Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
All Commentaries on Galatians 4:3 Go To Galatians 4
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
Why does Paul include his own character in this description? He says not “When you were small, you were subject to the elements of this world” but “When we were small we were in servitude under the elements of this world.” This does not have any reference to the Jews, from whom Paul derived his origin. Rather it refers to his identification with the Gentiles in this place at least, since he can properly join himself with the character of those whom he was sent to evangelize.
