What is the meaning of Galatians 4:8-11?
By Kelly McDonald, Jr.
The letter to the Galatians is one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible. There is one passage especially misinterpreted. Today, we will break down the meaning to make the context of the passage clearer.
In Galatians 4:8-11, Paul wrote: “8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain” (KJV).
Some have used this passage to suggest that Paul is condemning the celebration of the seventh day Sabbath or Feasts of the Lord. Usually, people with this perspective assume that Paul’s letter to the Galatians is written to a group of Jews who are ‘going back’ to the observance of these days. What is the truth?
First, in Galatians Paul affirmed that he was the Apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15-16). A second detail of importance is that one of the main issues in Galatia was adult circumcision. If he was speaking solely to a group of Jews ‘going back’ to something, then the issue of circumcision would not have arisen; they would have already been circumcised.
Third, look at Galatians 4:8. Paul wrote, “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” He is addressing a group of people who at one time worshiped other gods. This detail affirms that this passage is directed towards Gentiles. They were going back to celebrations from before their conversion.
Fourth, the Jewish people only worship the one True God, not ‘gods.’ Also, the Sabbath and Feasts were given for us to worship the one and only True God (not more than one deity). In Exodus 20:11, God said, “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.” These details alone disqualify any application to practices God gave in the Torah – but there is even more evidence to affirm this conclusion.
The language used in Galatians 4:8-11 does not support any claim that Paul is preaching against the Sabbath. The phrase Paul uses – “days and months and seasons and years” – does not contain any of the Greek words used in the New Testament for the Sabbath (sabbaton), New Moon celebrations (neumenea), or Feast Days (heorte). The Galatian churches had a group of Gentiles going back to paganism and the worship of other gods.
What are the days and months and seasons and years?
To understand this phrase, one must understand some of the history of this region. Galatia was located in what is now called modern-day Turkey. Below, we have a map highlighting this area:
For hundreds of years, the peoples of Galatia were influenced by their own traditions of pagan worship as well as Greek mythology. The region was first subdued by the Romans around 189 B.C. By the time Paul wrote to these churches in approximately 53 A.D., this region was dominated culturally and politically by the Roman Empire. The days, months, seasons, and years to which Paul refers are the Greek and Roman worship practices that permeated Galatian culture hundreds of years before Paul’s visit to Galatia. See Acts 14:8-20 for an example of Greco-Roman influence in the region.
Days
For deeper understanding, take into consideration the “days” that Paul mentions. In the first century AD, every day was dedicated to a specific god or goddess in Roman culture. The practice of naming every day of the week comes from this custom. The day we call the first day of the week (Sunday) was dedicated to the sun god (Solis or Apollo); the second day of the week (Monday) was dedicated to the moon god (Selenas or Lunas). There were also special days in the year dedicated to these gods (days;CIL 4:5202, 6779, 8863; Lucius Ampelius, Liber Memorialis, 3; Vettius Valens, Anthologies, 1.10.10-18; see also Ovid, Fasti).
Months
In addition to these days, the Romans also dedicated each month to a specific god or goddess. Here are two examples. The month we call January was dedicated to the god Janus, who was said to have two faces. The month of March derives its name from the Roman god Mars (months; Ovid, Fasti, 1.1-88, 3.1-98).
Seasons and Years
The Romans also kept certain seasons or times of celebrations to their gods that coincided with events in nature. The Saturnalia was a seasonal festival held in December to commemorate the god Saturn just before the Winter Solstice (seasons; Encyclopedia Britannica: Saturn). The combination of observing all these events makes up years; sometimes years were dedicated to certain deities (years; Colson, pp 47-49).
These ancient celebrations involved worship practices such as making sacrifices, prayers, vows, and/or superstitions to these gods, which are the “weak and miserable principles” Paul mentions in Galatians 4:9.
Paul linked these days, months, seasons, and years to a time when the Galatians served or worshiped other gods.
The weekly and annual Sabbaths were set apart and ordained by the one True God, which is why they are called holy. God gave everything to show mankind how to serve and worship Him. Paul kept the Sabbath with Galatian churches in Acts chapter 13:13-48. In other places, He observed the Sabbath and Feasts and taught others to do the same (see I Cor. 5:6-8, 16:8, Acts 16:11-15, 17:1-3, Acts 18:1-4, Acts 20:6, 20:16). He told the Colossians to let no one judge them FOR observing these days! (Colossians 2:16-17). He never condemned people for their observances.
In Galatians 4:8-11, Paul clearly warned the Gentiles in the region of Galatia not to return to pagan practices they engaged in prior to conversion.
Kelly McDonald, Jr. served as BSA President from 2016-2023. He presently serves as the Pastor of David’s Tent Christian Fellowship www.davidstentjackson.com.
Bibliography
Bible. King James Version.
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) 4:5202, 6779, 8863.
Colson, F.H. The Week: An Essay on the Origin and Development of the Seven-Day Cycle. Cambridge: 1926. pp 47-49.
Encyclopedia Britannica 11th edition: Galatia; Saturn.
Lucius Ampelius. Liber Memorialis, chapter 3. Edward Woelfflin, ed. Lipsiae, 1854. p 4.
Ovid. Fasti, 1.1-188, 3.1-98. Translated by Sir James George Frazer. Ovid’s Fasti. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1931, pp 2-15, 120-127.
Vettius Valens. Anthology. 1.10.10-18. Vettii Valentis. Anthologiarium Libri. First ed. Guilelmus Kroll. Apud Weidmannos, Berlin, 1908, p 26.