Galatians 4:22 kjv
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Galatians 4:22 nkjv
For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
Galatians 4:22 niv
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
Galatians 4:22 esv
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.
Galatians 4:22 nlt
The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.
Galatians 4 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Galatians 4:21 | Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? | Legalistic Spirit Identified |
| Genesis 16:15 | And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called his name Ishmael. | Ishmael's Birth |
| Genesis 17:19 | But God said, "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant, and with his offspring after him." | Isaac's Promise |
| Genesis 21:2 | For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had spoken to him. | Isaac's Birth |
| Romans 9:7 | Nor are they all children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." | Lineage Through Isaac |
| Romans 9:8 | This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. | Children of Promise vs. Flesh |
| Hebrews 12:17 | For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to change his mind, though he sought it with tears. | Esau and Inheritance |
| Galatians 3:29 | And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. | Believers as Abraham's Offspring |
| Galatians 5:1 | For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. | Freedom in Christ |
| John 8:36 | So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. | Freedom Through the Son |
| 2 Corinthians 3:6 | who made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. | Letter vs. Spirit Covenant |
| Romans 2:28-29 | For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and bodily. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. | True Circumcision |
| Galatians 5:2-3 | Look! I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to do the whole law. | Obligation to the Law |
| Genesis 25:12-18 | Genesis 25:12–18 provides the lineage of Ishmael. | Ishmael's Descendants |
| Genesis 16:1-16 | Genesis 16 narrates Hagar's submission to Abram and the birth of Ishmael. | Hagar and Ishmael's Story |
| Galatians 4:30 | But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman with her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman." | Casting out Ishmael |
| John 1:12-13 | But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. | Children of God by Faith |
| Acts 15:10 | Now, therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? | Yoke of the Law |
| Galatians 2:16 | yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. | Justification by Faith |
| Romans 4:13 | For the promise to Abraham and his offspring to be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. | Promise Through Righteousness of Faith |
| 1 Corinthians 10:11 | Now these things occurred as examples for us, to keep us from setting our hearts on evil as they did. | Examples for Us |
Galatians 4 verses
Galatians 4 22 Meaning
This verse uses a historical allegory to illustrate a point about the Mosaic Law. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, born to two different mothers, Hagar and Sarah. Ishmael was born to Hagar, a slave woman, according to the ordinary course of nature. Isaac, however, was born to Sarah, the free woman, through a special promise and intervention of God, defying natural expectations. This difference in their birth represents two covenants. Ishmael represents the covenant made at Mount Sinai (the Mosaic Law), which enslaves people to the law. Isaac represents the covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4 22 Context
In Galatians 4, Paul is addressing the Galatian churches who were being pressured by certain Judaizers to adopt Mosaic Law observances, particularly circumcision, in addition to faith in Christ. This was seen as a move back to the bondage of the Law after experiencing freedom in Christ. Paul uses the analogy of Abraham's sons, Ishmael and Isaac, to demonstrate that believers are children of promise and are under a new covenant of grace, not the old covenant of law, which brings bondage. The verse highlights that Ishmael, born to Hagar the slave, was born according to nature, representing those who seek righteousness through the Law. Isaac, born to Sarah the free woman, was born through a divine promise and represents those who receive righteousness by faith.
Galatians 4 22 Word analysis
- Ekeinon ( ἐκείνων): Genitive plural of ekeinos (ἐκεῖνος), meaning "that one," "those." Here, it refers back to the sons of Abraham mentioned implicitly in the context of the allegory being built. It indicates possession or relationship.
- gar (γάρ): Conjunction, meaning "for," "because," "since." It introduces an explanation or reason for the preceding statement.
- esti (ἐστι): Third-person singular present indicative of eimi (εἰμί), meaning "is," "exists."
- Huioi (υἱοί): Nominative plural of huios (υἱός), meaning "son(s)." Refers to children in a broader sense, but in biblical context, especially sons of promise.
- de (δέ): Postpositive particle, functioning as a conjunction meaning "but," "and," "moreover." It introduces a contrast or adds an element.
- alla (ἀλλά): Conjunction, meaning "but," "however." It signals a stronger contrast than de.
- ek tēs PAIDISKĒS (ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης): Preposition ek (ἐκ), meaning "from," "out of." Article tēs (τῆς), feminine genitive singular of ho (ὁ), "the." Noun paidiskē (παιδίσκη), meaning "young girl," "maidservant," "female slave." It denotes origin or source.
- gegennēmenos (γεγεννημένος): Perfect passive participle of gennaō (γεννάω), meaning "to beget," "to bear," "to give birth to." Here, it refers to a birth that has happened.
- de (δὲ): Conjunction, another instance of "but," "and."
- ek tēs Elegtheras (ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας): Preposition ek (ἐκ), "from," "out of." Article tēs (τῆς), "the." Adjective eleuthera (ἐλευθέρα), feminine nominative singular of eleutheros (ἐλεύθερος), meaning "free." It contrasts with paidiskē.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "out of the slave woman" (ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης): This phrase emphasizes the natural, though illegitimate in terms of promise, origin of Ishmael's birth. It is a birth dictated by the circumstances of human arrangement and physical desire, not divine decree in the lineage of the promise.
- "born according to the flesh" (κατὰ σάρκα): This phrase, although not explicitly in verse 22 but inherent to the comparison, means according to natural birth and human nature, without special divine intervention for the specific line of promise. It’s tied to physical lineage and human agency.
- "but of the free woman" (ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἐλευθέρας): This contrasts sharply with the previous phrase. It points to the divinely ordained birth, free from the status of servitude, symbolizing the born-again spiritual freedom received through grace.
Galatians 4 22 Bonus Section
The allegory used here is a profound theological tool that Paul employs to make complex truths understandable. It isn't merely a historical recounting but a reinterpretation of a well-known Old Testament narrative for a new covenant context. The concept of "children of the promise" is crucial, distinguishing Abraham's true spiritual lineage from his physical lineage. This illustrates that one's identity and inheritance in God are not based on natural birth or ethnic descent, nor on adherence to a ritualistic law, but solely on God's sovereign promise and a person's response of faith. The historical context of Hagar and Sarah, their rivalry, and the subsequent expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21:9-21) deeply resonates with the theological point being made about differing spiritual conditions and inheritances. This concept echoes through the New Testament, emphasizing that the children of God are born of the Spirit, not of fleshly desire or human will (John 1:13).
Galatians 4 22 Commentary
Paul establishes a foundational difference: Ishmael was born in the normal, human way to a slave, representing the covenant of the Law. The Law, given at Sinai, binds people to a system of works and is therefore like a slave mother. Believers in Galatia are being tempted to return to this "slave" status. In contrast, Isaac was born miraculously to a free woman, through God's promise. This symbolizes the covenant of grace through faith in Jesus, which brings true freedom. The Galatians, as believers in Christ, are spiritual descendants of Isaac, heirs of promise, and thus are free and should not revert to legalistic bondage. The core message is a radical separation: one belongs to slavery under law (Ishmael's line), and the other belongs to freedom in grace through promise (Isaac's line). Paul’s analogy drives home the point that trying to be justified by law nullifies the grace of God and makes one a slave.