Galatians 4:4
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”
King James Version
'When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law' — Paul's compressed testimony that the promise begun at Genesis 3:15 ('her seed') arrived on schedule in Jesus.
Fulfillment References
Genesis 3:15 Daniel 9:24-26 Luke 2:7 Matthew 5:17
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal'God sent forth his Son' is God expressing Himself in the flesh He prepared (Heb. 10:5): the Son's existence begins at 'made of a woman,' while the One who came is the eternal, invisible God — and 'the fulness of the time' is the Father's own clock for declared sonship (Rom. 1:4).
JewishJudaism awaits no incarnation; the 'seed of the woman' in Genesis 3:15 is read as humanity's ongoing struggle with evil.
CatholicThe verse anchors both the Incarnation and Mary's role; 'made of a woman' echoes the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15.
ProtestantThe 'fullness of time' — Roman roads, Greek language, messianic expectation, Daniel's chronology — marks providential timing of the advent.
DispensationalGod's dispensational clock: the law age reaches its terminus precisely when the Redeemer is sent to be born under it.
Academic'Born of a woman' is standard Jewish idiom for a human being (Job 14:1), though many exegetes hear an echo of Genesis 3:15; the 'fullness of time' phrase reflects apocalyptic periodization of history.
Scholarship & Sources
F. F. Bruce (Galatians, NIGTC) weighs the Genesis 3:15 echo; the providential-timing reading goes back to the Fathers (e.g., Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3).
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.