Galatians 4:22-28

New King James Version

²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons: ^(A)the one by a bondwoman, ^(B)the other by a freewoman. ²³But he who was of the bondwoman ^(C)was born according to the flesh, ^(D)and he of the freewoman through promise, ²⁴which things are symbolic. For these are ^[a]the two covenants: the one from Mount ^(E)Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— ²⁵for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— ²⁶but the ^(F)Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. ²⁷For it is written:

^(G)“Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband.”

²⁸Now ^(H)we, brethren, as Isaac was, are ^(I)children of promise.

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Footnotes

Galatians 4:24 NU, M omit the

Galatians 4:22-28

New International Version

²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman^(A) and the other by the free woman.^(B) ²³His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,^(C) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.^(D)

²⁴These 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. ²⁵Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above^(E) is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For 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]^(F)