Galatians 4:27

For it is written, “Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out and shout, you that don’t travail. For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband.”

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

For it is written, “Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out and shout, you who don’t travail. For the desolate women have more children than her who has a husband.”

BSB

For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”

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.

ASV

For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband.

BBE

For it is in the Writings, You who have never given birth, be glad; give cries of joy, you who have had no birth-pains; for the children of her who has been given up by her husband are more than those of the woman who has a husband.

Original Greek

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γέγραπται gegraptai It has been written G1125 γάρ gar for G1063 εὐφράνθητι euphranthēti do rejoice G2165 στεῖρα steira O barren woman G4723 ἡ hē you who [are] G3588 οὐ ou not G3756 τίκτουσα tiktousa bearing G5088 ῥῆξον rhēxon do break forth G4486 καὶ kai and G2532 βόησον boēson do call aloud G994 ἡ hē you who [are] G3588 οὐκ ouk not G3756 ὠδίνουσα ōdinousa travailing G5605 ὅτι hoti because G3754 πολλὰ polla many G4183 τὰ ta [are] the G3588 τέκνα tekna children G5043 τῆς tēs of the G3588 ἐρήμου erēmou desolate woman G2048 μᾶλλον mallon more G3123 ἢ ē than G2228 τῆς tēs of [her] who G3588 ἐχούσης echousēs having G2192 τὸν ton the G3588 ἄνδρα andra husband G435

The early church

Who is this who before was "barren," and "desolate?" Clearly it is the Church of the Gentiles, that was before deprived of the knowledge of God? Who, "she which hath the husband?" plainly the Synagogue. Yet the barren woman surpassed her in the number of her children, for the other embraces one nation, but the children of the Church have filled the country of the Greeks and of the Barbarians, the earth and sea, the whole habitable world. Observe how Sarah by acts, and the Prophet by words, have described the events about to befal us. Observe too, that he whom Isaiah called barren, Paul hath proved to have many children, which also happened typically in the case of Sarah. For she too, although barren, became the mother of a numerous progeny. This however does not suffice Paul, but he carefully follows out the mode whereby the barren woman became a mother, that in this particular likewise the type might harmonize with the truth. ...
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 →

Parallel passages

1

The same words or events elsewhere, including Old Testament passages quoted in the New.

Isaiah 54:1

Cross-references

8

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Quotations And Allusions

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