Example of Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, (A)one by a slave woman and (B)one by a free woman. 23 But (C)the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while (D)the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two (E)covenants. (F)One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;[a] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But (G)the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

(H)“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
    break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
    than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you,[b] brothers, (I)like Isaac, (J)are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh (K)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, (L)so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? (M)“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but (N)of the free woman.

Christ Has Set Us Free

For (O)freedom Christ has (P)set us free; (Q)stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to (R)a yoke of (S)slavery.

Footnotes

  1. Galatians 4:25 Some manuscripts For Sinai is a mountain in Arabia
  2. Galatians 4:28 Some manuscripts we

21 Λέγετέ μοι, οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι, τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε; 22 γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ δύο υἱοὺς ἔσχεν, ἕνα ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ ἕνα ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας· 23 ἀλλ’ ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται, ὁ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας [a]δι’ ἐπαγγελίας. 24 ἅτινά ἐστιν ἀλληγορούμενα· αὗται γάρ εἰσιν δύο διαθῆκαι, μία μὲν ἀπὸ ὄρους Σινᾶ, εἰς δουλείαν γεννῶσα, ἥτις ἐστὶν Ἁγάρ, 25 τὸ [b]δὲ Ἁγὰρ Σινᾶ ὄρος ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ Ἀραβίᾳ, συστοιχεῖ δὲ τῇ νῦν Ἰερουσαλήμ, δουλεύει [c]γὰρ μετὰ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς· 26 ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν, ἥτις ἐστὶν [d]μήτηρ ἡμῶν· 27 γέγραπται γάρ· Εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα· ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. 28 [e]ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, κατὰ Ἰσαὰκ ἐπαγγελίας τέκνα ἐστέ· 29 ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ τότε ὁ κατὰ σάρκα γεννηθεὶς ἐδίωκε τὸν κατὰ πνεῦμα, οὕτως καὶ νῦν. 30 ἀλλὰ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή; Ἔκβαλε τὴν παιδίσκην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς, οὐ γὰρ μὴ [f]κληρονομήσει ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἐλευθέρας. 31 [g]διό, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἐσμὲν παιδίσκης τέκνα ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐλευθέρας. τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ [h]ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν· στήκετε οὖν καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε.

Footnotes

  1. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 4:23 δι᾽ WH Treg NIV] διὰ τῆς RP
  2. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 4:25 δὲ WH NIV] γὰρ RP Treg
  3. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 4:25 γὰρ WH Treg NIV] δὲ RP
  4. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 4:26 μήτηρ WH Treg NIV] + πάντων RP
  5. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 4:28 ὑμεῖς δέ … τέκνα ἐστέ Treg NIV] ἡμεῖς δὲ … τέκνα ἐσμέν WH RP
  6. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 4:30 κληρονομήσει WH Treg NIV] κληρονομήσῃ RP
  7. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 4:31 διό WH Treg NIV] Ἄρα RP
  8. ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ 5:1 ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν στήκετε οὖν WH Treg NIV] οὖν ᾗ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἠλευθέρωσεν στήκετε RP

Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law,(A) are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman(B) and the other by the free woman.(C) 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,(D) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.(E)

24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above(F) is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband.”[a](G)

28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.(H) 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh(I) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.(J) It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”[b](K) 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,(L) but of the free woman.(M)

Freedom in Christ

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.(N) Stand firm,(O) then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.(P)

Footnotes

  1. Galatians 4:27 Isaiah 54:1
  2. Galatians 4:30 Gen. 21:10

21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.