Galatians 4:23 - Forerunner Commentary

Galatians 4:23

Two Covenants

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: ^athe one by a bondwoman, ^bthe other by a freewoman.

23 But he who was of the bondwoman ^awas born according to the flesh, ^band he of the freewoman through promise,

24 which things are symbolic. For these are¹ the two covenants: the one from Mount ^aSinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—

25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children—

26 but the ^aJerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

27 For it is written:
^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.”

Verse Comparison: Galatians 4:23

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Galatians 4:24 >>

American Standard Version
Howbeit the `son' by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the `son' by the freewoman `is born' through promise.

Amplified® Bible
But whereas the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh {and} had an ordinary birth, the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise.

Contemporary English Version
The son of the slave woman was born in the usual way. But the son of the free woman was born because of God's promise.

Darby English Version
But he [that was] of the maid servant was born according to flesh, and he [that was] of the free woman through the promise.

Good News Bible
His son by the slave woman was born in the usual way, but his son by the free woman was born as a result of God's promise.

International Standard Version
Now the son of the slave woman was conceived according to the flesh, but the son of the free woman was conceived through a promise.

King James Version
But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

New American Standard Bible
But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.

New International Version
His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

New King James Version
But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
But the son by the bondwoman had become born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.

Young's Literal Translation
but he who `is' of the maid-servant, according to flesh hath been, and he who `is' of the free-woman, through the promise;

New English Translation
But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent,¹ while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.

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Two Covenants

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