Galatians 4:24

"However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise."

Key Reflection

In Galatians 4:24, Paul uses the birth of Isaac and Ishmael as a metaphor for the distinction between those who are governed by the law (born according to the flesh) and those who are in Christ (born through promise). The son of the servant represents adherence to the Mosaic law, while the son of the free woman symbolizes freedom in Christ through God’s promises.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 24. Which things. The different accounts of Ishmael and Isaac. Are an allegory. May be regarded allegorically, or as illustrating great principles in regard to the condition of slaves and freemen; and may therefore be used to illustrate the effect of servitude to the law of Moses compared with the freedom of the gospel. He does not mean to say that the historical record of Moses was not true, or was merely allegorical; nor does he mean to say that Moses meant this to be an allegory, or that he intended that it should be applied to the exact purpose to which Paul applied it. No such design is apparent in the narrative of Moses, and it is evident that he had no such intention.

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