Galatians 4:24
This story may be taken as an allegory. The women stand for two covenants. One covenant, given from Mount Sinai, produces a race of slaves and is represented by Hagar.
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Cross References
Genesis 16:3so she took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, after Abram had lived for ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife
Genesis 16:15Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
Genesis 25:12This is a list of descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maid-servant gave to Abraham.
Matthew 13:35in fulfillment of these words in the prophet – ‘I will speak to them in parables; I will utter things kept secret since the foundation of the world.’
Romans 8:15For you did not receive the spirit of a slave, to fill you once more with fear, but the spirit of a child by adoption, which leads us to cry ‘Abba, our Father.’
Matthew Henry on Galatians 4:22-31
Affectionate Remonstrance. ( a. d. 56.) 21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem… Read the whole commentary →