Galatians 4:22

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman.

World English Bible
Learn

Your notes

Private to you. Anything you write on this verse, here or while reading, shows up here and in My study.

Other translations

WEBBE

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman.

BSB

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.

KJV

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

ASV

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman.

BBE

Because it is in the Writings, that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant-woman, and one by the free woman.

Original Greek

Look up a word

Tap a word to see what it means and everywhere else it's used.

γέγραπται gegraptai It has been written G1125 γὰρ gar for G1063 ὅτι hoti that G3754 Ἀβραὰμ Abraam Abraham G11 δύο duo two G1417 υἱοὺς huious sons G5207 ἔσχεν eschen had G2192 ἕνα hena one G1520 ἐκ ek of G1537 τῆς tēs the G3588 παιδίσκης paidiskēs slave woman G3814 καὶ kai and G2532 ἕνα hena one G1520 ἐκ ek of G1537 τῆς tēs the G3588 ἐλευθέρας eleutheras free G1658

The early church

He returns again to Abraham, not in the way of repetition, but, inasmuch as the Patriarch's fame was great among the Jews, to show that the types had their origin from thence, and that present events were pictured aforetime in him. Having previously shown that the Galatians were sons of Abraham, now, in that the Patriarch's sons were not of equal dignity, one being by a bondwoman, the other by a free-woman, he shows that they were not only his sons, but sons in the same sense as he that was freeborn and noble. Such is the power of Faith.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Galatians

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 21–27

The difference between believers who rested in Christ only, and those who trusted in the law, is explained by the histories of Isaac and Ishmael. These things are an allegory, wherein, beside the literal and historical sense of the words, the Spirit of God points out something further. Hagar and Sarah were apt emblems of the two different dispensations of the covenant. The heavenly Jerusalem, the true church from above, represented by Sarah, is in a state of freedom, and is the mother of all believers, who are born of the Holy Spirit. They were by regeneration and true faith, made a part of the true seed of Abraham, according to the promise made to him.

Read Matthew Henry on Galatians 4 →

Cross-references

4

People & places

Abraham

Topics

AbrahamParablesBastard

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.