{The fulness of the time} (	o pl(8872)(936d)a tou chronou). Old
word from pl(8872)o(935c), to fill. Here the complement of the preceding
time as in  Eph 1:10 . Some examples in the papyri in the sense
of complement, to accompany. God sent forth his preexisting Son
( Php 2:6 ) when the time for his purpose had come like the
prothesmia of verse  2 . {Born of a woman} (genomenon ek
gunaikos). As all men are and so true humanity, "coming from a
woman." There is, of course, no direct reference here to the
Virgin Birth of Jesus, but his deity had just been affirmed by
the words "his Son" (	on huion autou), so that both his deity
and humanity are here stated as in  Ro 1:3 . Whatever view one
holds about Paul's knowledge of the Virgin Birth of Christ one
must admit that Paul believed in his actual personal preexistence
with God ( 2Co 8:9  Php 2:5-11 ), not a mere existence in idea.
The fact of the Virgin Birth agrees perfectly with the language
here. {Born under the law} (genomenon hupo nomon). He not only
became a man, but a Jew. The purpose (hina) of God thus was
plainly to redeem (exagoras(8869), as in  3:13 ) those under the
law, and so under the curse. The further purpose (hina) was
that we (Jew and Gentile) might receive (apolab(936d)en, second
aorist active subjunctive of apolamban(935c)), not get back ( Lu
15:27 ), but get from (apo) God the adoption (	(886e)
huiothesian). Late word common in the inscriptions (Deissmann,
_Bible Studies_, p. 239) and occurs in the papyri also and in
Diogenes Laertes, though not in LXX. Paul adopts this current
term to express his idea (he alone in the N.T.) as to how God
takes into his spiritual family both Jews and Gentiles who
believe. See also  Ro 8:15,23  9:4  Eph 1:5 . The Vulgate uses
_adoptio filiorum_. It is a metaphor like the others above, but a
very expressive one.