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, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
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, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.