Galatians 4:7

Authorized King James Version

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Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Original Language Analysis

ὥστε Wherefore G5620
ὥστε Wherefore
Strong's: G5620
Word #: 1 of 14
so too, i.e., thus therefore (in various relations of consecution, as follow)
οὐκέτι G3765
οὐκέτι
Strong's: G3765
Word #: 2 of 14
not yet, no longer
εἶ thou art G1488
εἶ thou art
Strong's: G1488
Word #: 3 of 14
thou art
δοῦλος a servant G1401
δοῦλος a servant
Strong's: G1401
Word #: 4 of 14
a slave (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary; frequently, therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency)
ἀλλ' but G235
ἀλλ' but
Strong's: G235
Word #: 5 of 14
properly, other things, i.e., (adverbially) contrariwise (in many relations)
υἱός a son G5207
υἱός a son
Strong's: G5207
Word #: 6 of 14
a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship
εἰ if G1487
εἰ if
Strong's: G1487
Word #: 7 of 14
if, whether, that, etc
δὲ and G1161
δὲ and
Strong's: G1161
Word #: 8 of 14
but, and, etc
υἱός a son G5207
υἱός a son
Strong's: G5207
Word #: 9 of 14
a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship
καὶ then G2532
καὶ then
Strong's: G2532
Word #: 10 of 14
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
κληρονόμος an heir G2818
κληρονόμος an heir
Strong's: G2818
Word #: 11 of 14
a sharer by lot, i.e., inheritor (literally or figuratively); by implication, a possessor
θεοῦ of God G2316
θεοῦ of God
Strong's: G2316
Word #: 12 of 14
a deity, especially (with g3588) the supreme divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; exceedingly (by hebraism)
διὰ through G1223
διὰ through
Strong's: G1223
Word #: 13 of 14
through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional)
Χριστοῦ Christ G5547
Χριστοῦ Christ
Strong's: G5547
Word #: 14 of 14
anointed, i.e., the messiah, an epithet of jesus

Analysis & Commentary

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Paul's triumphant conclusion. "Wherefore" (hōste, ὥστε) marks logical inference from the Spirit's testimony. "Thou art no more a servant" (ouketi ei doulos)—emphatic denial of slave status. The singular "thou" makes it personal. Slavery is the past; sonship is the present reality.

"But a son" (alla huios)—strong adversative. Not slave but son, not servant but heir. "And if a son, then an heir" (ei de huios, kai klēronomos)—conditional argument with assumed true condition. Sonship necessarily entails heirship. "Of God through Christ" (dia theou dia Christou)—we're heirs of God Himself, inheriting God and all He has. This comes "through Christ"—mediated by union with the Son. What belongs to Christ, the natural Son, belongs to adopted sons. The inheritance includes righteousness, the Spirit, eternal life, glory, new creation—everything. The Judaizers offered circumcision and law; Paul offers full inheritance of God Himself.

Historical Context

The shift from second person plural ("ye," verses 6) to second person singular ("thou," verse 7) intensifies personal application. This isn't abstract theology but individual reality: each believer stands before God as son and heir, not slave. In a society stratified by slave/free status, this declaration was revolutionary. Actual slaves in Galatian churches heard they were God's heirs—eternally secure, infinitely wealthy in Christ, regardless of earthly status.

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