“Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;”
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. — Paul's domestic metaphor: an underage heir ('nepios' — infant, minor) has no functional difference from a slave ('doulos') despite owning the estate ('ousia'); the heir's minority is a form of bondage, a condition to be transcended at maturity.
Church Fathers on Galatians 4:1
The word “child” in this place denotes not age but understanding; meaning that God had from the beginning designed for us these gifts, but, as we yet continued childish, He let us be under the elements of the world, that is, new moons and sabbaths, for these days are regulated by the course of sun and moon. If then also now they bring you under law they do nothing else but lead you backward now in the time of your perfect age and maturity. And see what is the consequence of…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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