Galatians 3:26

Authorized King James Version

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For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Original Language Analysis

Πάντες all G3956
Πάντες all
Strong's: G3956
Word #: 1 of 11
all, any, every, the whole
γὰρ For G1063
γὰρ For
Strong's: G1063
Word #: 2 of 11
properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles)
υἱοὶ the children G5207
υἱοὶ the children
Strong's: G5207
Word #: 3 of 11
a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship
θεοῦ of God G2316
θεοῦ of God
Strong's: G2316
Word #: 4 of 11
a deity, especially (with g3588) the supreme divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; exceedingly (by hebraism)
ἐστε ye are G2075
ἐστε ye are
Strong's: G2075
Word #: 5 of 11
ye are
διὰ by G1223
διὰ by
Strong's: G1223
Word #: 6 of 11
through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)
τῆς G3588
τῆς
Strong's: G3588
Word #: 7 of 11
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
πίστεως faith G4102
πίστεως faith
Strong's: G4102
Word #: 8 of 11
persuasion, i.e., credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of god or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon christ
ἐν in G1722
ἐν in
Strong's: G1722
Word #: 9 of 11
"in," at, (up-)on, by, etc
Χριστῷ Christ G5547
Χριστῷ Christ
Strong's: G5547
Word #: 10 of 11
anointed, i.e., the messiah, an epithet of jesus
Ἰησοῦ· Jesus G2424
Ἰησοῦ· Jesus
Strong's: G2424
Word #: 11 of 11
jesus (i.e., jehoshua), the name of our lord and two (three) other israelites

Analysis & Commentary

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Paul's powerful declaration: 'ye are all' (pantes gar, πάντες γάρ)—'for all of you'—emphasizes universality and equality. The phrase 'children of God' (huioi theou, υἱοὶ θεοῦ)—better translated 'sons of God'—indicates full adult sonship with inheritance rights, not mere childhood (tekna, τέκνα). In the ancient world, 'sons' had legal status and inheritance rights; huioi (υἱοί) implies mature, privileged relationship with God as Father.

The means: 'by faith in Christ Jesus' (dia tēs pisteōs en Christō Iēsou, διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ). The preposition dia (διά) with genitive indicates means or agency: faith is the instrument of sonship. The phrase 'in Christ Jesus' locates faith's object and sphere: union with Christ is the ground of sonship. Apart from Christ, no one is God's son in this redemptive sense; in Christ, all believers equally enjoy sonship.

This verse demolishes the Judaizers' claims. They taught that Gentiles must become Jews (via circumcision) to fully belong to God's family; Paul insists faith in Christ alone makes one a son of God—Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free (v. 28). Sonship is not ethnic or earned; it's by grace through faith in Christ. The 'all' (pantes, πάντες) is emphatic: every believer, without distinction or discrimination, is equally a son of God with full inheritance rights.

Historical Context

In Roman law, *adoptio* (adoption) granted full sonship rights to those not born into the family. An adopted son became a legal heir with all privileges. Jewish proselyte conversion similarly granted Gentiles access to Israel's covenant, but required circumcision and Law-observance. Paul's gospel is more radical: faith in Christ immediately grants full sonship to all believers—no circumcision, no Law-keeping, no probationary period. Galatians 4:5-7 and Romans 8:14-17 develop this: believers are adopted sons, crying 'Abba, Father,' co-heirs with Christ.

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