1. Galatians 4:1 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does Paul compare a child heir to a slave?

Galatians 4:1 (ESV)

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,

The comparison between a child heir and a slave is likely done to forecast the state of living under the Mosaic law (Galatians 4:3–5) which was characterized by bondage rather than freedom.1