SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:4
Mas venido el cumplimiento del tiempo, Dios envi su Hijo, nacido de mujer, nacido sbdito de la ley,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Galatians 4:4
Verse 4. When the fullness of the time was come] The time which God in his infinite wisdom counted best; in which all his counsels were filled up; and the time which his Spirit, by the prophets, had specified; and the time to which he intended the Mosaic institutions should extend, and beyond which they should be of no avail. God sent forth his Son] Him who came immediately from God himself, made of a woman, according to the promise, Genesis iii. 15; produced by the power of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary without any intervention of man; hence he was called the Son of God. See Luke, Luke i. 35, and the note there.
Made under the law] In subjection to it, that in him all its designs might be fulfilled, and by his death the whole might be abolished; the law dying when the Son of God expired upon the cross.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. But when the fulness of time was come , etc..] The time agreed and fixed upon between God and his Son from all eternity, in the council and covenant of peace, when the Son of God should assume human nature; which time was diligently searched into by the prophets, was revealed unto them, and predicted by them; as more generally that it should be before the civil government ceased from Judah, and before the destruction of the second temple; and more particularly by Daniel in his prophecy of the seventy weeks, towards and about the close of which there was a general expectation among the Jews of the Messiah's coming; and was the fulness of time here referred to, and what is sometimes called the dispensation of the fulness of time, the end of the Mosaic dispensation and Jewish church state, the last days of that state, and the end of the Jewish world, as to their ecclesiastical and civil polity. The Jews themselves own that the time of the Messiah's coming is fixed, and that at that time he shall come, whether they are worthy or not, for so it is asserted in their Talmud f76 ; says R. Jochanan, the son of David does not come, but in an age which is all worthy, or all wicked; in a generation which is all worthy, as it is written, ( Isaiah 60:21) in a generation that is all wicked, as it is written, ( Isaiah 66:5) and it is written, for my name's sake will I do it; says R. Alexander, R. Joshua ben Levi objects what is written, ( Isaiah 60:22) in its time; and it is written, I will hasten it; if they are worthy I will hasten it, if they are not worthy it shall be ht[b , in its time.
And accordingly a more modern writer of theirs says f77 , our redemption upon all accounts shall be, hnmzb , in its time, whether worthy or, wicked; but if worthy its time will be hastened; it must be owned they do not always say so: this phrase, the fulness of time, is an Hebraism, and is the same with ymy talm , in ( Ezekiel 5:2) which the Septuagint render thn plhrwsin twn hmerwn , the fulness of days, and we, when the days were fulfilled, when the time was up; and the same sense it has here, and it is also the same with d[wm , the appointed time, ( Habakkuk 2:3) and answers to proyesmia tou patrov , the time appointed of the Father, ( Galatians 4:2). God sent forth his Son ; God not absolutely and essentially, but personally and relatively considered, is here meant, namely, God the Father, as appears from the relation the person sent stands in to him, his Son; not by creation, as angels, Adam, and all men are the sons of God; nor by adoption, as saints are; or by office, as magistrates be; or on account of his incarnation or resurrection from the dead, for he was the Son of God before either; but by divine generation, being the only begotten of the Father, of his divine nature and essence, equal to him, and one with him: and who was sent by him, not out of disrespect to him, but love to us; nor without his consent or against his will, he readily and heartily agreeing to it; nor does it imply any local motion or change of place, but only designs the assumption of human nature; nor does it suppose any superiority and inferiority, for though Christ, as man, and in his office capacity, as Mediator, is inferior to the Father, yet not as to his divine nature, or as the Son of God; but it suggests, that he existed before he was sent, and that as a person, and as a distinct person from the Father, otherwise he could not with any propriety be said to be sent by him; and also that there was an entire harmony and agreement between them in this matter, the Father agreed to send his Son, and the Son agreed to be sent; and that as to his taking upon him the office of Mediator, and his assumption of human nature in order to obtain eternal redemption: all this was not of himself, but done in concert with his Father, from whom as Mediator he had his mission and commission; made of a woman ; made, not created as Adam was; nor begotten by man, as men in common are; nor is he said to be born, though he truly was, but made; which word the Holy Ghost chooses, to express the mighty power of God, in his mysterious incarnation, wonderful conception, and birth; though some copies read, born of a woman; and so the Arabic and Ethiopic version: of a woman; whose seed he was from the beginning said to be; of a woman, without a man; of a woman, a virgin, as was foretold; and not only made and formed in her, but of her, of her flesh and blood, of which he took part; and which denotes the low estate and great humiliation of Christ, and shows that as sin came into the world by the woman, the Saviour from sin came also the same way: made under the law ; under the civil and judicial law as a Jew, to which he was subject, paying tribute to the collectors of it; and which was necessary; that it might appear he sprung from that nation, to whom he was promised; and that he came before the civil government of that people was at an end; and to teach us subjection to the civil magistrate: and as a son of Abraham he was made under the ceremonial law, was circumcised the eighth day, kept the several feasts of tabernacles, passover, etc.. and which was proper, since he was the principal end of it, in whom it centres, and for whose sake it was made; and that he might completely fulfil it, and by so doing put a period to it: and he was made under the moral law, both as a man and the surety of his people, and was subject to all the precepts of it, and bore the penalty of it, death, in their room and stead, and thereby fulfilled it, and delivered them from its curse and condemnation. So the Targumist f78 , joins the incarnation of the Messiah and his subjection to the law together, as the apostle here does; the prophet saith to the house of David, because a child is born unto us, and a son is given to us, hrjml yhwl[ atyrwa lybqw , and he hath took upon him the law to keep it, and his name shall be called, etc..
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - The apostle deals plainly with those who urged the law of Mose together with the gospel of Christ, and endeavoured to bring believer under its bondage. They could not fully understand the meaning of the law as given by Moses. And as that was a dispensation of darkness, s of bondage; they were tied to many burdensome rites and observances, by which they were taught and kept subject like a child under tutors an governors. We learn the happier state of Christians under the gospe dispensation. From these verses see the wonders of Divine love an mercy; particularly of God the Father, in sending his Son into the world to redeem and save us; of the Son of God, in submitting so low and suffering so much for us; and of the Holy Spirit, in condescendin to dwell in the hearts of believers, for such gracious purposes. Also the advantages Christians enjoy under the gospel. Although by natur children of wrath and disobedience, they become by grace children of love, and partake of the nature of the children of God; for he wil have all his children resemble him. Among men the eldest son is heir but all God's children shall have the inheritance of eldest sons. Ma the temper and conduct of sons ever show our adoption; and may the Holy Spirit witness with our spirits that we are children and heirs of God.
Greek Textus Receptus
οτε 3753 δε 1161 ηλθεν 2064 5627 το 3588 πληρωμα 4138 του 3588 χρονου 5550 εξαπεστειλεν 1821 5656 ο 3588 θεος 2316 τον 3588 υιον 5207 αυτου 846 γενομενον 1096 5637 εκ 1537 γυναικος 1135 γενομενον 1096 5637 υπο 5259 νομον 3551
Vincent's NT Word Studies
4. Fullness of the time (to plhrwma tou cronou). The moment by which the whole pre-messianic period was completed. Comp. Ephesians i. 10. It answers to the time appointed of the Father (verse 2). For plhrwma see on John i. 16. The meaning of the word is habitually passive - that which is completed, full complement. There are frequent instances of its use with the genitive, as "fullness of the earth, blessing, time, the sea, Christ," in all which it denotes the plenitude or completeness which characterizes the nouns. 69 Sent forth (exapesteilen). From himself: from his heavenly glory. This does not mean that God then, for the first time, embodied what had previously been a mere ideal, but that he sent forth a preexisting person. See Philip. ii. 6. 70 Made of a woman (genomenon). Or born. Repeated, and expressing the fact that Christ became a man, as distinguished from his prehistoric form of being.
Under the law. The earthly being of Christ began under the law. He was not only of human birth, but of Jewish birth; subjected to all the ordinances of the law, as circumcision for instance, like any other Jewish boy.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:4 {The fulness of the time} (to plerwma tou cronou). Old word from plerow, to fill. Here the complement of the preceding time as in #Eph 1:10. Some examples in the papyri in the sense of complement, to accompany. God sent forth his preexisting Son (#Php 2:6) when the time for his purpose had come like the proqesmia of verse #2. {Born of a woman} (genomenon ek gunaikos). As all men are and so true humanity, "coming from a woman." There is, of course, no direct reference here to the Virgin Birth of Jesus, but his deity had just been affirmed by the words "his Son" (ton huion autou), so that both his deity and humanity are here stated as in #Ro 1:3. Whatever view one holds about Paul's knowledge of the Virgin Birth of Christ one must admit that Paul believed in his actual personal preexistence with God (#2Co 8:9; Php 2:5-11), not a mere existence in idea. The fact of the Virgin Birth agrees perfectly with the language here. {Born under the law} (genomenon hupo nomon). He not only became a man, but a Jew. The purpose (hina) of God thus was plainly to redeem (exagorasei, as in #3:13) those under the law, and so under the curse. The further purpose (hina) was that we (Jew and Gentile) might receive (apolabwmen, second aorist active subjunctive of apolambanw), not get back (#Lu 15:27), but get from (apo) God the adoption (ten huioqesian). Late word common in the inscriptions (Deissmann, _Bible Studies_, p. 239) and occurs in the papyri also and in Diogenes Laertes, though not in LXX. Paul adopts this current term to express his idea (he alone in the N.T.) as to how God takes into his spiritual family both Jews and Gentiles who believe. See also #Ro 8:15,23; 9:4; Eph 1:5. The Vulgate uses _adoptio filiorum_. It is a metaphor like the others above, but a very expressive one.
