ἵνα. Probably to be taken with the whole of the preceding words from ἐξαπέστειλεν, of which indeed γενόμ.… νόμον are in a sense epexegetic.

τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον, i.e. Jews, and, if them, much more others who were not under the same strict discipline. There may also be the further thought that if Jews were set free from the Law, much more were Gentiles not to be brought under it. “Tantum abest, ut eos, quibus lex lata non fuit, jugo legis subjecerit, ut et ipsos Judaeos liberatum venerit” (Wetstein).

ἐξαγοράσῃ, Galatians 3:13; cf. 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Corinthians 7:23. St Paul and his readers cannot have been ignorant of the method by which slaves were often set free, viz. that of the master receiving from a temple the sale-price of his slave, who has himself deposited the sum with the temple authorities for that purpose. The slave is nominally bought to become the slave of the god, but he is in reality free, with the god for his protector.

An inscription of 200/199 B.C. at Delphi runs ἐπρίατο δʼ Ἀπόλλων ὁ Πύθιος παρὰ Σωσιβίου Ἀμφισσέος ἐ πʼ ἐλευθερίαι σῶμ[α] γυναικεῖον, ἇι ὄνομα Νίκαια … τιμᾶς� … τὴν τιμὰν�. τὰν δὲ ὠνὰν ἐπίστευσε Νίκαια τῶι Ἀπόλλωνι ἐπʼ ἐλευθερίαι (Deissmann, Licht vom Osten, p. 234). For ἐπʼ ἐλευθερίᾳ see the notes on Galatians 5:1; Galatians 5:13. It is less probable that St Paul was thinking of one Roman method of adoption in which the transference was made from the power of the natural father to that of the adoptive father by a series of fictitious sales (see Appendix, Note C).

ἵνα. Dependent on ἐξαγοράσῃ. Observe that by “Chiasmus” the clause of the first ἵνα answers to γενόμενος ὑπὸ νόμον, and that of the second to γενόμενος ἐκ γυναικός.

τὴν υἱοθεσίαν. The article = that νίοθ. of which we all know, or perhaps “our” νίοθ. νίοθ., Romans 8:15; Romans 8:23; Romans 9:4; Ephesians 1:5[119]. Before, we were only potentially sons (Galatians 4:1), and were in fact enslaved (Galatians 4:3), but now are both recognized as sons officially and enjoy the privileges of the position. Observe “adoption,” for strictly we have no claim. It is of God’s grace that we become members of His family in the truest sense. See Appendix, Note C.

[119] Is affixed it means that all the passages are mentioned where the word occurs in the Greek Bible.

ἀπολάβωμεν. Colossians 3:24. “we” = all believers. ἀπο = as due, Luke 6:34, i.e. corresponding to the promises. καὶ τὴν ἐτηγγελμένην ἡμῖν υἱοθεσίαν ἐδωρήσατο (Theodoret). Hardly “as children were always sons, and only receive back what was originally designed for us” (Jowett).

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Old Testament