My little children, for whom I labor again until Christ is formed in you,
4:19
— My little children, — They were very beloved disciples (1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 2:12; 1Jn 2:28; 1Jn 3:7; 1Jn 3:18; 1Jn 4:4; 1Jn 5:21). As Paul told the Philippians (1:8), “For God is my witness, how much I long for you all with the deepest love of Christ Jesus” (NASB). This expression indicates the deep affection of a mother who suffers a lot to give birth to her children. read again Acts 13:1-52 and 14 to remember the sufferings and anxieties that the apostle Paul underwent in order to convert the Galatians. — for whom I labor again, — By preaching the gospel to the Galatians Paul begat them (1Co 4:15; compare 1Pe 1:23-25) and suffered a lot to realize that purpose (Acts 13:1-52; Acts 14:1-28). The conversion of people requires work and even suffering on the part of those who preach the gospel. As giving birth is not without pain for the mother, so the conversion of people will not be without pain for those who teach them. The false teachers had nothing to do with the spiritual birth of the Galatians, only their fall. The biblical figure (in this case a metaphor) is not to be applied literally in every detail, but emphasizes a certain main thought, as in this case it emphasizes the work, suffering and anxiety that the apostle Paul had to go through to convert the Galatians and who now suffers again to rescue them from error and confirm them in the truth. In this way Paul played the role of father and mother (1Thess 2:7; 1Thess 2:11), to effect the conversion (new birth) of the Galatians, but the false teachers had nothing to do with this process. —until Christ be formed in you,—By being baptized for the forgiveness of sins the Galatians were “in Christ” (3:26, 27; 5:6; 2Co 5:17; Eph 2:13) and being in Christ they should grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” (2Pe 3:18) to be transformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 2Co 3:18; Eph 4:13; Gal 5:22-23). This process requires the convert to have the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9), who possesses “the endearing love of Christ” (Phil 1:8), and that the body and its members be the members of Christ (Romans 6:13; Romans 6:15). This was Paul’s purpose — because this is the Lord’s purpose —, but the Judaizers did not have that purpose, but only sought candidates for circumcision, because they wanted to boast in their flesh (Gal 6:13); In this way, the Judaizers prevented the transformation process that the Lord wanted. Paul wanted the Galatian brothers to reach maturity (Eph 4:13-14; Hebrews 6:11-14) and was concerned about them until that purpose was achieved.
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
My children. 1Co 4:14; 1Ti 1:2; Tit 1:4; Phm 1:10, Phil 1:19; Jas 1:18; 1Jn 2:1, 1Jn 2:12; 1Jn 5:21.
I am in labor pain again. Num 11:11, Num 11:12; Isaiah 53:11; Luke 22:44; Phil 1:8; Phil 2:17; Col 2:1; Col 4:12; Hebrews 5:7; Rev 12:1, Rev 12:2.
until Christ is formed in you. Romans 8:29; Romans 13:14; Eph 4:24; Phil 2:5; Col 1:27; Col 3:10.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
In the most tender way, Paul calls the Galatian Christians little children mine, for lack of growth and spiritual depth. The apostle also portrays himself as the “spiritual mother” of the Galatians. He returns to feel all the pregnancy pain because they fell into grave errors.
Source: New Illustrated Caribbean Bible Commentary
PREGNANCY PAIN. The metaphor “labor pains” describes the anguish, pain and longing with which Paul desires the salvation of those Galatians who have turned away from Christ and have fallen from the step (Gal 5:4). It is as if they needed a second spiritual birth and he himself, like a mother, suffered the pains of childbirth so that Christ could be formed in them.
Source: Full Life Study Bible
My children. Paul’s only use of this affectionate phrase that John uses frequently (1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 2:18; 1Jn 2:28; 1Jn 3:7; 1Jn 3:18; 1Jn 4:4; 1Jn 5:21). until Christ is formed in you. Unlike the evil motives of the Judaizers (see note on Gal 3:1), Paul’s goal was for the Galatians to attain full Christlikeness. This is the goal of salvation (see notes on Romans 8:29).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
4:19 — My little children — They were beloved disciples (1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 2:12; 1Jn 2:28; 1Jn 3:7; 1Jn 3:18; 1Jn 4:4; 1Jn 5:21). As Paul told the Philippians (1:8), “For God is my witness, how much I long for you all with the deepest love of Christ Jesus” (NASB). This expression indicates the deep affection of a mother who suffers a lot to give birth to her children. Read again Acts 13:1-52 and 14 to remember the sufferings and anxieties that the apostle Paul underwent in order to convert the Galatians.
— for whom I am in labor again, — By preaching the gospel to the Galatians Paul begat them (1Co 4:15; cf. 1Pe 1:23-25) and suffered much for that purpose (Acts 13:1-52; Acts 14:1-28). The conversion of people requires work and even suffering on the part of those who preach the gospel. As giving birth is not without pain for the mother, so the conversion of people will not be without pain for those who teach them. The false teachers had nothing to do with the spiritual birth of the Galatians, only their fall. The biblical figure (in this case a metaphor) is not to be applied literally in every detail, but emphasizes a certain main thought, as in this case it emphasizes the work, suffering and anxiety that the apostle Paul had to go through to convert the Galatians and who now suffers again to rescue them from error and confirm them in the truth. In this way Paul played the role of father and mother (1Thess 2:7; 1Thes 2:11), to effect the conversion (new birth) of the Galatians, but the false teachers had nothing to do with this process.
—until Christ be formed in you,—By being baptized for the forgiveness of sins the Galatians were “in Christ” (3:26, 27; 5:6; 2Co 5:17; Eph 2:13) and being in Christ they should grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” (2Pe 3:18) to be transformed into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29; 2Co 3:18; Eph 4:13; Gal 5:22-23). This process requires that the convert have the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9), that he possess “the tender love of Christ” (Phil 1:8), and that the body and its members be the members of Christ (Rom 6: 13; Romans 6:15). This was Paul’s purpose — because this is the Lord’s purpose —, but the Judaizers did not have that purpose, but only sought candidates for circumcision, because they wanted to boast in their flesh (Gal 6:13); In this way, the Judaizers prevented the transformation process that the Lord wanted.
Paul wanted the Galatian brothers to reach maturity (Eph 4:13-14; Heb 6:11-14) and was concerned about them until that purpose was achieved.
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
This verse is closely linked to the verse Gal 4:18, albeit in contrast. Paul has implied to the Galatians that the other missionaries’ concern for them is not sincere, and now he describes his own concern for them as that of a mother for her children. To communicate this, the apostle resorts to an emotional metaphor, a very usual resource in him: My little children, for whom I again suffer labor pains. The form of address is in Greek a diminutive, literally “my little children,” a form that is common in 1 John, but that Paul uses only here. The apostle does not use this diminutive in an ironic sense, but rather he wishes to communicate his genuine love for the Galatian believers. In 1Ti 2:7Pablo describes himself as a loving mother. In this verse, instead, she is presented as a mother at the moment of giving birth, suffering the pains before giving birth. In this image, Paul thinks of the Galatians as still in the womb, in need of spiritual rebirth.
The translation must communicate the idea of the painfulness of the process, something that the versions do in different ways: «Again I suffer the pains of childbirth» (BL), «to whom I give birth again» (BP), «another Sometimes you cause me labor pains» (NBE), “to whom I am giving birth again painfully” (Vidal: 103).
The use of this metaphor is likely to be strange in some contexts, since it is impossible for a man to give birth. For this reason, it should be specified that it is a metaphor or a comparison: “Because of you, I feel like a woman about to give birth”, “the pains I feel for you are like those of a woman who is about to have a baby.
The goal of such pains is defined with a second image. Indeed, what is in formation and must finally be born is the image of Christ in believers: Until Christ is formed in you. It is not that the Galatians physically resemble Christ, but that they acquire his virtues, among which Paul has freedom in mind.
The Greek verb present here is the one used to express the formation of an object or an image, such as a sculpture or an engraving. The emphasis is on the process, during which the figure appears, little by little. Some versions come close to this idea: “Until you acquire the figure of Christ” (BP), “until you see Christ formed in you” (BJ). It could also be translated: “Until they become faithful followers of Christ”, “until they behave like Christ”, “until they are so much like Christ in his way of being, that people identify them as the followers of Christ”. the”.
Source: Commentary for Exegesis and Translation
CROSS-REFERENCES
j 210 1Co 4:15; 1Thess 2:11; Phm 1:10
k211 Heb 6:1
Source: New World Translation
until Christ is formed in you. That is, until they show maturity, showing Christ in his life (2:20).
Source: The Bible of the Americas
19 (1) Paul considered himself the begetting father and considered the Galatian believers the children he begotten in Christ (cf. 1Co_4:15; Flm_1:10).
19 (two) The painful labor of giving birth. In this metaphor Paul compared himself to a mother giving birth. He had thus labored to regenerate the Galatians when he first preached the gospel to them. Because they had strayed from the gospel that he had preached to them, he was again in labor pains until Christ was formed in them.
19 (3) Christ, a living person, is the focus of Paul’s gospel. Paul’s preaching, which was very different from the teaching of the letter law, was intended to produce in believers Christ, the Son of the living God. That is why all the emphasis in this book is on Christ as the center. Christ was crucified (3:1) to redeem us from the curse of the law (3:13) and rescue us from the evil religious current of the world (1:4), and rose from the dead (1:1) to live in us (2:20). We were baptized into Him, being identified with Him, and have put on Him (3:27). So…