Galatians 4:4

Context

This verse is part of Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia. At the time, the claim that Gentile believers must also be circumcised and keep the law was spreading among the Galatian Christians, and Paul wrote this passage to counter it. Immediately before (4:1–3), Paul offers an analogy: an heir, while still a child, is under guardians until the time appointed by his father and so is no different from a servant. This verse marks the turning point of that analogy. The next verse states God's purpose in sending his Son: "to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Galatians 4:5).

Interpretation

• Reading "the fulness of the time": Many commentators connect this phrase with "the time appointed of the father" in 4:2, taking it to mean that the moment God had set in the history of salvation had arrived. Sermons also commonly add explanations of historical preparation, such as the Roman road network and the Roman peace, the spread of the Greek language, and the dispersed Jewish communities. These, however, are later commentary rather than statements made directly in the text.
• Incarnational reading: The church has traditionally read "God sent forth his Son" as meaning that the already existing Son became human (the Incarnation). Some New Testament scholars hold that the language of "sending" does not by itself necessarily establish preexistence, that is, that the Son existed before becoming human.
• Reading of true humanity: "Made of a woman" affirms that Christ was truly born as a human being. The phrase has long served as evidence against Docetism, the view that Jesus' body was merely an appearance.
• Reading of law and atonement: The Reformed tradition explains "made under the law" as Christ's obedience in perfectly keeping the law in our place. The Lutheran tradition interprets it within the framework of law and gospel.

Debates and Issues

The main question discussed is whether "made of a woman" refers to the virgin birth. Protestant commentators generally regard the phrase as an idiomatic expression for a human being, as in "Man that is born of a woman" (Job 14:1). They therefore understand the verse as not directly teaching the virgin birth, though not contradicting that doctrine either. The Catholic Church cites this verse prominently in its teaching on Mary; the chapter on Mary in the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) opens with this verse. Some also point out that sermons applying "the fulness of the time" to the timing of answers to personal prayer depart from the text's salvation-historical meaning.

In Korean Churches

The verse is frequently cited in Advent and Christmas sermons, and the phrase "when the fulness of the time was come" is widely used in preaching and prayer to speak of God's timing.

Related Passages

• Galatians 4:5–7
• Mark 1:15
• Romans 8:3–4
• John 1:14
• Philippians 2:6–8