a“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 4:24 | Galatians 4:26 >> |
What Does Galatians 4:25 Mean?
Galatians 4:24-26
Webster's Dictionary defines allegory as "to speak figuratively, a symbolic representation." Unger's Bible Dictionary defines it as expressing or explaining one thing under the image of another and showing a second and deeper meaning than would seem apparent. Again, it is similar to a parable.
Paul—addressing the New Testament church, which he calls "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16)—shows that the Old Covenant points to and helps explain the New. He writes that Jerusalem is a figure, forerunner, type, and present-day symbol of the New Covenant and church today (see also Hebrews 12:22-23, Romans 9:1-8; I Peter 2:9). We can then read both the history and prophecy regarding Jerusalem, the physical capital of Israel, and apply much of it to the church, the spiritual "Jerusalem, . . . mother of us all."
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Biblical Symbolism (Part One)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Galatians 4:25:
Genesis 3:15
2 Kings 4:8-37
Galatians 4:26
| << Galatians 4:24 | Galatians 4:26 >> |
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