Bible Strands
Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Galatian churches, who are being drawn back toward legal observance, and he contrasts their former bondage to "those who by nature are not gods" (v. 8) with their present standing in Christ.
The words — δοῦλος (doulos) is a bondservant or slave, not a hired hand; υἱός (huios) is a legal son with standing and inheritance rights. The contrast is not between two grades of service but between two entirely different statuses.
The thread — The Spirit's witness in Romans 8:16 confirms the sonship, and Galatians 3:29 ties the heirship directly to the Abrahamic promise.
Why it lands — The verse forces a reader to stop negotiating with the old status: if the identity is son and heir, the practical question is whether one is actually living from that position or still operating as a slave.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Cross-references
- Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
- Galatians 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
- Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,
- Galatians 4:5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.
- Galatians 4:31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
- Psalms 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
- Lamentations 3:24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
- Genesis 15:1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”