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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gal_4:21 to Gal_5:1
21Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. 23But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27For it is written,
Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;
Break forth and shout, you are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate
Than of the one who has a husband."
28And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30But what does the Scripture say?
"Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman."
31So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. Gal_5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Gal_4:21 "Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to law" Paul used the writing of Moses to combat errors based on Moses. This verse resumes the thought of Gal_4:7. Gal_4:8-20 are another personal, emotional appeal by Paul. The concepts of "sonship" and "heir" in Gal_4:7 and "seed" in Gal_3:15-18 are the antecedents to this typology.
Gal_4:22 "Abraham had two sons" Abraham had more than two sons, but the ones spoken of here are contrasted: his first son, Ishmael, recorded in Genesis 16, and his second son, Isaac, recorded in Genesis 21. The whole point of the typology is that one was born by natural means by a servant girl and one was born by supernatural means according to the promise of God by a free woman, his wife. The emphasis throughout this context has been, as in Gal_4:23, on the promise of God versus human effort.
Gal_4:23-24 The Jews would have agreed with Paul's typology until Gal_4:23, where he said that in the sense of human effort, the Jews were really the descendants of Ishmael, while the Church was the true descendant of Sarah because of "the promise."
Gal_4:24 "allegorically" This is not "allegory" as used by Philo, Clement or Origen, but rather typology. Paul saw the current situation as analogous to the two children of Abraham; one by social custom, one by divine promise. One corresponds to works righteousness (Ishmael), the other to free grace (Isaac)! For Paul, the Law could not save but had become a death sentence on sinful mankind (cf. Col_2:14). Only in Christ could true salvation be found. The essence of OT faith was not found in Mosaic Law but Abrahamic faith.
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Gal_4:25 "Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia" There have been two ways of interpreting "is" here: (1) "it represents" or (2) there is some kind of popular etymological connection between Hagar and Mount Sinai. The name "Hagar" is spelledmuch like the Hebrew term for "rock" (metonymy for mountain). Most commentators choose option #1. Hagar stands for the Mosaic Law given on Mt. Sinai and, thereby, Judaism.
Arabia was a far wider geographical designation in Paul's day than today.
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▣ "corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children" The metaphor here is between the current system of Judaism centered in Jerusalem and the coming, eschatological city, New Jerusalem. This city, not made with hands, exists eternally in the heavens (cf. Heb_11:10; Heb_12:22; Heb_13:14 and Rev_21:2; Rev_21:10).
Notice that Paul made the Jerusalem above apply to the Church. NT apostolic writings change the focus of the OT (Jews vs. Greeks) to believers vs. unbelievers. The NT reorients the OT geographical promises from Palestine to heaven (earthly Jerusalem vs. heavenly Jerusalem). It is this basic change of focus that allows the book of Revelation to refer to (1) believers, not Jews or (2) a universal kingdom, not a Jewish kingdom.
Gal_4:26 "free" Freedom here refers to the believer as being released from the obligation of both Judaism (i.e., free from the curse, cf. Gal_3:13) and paganism (the stoicheia). Freedom is not related to the believer becoming self-directed, but
1. we are free to serve God (cf. Romans 6)
2. we are free from the terrible tyranny of the fallen self
To put it another way, believers are free "to serve" and free from "self." It is a dual freedom! We willingly serve the Father and the family as sons and daughters, not slave and servants!
Gal_4:27 This is a quote from Isa_54:1. In context it refers to the restoration of the city of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. The New Jerusalem is mentioned specifically in chapters 65 and 66. Paul projected this eschatological understanding into his typology.
Gal_4:28 The believers in the Galatian churches were the true descendants of Abraham by faith (cf. Rom_2:28-29).
Gal_4:29 Paul associated all true followers of Jesus with the true descendants of Isaac through God's promise. Although the OT does not specifically mention persecution (i.e., Jewish tradition), it does mention Hagar's haughty attitude toward childless Sarah (cf. Gen_16:4-5), but also Sarah's mistreatment of Hagar (cf. Gen_16:6). The rabbis interpreted Gen_21:9 as Ishmael mocking Sarah and her child. The Hebrew text itself reads "playing" or "laughing" (BDB 850, KB 1019). Possibly Paul was referring to the later animosity between Jews and Gentiles.
The last phrase of Gal_4:29, "so it is now also," implies that the physical descendants (i.e., children of the Mosaic Covenant) of Abraham are still persecuting the spiritual children (i.e., faith children) of Abraham. There is conflict between the two mountains!
Gal_4:30 "But what does the Scripture say? ‘Cast out the bondwoman and her son'" This is a quotation from Gen_21:10 (quoting Sarah, Peil imperative, BDB 176, KB 204). The Greek verb is aorist active imperative meaning to "drive off the slave girl" and in the context of Galatians would mean "kick the Judaizers out!"
Scripture is personified (cf. Joh_7:42; Rom_9:17; Gal_3:8; Gal. 4:36; Jas_2:23; Jas_4:5). This may be a metaphorical way of referring to the Father or the Spirit speaking, which would be a way of referring to "inspiration" (cf. Mat_5:17-19).
Gal_4:31 "So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman" This was the summary of the argument. We who trust in Jesus Christ are full heirs of the Abrahamic promise and not simply those who are of racial, or natural Israel. This same truth is expressed in Romans 9-11.
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