Galatians 4:3

Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι·

RBT Greek Interlinear:

Strongs 3779; houtōs; οὕτως; thus; Adv

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 1473; hēmeis; ἡμεῖς; we; PPro-N1P

Strongs 3753; hote; ὅτε; when; Adv

Strongs 1510; ēmen; ἦμεν; we were; V-IIA-1P

Strongs 3516; nēpioi; νήπιοι; unspeaking ones; Adj-NMP

Strongs 5259; hypo; ὑπὸ; under; Prep

Strongs 3588; ta; τὰ; the; Art-ANP

Strongs 4747; stoicheia; στοιχεῖα; row of letters; N-ANP

Strongs 3588; tou; τοῦ; the; Art-GMS

Strongs 2889; kosmou; κόσμου; of world; N-GMS

Strongs 1510; ēmetha; ἤμεθα; we were; V-IIM-1P

Strongs 1402; dedoulōmenoi; δεδουλωμένοι; those who have been held in bondage; V-RPM/P-NMP

RBT Translation:

And in this way, also ourselves, when we were unspeaking-babes under the Rows of Letters⁴ of the World, we were those who have been enslaved.

LITV Translation:
So we also, when we were infants, we were under the elements of the world, being enslaved.

ESV Translation:
In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

Footnotes

4

Strong's #G4747. The term "στοιχεῖα" (stoicheia) in the context of ancient Greek texts, is related to "γράμματα" (grammata), which means "letters" or "written characters."

1. Stoicheia vs. Grammata:

   • "στοιχεῖα" (stoicheia): This term originally referred to elements or fundamental principles and can be translated as "elements" or "letters" in different contexts. In classical texts, it often implies basic components or building blocks, such as letters of the alphabet.
   • "γράμματα" (grammata): This term generally means "letters" in the sense of written characters or individual letters of the alphabet.

2. Historical and Textual Usage:

   • Diog. Bab. Stoic. 3.213: Refers to a Stoic text where "στοιχεῖα" is differentiated from "γράμματα." This suggests that the Stoics saw a conceptual distinction between fundamental elements (στοιχεῖα) and letters (γράμματα) in their philosophy.
   • Plato’s Theaetetus (Cra. 426d): Plato uses "στοιχεῖα" to denote elements or principles but doesn’t always clearly distinguish it from "γράμματα."
   • Aeneas Tacticus (31.21): Mentions "στοιχεῖα" and specifies that it can refer to letters (particularly, the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet).
   • BGU 959.2 (ii A.D.): Provides an example where "στοιχεῖα" is used in a filing system to denote letters.

3. Usage in Ancient Texts:

   • ἀκουόμενα στοιχεῖα: Letters that are pronounced.
   • γράμματα and στοιχεῖα: In some texts, these terms are used interchangeably, indicating that "στοιχεῖα" and "γράμματα" could sometimes refer to the same thing—letters of the alphabet.
   • D.T. 630.32: Explicitly identifies "γράμματα" and "στοιχεῖα," showing that in some contexts they were considered the same.

4. Ordering and Systems:

   • κατὰ στοιχεῖον: Refers to ordering alphabetically or by the sequence of letters.

5. Confusions and Distinctions:

   • A.D. Synt. 29.1: Shows confusion between "στοιχεῖα" and "γράμματα" in some contexts.
   • Hdn. Gr. ap. Choerob. in Theod. 1.340: Distinguishes between "στοιχεῖα" and "γράμματα."

cf. Logeion στοιχεῖον