Paul asks the Galatians (Gal. 4: 9) how they could contemplate returning to the beggarly (AV, NRSV), ‘bankrupt’ (REB, NJB) elemental spirits. He therefore contrasts the poverty of such a religious system with the riches of the gospel.
Citation for beggarly
Citation styles are based on the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Ed., and the MLA Style Manual, 2nd Ed..
MLA
"beggarly." In A Dictionary of the Bible. Ed. W. R. F. Browning. Oxford Biblical Studies Online. May 24, 2013. <http://www.oxfordbiblicalcstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e246>.
Chicago
"beggarly." In A Dictionary of the Bible. , edited by W. R. F. Browning. Oxford Biblical Studies Online, http://www.oxfordbiblicalcstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e246 (accessed May 24, 2013).