Galatians 4:27 kjv
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.
Galatians 4:27 nkjv
For it is written: "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."
Galatians 4:27 niv
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."
Galatians 4:27 esv
For it is written, "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."
Galatians 4:27 nlt
As Isaiah said, "Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!"
Galatians 4 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Galatians 4:27 | "For it is written, 'Rejoice, barren one, who bears no child...' " | Echoes Isaiah 54:1 for context |
| Isaiah 54:1 | "Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have not borne..." | Prophecy of enlarged spiritual family |
| Isaiah 54:2 | "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your curtains wide..." | Symbol of growth for the church |
| Romans 9:7 | "Nor because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children..." | Distinction between physical and spiritual Israel |
| 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." | Importance of promise over lineage |
| 1 Corinthians 15:45 | "Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." | Christ as the second Adam, bringing new life |
| 2 Corinthians 5:17 | "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." | Spiritual transformation through Christ |
| Galatians 3:29 | "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." | Inclusion of Gentiles in Abraham's lineage by faith |
| Galatians 3:16 | "Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, 'and to offsprings,' referring to many, but, referring to one, 'and to your offspring,' who is Christ." | Christ as the focal point of the promises |
| Genesis 1:28 | "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply...'" | Original command for fruitfulness |
| Genesis 17:5-6 | "No longer shall your name be Abraham, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful..." | Promise of many nations from Abraham |
| Psalm 113:9 | "The childless woman in the house shall sing for joy." | Similar theme of joy for the barren |
| John 3:3 | "Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" | Necessity of spiritual birth |
| 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." | Spiritual birth defined |
| Ephesians 2:11-13 | "Remember that you are at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel..." | Previous state of Gentiles |
| Ephesians 2:13 | "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." | Reconciliation and closeness in Christ |
| Hebrews 12:22-24 | "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in joyful assembly..." | Heavenly Jerusalem as the spiritual community |
| Revelation 21:2 | "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God..." | Heavenly Jerusalem as the consummation |
| Galatians 4:21 | "Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?" | Contrasting allegory with the Law-bound |
| Galatians 4:22-23 | "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a servant woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise." | Allegorical basis for the verse |
Galatians 4 verses
Galatians 4 27 Meaning
The verse emphasizes that barrenness leads to more children than the one who has a husband. This signifies a spiritual birth, where those previously excluded or considered unfruitful (representing Gentiles or those under the Law's condemnation) become the spiritual offspring of God through faith, outnumbering those who relied on fleshly lineage or the Law. It highlights a spiritual reality that supersedes physical or legal status.
Galatians 4 27 Context
Galatians 4 contrasts two covenants: the Old Covenant made on Mount Sinai, which produces slaves (Hagar and Ishmael), and the New Covenant in Christ, which produces free children (Sarah and Isaac). Paul is using the story of Abraham's sons, Ishmael (born of the slave Hagar) and Isaac (born of the free woman Sarah), as an allegory. The Galatian believers, who are tempted to return to practicing the Law, are identified with the children of promise, like Isaac, born of the free woman (representing the heavenly Jerusalem). Verse 27 is a direct quotation from Isaiah 54:1, which prophesied the joyous return and expansion of Jerusalem and its people after exile. Paul applies this prophecy to the spiritual children of the New Covenant, who are multiplied through faith in Christ, transcending ethnic or legal boundaries.
Galatians 4 27 Word Analysis
γὰρ (gar): For. A connective particle, introducing the reason for the preceding statement (referring to the contrast between Ishmael and Isaac).
γέγραπται (gegraphai): it is written. Perfect passive indicative of γράφω (graphō), meaning "to write." This indicates a past action with a continuing result—what is written remains valid. It points to the authority of Scripture.
“Εὐφράνθητι (Euphrantheti): Rejoice, Be glad. Imperative mood of εὐφραίνω (euphrainō). This is a command or an exhortation to rejoice.
στεῖρα (steira): barren. Noun, feminine, nominative singular. Describes the woman who has not given birth. In the context of Isaiah 54:1, it refers to Jerusalem.
ἡ (hē): the. Definite article.
οὐ (ou): not. Negation.
χRightening (ktizontousa): bearing, bringing forth. Present active participle of τίκτω (tiktō), meaning "to give birth to."
τE (te): and, but also. A common connective particle.
πλείω (pleiona): more. Comparative adverb or adjective. Refers to a greater number.
τῶν (tōn): than the. Genitive article, used here to indicate comparison with.
τEχNOUSAVSH (technousais): the one having a husband, the one having children. Present active participle of τίκτω (tiktō), often implies bearing children, but here used with a nuance of possessing children due to having a husband. The implication is that she should have many children through a husband, yet she is barren in comparison to the true spiritual mother.
EXONT AVTHV (echousai auton): the one having him. Another phrasing of the comparison.
Group Analysis: "rejoice, barren one, who bears no children, you who have many children"
- This phrase combines contradictory states: barrenness (expected to have few or no children) and having many children.
- It captures the paradoxical nature of God's redemptive plan, where the spiritually "barren" (those outside the covenant, like Gentiles) will far outnumber those considered within the covenant lineage by flesh (like Jewish believers tempted by legalism).
- The core of the message is the expansion of God's people through the promise of the Messiah, not through human effort or lineage.
Galatians 4 27 Bonus Section
The selection of Isaiah 54:1 is particularly poignant. Isaiah often prophesied restoration and expansion for Israel after periods of judgment and exile. By applying this passage to the Gentile-inclusive church, Paul highlights that the spiritual fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham ("a multitude of nations") is achieved through Christ, who unites believers from all backgrounds into one spiritual family. This reinforces the idea that adherence to the Mosaic Law is not the way to become part of God's people, but rather faith in Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of Abraham's promised Seed. The joy of the "barren one" is the overflow of God's blessing on those previously excluded.
Galatians 4 27 Commentary
Paul skillfully uses the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah 54:1 to illustrate the transformative power of the New Covenant in Christ. He links the spiritual fertility of the New Covenant community to the prophetic declaration about Jerusalem's future expansion. The "barren one" is Sarah, and metaphorically, the church, comprised of Gentiles and Jews alike who believe. This "barren one" finds herself "bearing more children" than she who has a husband (Hagar, representing those under the Law's bondage, producing slaves). This is because faith in Christ, the offspring of promise, brings spiritual children from all nations, exponentially multiplying the spiritual family. It's a profound shift from physical lineage to spiritual inheritance, emphasizing God's sovereign grace in bringing about His people.