Galatia 2:21

2:21 I do not set aside ¹  God’s grace, because if righteousness ²  could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing! ³ 

Galatia 4:3

4:3 So also we, when we were minors, ⁴  were enslaved under the basic forces ⁵  of the world.

Galatia 4:9

4:9 But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless ⁶  basic forces? ⁷  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ⁸ 

[2:21]  ¹ tn Or “I do not declare invalid,” “I do not nullify.”

[2:21]  ² tn Or “justification.”

[2:21]  ³ tn Or “without cause,” “for no purpose.”

[4:3]  ⁴ tn See the note on the word “minor” in 4:1.

[4:3]  ⁵ tn Or “basic principles,” “elemental things,” or “elemental spirits.” Some interpreters take this as a reference to supernatural powers who controlled nature and/or human fate.

[4:9]  ⁶ tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.

[4:9]  ⁷ tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.

[4:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “basic forces, to which you want to be enslaved…” Verse 9 is a single sentence in the Greek text, but has been divided into two in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.