Galatians 4

But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, though he is lord of all; 2but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father. 3So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elements of the world. 4But when the time was right, God1 sent forth his Son2, born to a woman, born under the Taurat3, 5that he might redeem those who were under the Taurat, that we might be adopted as his children. 6And because you are children, God sent forth the Spirit4 of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba5, Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through AL-MASIH6. 

8However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods. 9But now that you have come to know God, or rather are known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elements, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again? 10You observe days, months, seasons, and years. 11I am afraid for you, that I might have wasted my labour on you. 

12I beg you, brothers, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong, 13but you know that in weakness of the flesh I declared the Injil7 to you the first time. 14Even though my physical condition could have tempted you to despise or  reject me, you didn’t. Rather, you received me as though I was an angel of God, or AL-MASIH ‘ISA8.

15What was the blessing you enjoyed? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16So then, have I become your enemy for telling you the truth? 17The others zealously seek you, but not for good. No, they want to alienate you from us, that you may seek them. 18But it is always good to be zealous for a good cause, and not only when I am present with you.

19My little children, of whom I am again in pains of childbirth until AL-MASIH is formed in you— 20but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. 

21Tell me, you who desire to be under the Taurat, don’t you listen to the Taurat? 22For it is written that Ibrahim had two sons, one by the slave woman, and one by the free woman. 23However, the son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. 24These things contain an illustration, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hajira9. 25For this Hajira is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren woman, who do not give birth. Break forth and shout, you who have never been in labour. For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband.” 10

28Now we, brothers, as Ishaq was, are children of promise. 29But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit11, so also it is now. 30However what does Al-Kitab12 say? 

“Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share in the inheritance with the son of the free woman.” 13

31So then, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

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  1. 4:4 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
  2. 4:4 SON, a title of the Messiah, ‘ISA AL-MASIH, revealed through Prophet Dawud in the Zabur 2:7-9, which says: I will tell of the decree. YAHWEH said to me, “You are my SON. Today I have become your FATHER. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, The ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” ↩︎
  3. 4:4 Taurat, this Arabic word derived from Torah (Hebrew) literally means “instruction” or “teaching.” In the Injil, the Greek text says nomos (meaning, “law”). Depending on context, Taurat can refer to, 
    1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament.
    2. The revelation given to Prophet Musa, that is, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books are attributed to Prophet Musa himself. This is the traditional and most common meaning given to Taurat or Torah.
    3. The Law of Musa found within the Pentateuch, with its hundreds of rules and regulations covering many aspects of daily life for the people of Israel. The most famous of these laws are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20.
    4. Taurat can also refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book of the Hebrew Bible. ↩︎
  4. 4:6 Spirit, here Spirit of his Son; not an angel, created being, nor an impersonal force, but the uncreated, eternal Spirit of the Son who came from heaven. This Spirit is also called the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God. This is the Spirit who was present and active at the creation of heaven and earth (see Genesis 1:2), and today lives inside of every follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, empowering them to live in a way pleasing to God. ↩︎
  5. 4:6 Abba, is a Greek spelling for the Aramaic word for “Father” or “Daddy” used in a familiar, respectful, and loving way. ↩︎
  6. 4:7 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH.  Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
  7. 4:13 Injil, this Arabic word is derived from Euangel (Greek) and means “good news” or “Gospel” (old English for ‘good news’). Depending on context, Injil can refer to, 
    1. the whole Christian New Testament containing 27 books, 
    2. the first 4 books of the New Testament, that is, the Injil according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or,
    3. the message or “good news” of forgiveness of sins through ‘ISA AL-MASIH, revealed in the holy Injil (or New Testament). ↩︎
  8. 4:14 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
  9. 4:24 Hajira, or Hagar, the servant-girl of Sarah, wife of Prophet Ibrahim. ↩︎
  10. 4:27 Quoting the Taurat, Shaya 54:1 which says: “Sing, O barren woman, you who never gave birth; break forth into singing, and shout, you who were not in labour. For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband,” says YAHWEH ↩︎
  11. 4:20 the Spirit, or the Holy Spirit, not an angel, created being, nor an impersonal force, but the uncreated, eternal Spirit of God himself. The Spirit was present and active at the creation of heaven and earth (see Genesis 1:2), and today lives inside of every follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, empowering them to live in a way pleasing to God. ↩︎
  12. 4:30 Al-Kitab, is an Arabic-derived term for “the Scriptures.” It is related to the Aramaic ketab and Hebrew terms ketab, miktab, and ktb. The same meaning of “the Scriptures” is expressed in Greek by graphe. In this verse, Al-Kitab refers to the Hebrew scriptures, including the Taurat, the Zabur, and the writings of the Prophets. ↩︎
  13. 4:30 Quoting the Taurat, Genesis 21:10 which says: Therefore she [Sarah] said to Ibrahim, “Throw out that slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share in the inheritance with my son, even with Ishaq.” ↩︎