this world] or [the rudimentary principles of this world] (2) the things prescribed by the Mosaic law. Alternate translation: [the things prescribed by the law of Moses]