In this blog, learn the real meaning of Galatians 4:9-10 and discover why it doesn’t really abolish the Sabbath!

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A lot of Sunday-keepers today would point to Galatians 4:9-10 to justify their dogmatic claim that the Sabbath commandment is already obsolete. They strongly believe that Christians under the New Covenant no longer have to observe the Sabbath Day, which is the Fourth Commandment given by Yahweh from Mt. Sinai.

However, is this true? 

Is the Sabbath truly bondage? 

Is it true that Christians are not supposed to keep the Sabbath and just choose any day or no day of worship at all?

 Most importantly, what is the real message of the Apostle Paul when he wrote Galatians 4:9-10?

Let’s discuss.

The common misunderstanding of Galatians 4:9-10

Galatians 4:9-10 tells us:

But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years.

A lot of Christians understand that Galatians 4:9-10 condemns the Sabbath command. When Paul wrote “days and months and seasons and years,” so-called Christians are quick to believe that the phrase refers to the Sabbath Day and possibly the Festivals of Yahweh listed in Leviticus 23.

Let us take a look if this interpretation is correct or accurate.

Establishing basic facts

Before you continue, let’s first review basic biblical facts. Paul wrote Galatians. If Paul was truly condemning the Sabbath observance, then we should also see this as clearly evident in other letters that he wrote. 

Yet, over and over again, we read how Paul upholds the commandments of God including the Sabbath. 

We read how Paul discusses that those who are doers of the law would be justified (Romans 2:13). 

He also established the law (Romans 3:31). 

He also called the law and commandment of God holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12). 

Paul delighted in the law of God (Romans 7:22) and that he believes all that is written in the Law and in the Prophets (Acts 24:14).

There’s no denying the high respect that Paul had for the law of God.

Now, why would he then command the Galatians to stop observing the Sabbath?

It just doesn’t make sense!

Paul talking to the gentiles

One vital element we should understand in Galatians 4:9-10 is who Paul was talking to?

The answer is that Paul was talking to the gentile converts.

How do we know?

The congregation of Galatia was dominantly made up of gentiles and only a few were Jews. That’s why, if you read Galatians 4:1-5, Paul used the pronoun, “we.” Since he was a Jew and he was talking to the Jewish converts.

Only after verse 5, you will read the change from the “we” to “you.” This tells us that he was talking to the gentiles. This is also evidenced in Galatians 5:2 and 6:12-13 as he was talking about circumcision, which is not part of the culture of the gentiles.

Please bear this in mind as we go along with our study of Galatians 4:9-10.

The Galatians never observed the Sabbath before

Now, here’s the key: the Galatians can’t possibly turn back to something they had NEVER observed. 

Paul wrote in Galatians 4:9:

⁹ But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

Since the Galatian letter was intended for a Gentile congregation, it is difficult to prove the point that they were going back to the Sabbath or Festivals of God, which they never observed before!

That’s why in verse 8 of Galatians 4, we read:

⁸ But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

Paul was talking to the Gentiles here who worship false gods in times past. Because they were pagans before their conversion, they were the ones Paul was talking about here who “did not know God” and who “served those which by nature are not gods.”

So, we are now starting to get a clearer picture of what Paul was trying to teach the Galatians.

The wrong interpretation of “weak and beggarly elements” in Galatians 4:9?

Once the gentiles converted to become a follower or disciple of Yahshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), they now know God or known by God.

Now, here’s the problem: the gentile converts are turning back to their old ways.

We read:

⁹ But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

To better understand this verse, we need to go back to the Greek word.

The Greek for elements here is “Stoicheia.” What’s interesting is that the same Greek word is used in verse 3 where we read:

“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.”

So, IF the weak and beggarly elements mentioned in verse 9 would mean the law of God, which includes the Sabbath, then it would be IRRATIONAL to say that in verse 3, Paul was saying, we were “in bondage under the Law of God of the world.”

It just doesn’t make sense!

Obviously, it can only be either the law of God or the law of the world. It can’t be both.

From there, we can immediately conclude that Paul wasn’t talking about the law of God and the Sabbath when he wrote about the “weak and beggarly elements” mentioned in Galatians 4:9.

Moreover, the Laws of God were NEVER described as weak and beggarly. In fact, James said that the law of God is a royal law (James 2:8).

[If you wish to learn more, please read, “8 Things the Bible says about the Law of God.”]

The real meaning of “weak and beggarly elements” in Galatians 4:9

As we can see, the weak and beggarly elements can’t refer to the Law of God and the Sabbath. So, what could this term be?

It could only refer to the “elements of the world,” which include the false human religion and the evil system of this present age.

Remember, the gentile converts had been rescued from the world.

They have been called out of this world and into the Body of the Messiah. With this understanding, we can only make a logical and reasonable conclusion on how the gentile converts are “turning again” to the weak and beggarly elements of the world!

You need to realize this important issue at the time of Paul.

As Christ’s body started to grow, it is inevitable that Jews and Gentiles would share the same congregation.

The problem was that some Jewish converts insisted that they should still keep the ritualistic ceremonies of the Old Covenant. 

So, some Gentile converts went to the extreme of following what these Jewish converts were teaching. On the other hand, there are also those who go to the extreme opposite — going back to their old ways!

This is the main reason why some gentiles felt that it is okay to go back to the weak and beggarly elements of the world.

[For more details, please read “What Does the Book of Galatians Teach About the New Covenant?”]

What do days, months, seasons, and years mean?

Let’s read Galatians 4:9-10 again:

⁹ But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Now that we know what the weak and beggarly elements mean, some people may still insist that the days, months, seasons, and years mentioned in Galatians 4:9-10 refer to the Sabbath.

But is it?

One question:

Do you read the word “sabbath” or “sabbaths” in these verses?

Obviously, no.

In fact, you can’t see the word “Sabbath” or any reference to the Sabbath in the book of Galatians!

If Paul was referring to the Sabbath, he should have used the same Greek word he used in Colossians 2:16 where he mentioned the Sabbath. But no, we don’t see any similarities.

As was already discussed earlier, Galatians 4:9-10 CAN’T possibly refer to the Sabbath or the Laws of God.

So, let’s understand what “days and months and seasons and years” mean.

To better understand this, we need to take note of the deeper meaning of “Stoicheia,” the Greek word for the English translation, “element.”

Thayer’s Greek Definition gives us a clue. The book defines stoicheia as:

“The heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens or (as others think) because in them the elements of man, life and destiny were supposed to reside.”

As you can see, the pagans in Galatia had a lot of superstitious and religious beliefs. The pagan religious leaders, at that time, associated the moon, stars, planets, and sun with gods and goddesses.

A major aspect of the pagan religion of Galatia was astrology. Astrologists are known to be observers of times. They attribute time, luck, and blessings to the planets, stars, and various heavenly bodies.

That’s why part of turning back to the “weak and beggarly elements” is to also go back to observing the days, months, seasons, and years observed by the pagans.

A quick look at history would support this understanding. 

In ancient Greece and Rome, a single day is reckoned by the passing of the day and night. Days would then be grouped by 9 to 10 days. Then, this group of days would form the month. In a month, there would be three groups of days, which correspond to the waxing moon, full moon, and waning moon. Three months would then make one season. Four seasons would form a year.

This was exactly what the Apostle Paul was referring to when he wrote Galatians 4:9-10!

When he wrote days, months, seasons, and years, he was referring to the pagan’s system of reckoning time.

Bondage in a pagan system of worship

As you now can see, Paul’s main concern was the Gentile converts going back to their old ways and beliefs. For Paul, when they adopted the paganistic religion, they were in effect, worshiping false gods and even demons.

When this happens, they are becoming slaves again to false religion. Worst of all, they are again becoming slaves to Satan.

When the gentiles accepted Yahshua’s sacrifice, they were freed from the bondage of sin. However, the fear of Paul was that his labor had been in vain because the Christian gentiles were again going back to the same bondage that Yahshua mightily broke them from.

The true meaning of Galatians 4:9-10

It is my sincerest hope that you have now a better understanding of Galatians 4:9-10. These verses don’t, in any way, abolish the Sabbath command. It definitely doesn’t call the Sabbath bondage.

Sadly, because of the eagerness of a lot of Christians and religious leaders to get rid of the Sabbath, they have missed the true meaning of Galatians 4:9-10.

Paul is warning not just the gentile converts at that time, but also in our time, that we must not copy the pagan way of worshiping God. The same God who warned us not to worship the heavenly bodies.

Yahweh is the only living and true God who deserves our worship, praise, and loyalty. We must not let anything come between us and our Father.

With this in mind, let us consider our beliefs, practices, and traditions. Look into them and see if we have any beliefs that have originated from paganism.

By doing so, we can break free from the bondage of the weak and beggarly elements of this world and freely serve our Creator.

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