Week 11
The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah
21 Tell me, the ones who are wanting to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it has been written that Abraham had two sons: one from a slave woman and one from a free woman. 23 But the one from the slave woman has been born according to the flesh, but the one who was born from the free woman was through the promise.
24 These things are spoken allegorically, for these women represent the two covenants: one covenant, on the one hand, is from the mountain of Sinai bearing children into slavery. This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the Jerusalem now, for she is a slave with her children. 26 But, on the other hand, the Jerusalem above is free, who is our mother. 27 For it has been written,
“Rejoice, barren woman,
who can bear no children,
break forth and shout,
who can not suffer birth pains,
because there are many more children of the desolate woman than the one who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise according to Isaac. 29 Now just as the one who was born according to the flesh, at that time, persecuted the one born according to the Spirit; it is also this same way now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son: for the son of a slave woman will never inherit with the son of a free woman”. 31 For this reason, brothers and sisters, we are not the children of a slave woman, but the children of a free woman.
1 It is for freedom that the Anointed set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject to the yoke of slavery again. My Translation
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. NIV11
Comment
Paul now uses OT Scripture again to further his cause, but he does it in the most unlikely way. He uses the story of Isaac and Ishmael as a figurative way to get his point across. Paul says that his interpretation is allegorical which means “to use analogy’ or ‘likeness to express something”. In this case, Paul uses the Isaac and Ishmael story to show the difference between the slavery of the law and the freedom of grace. With that said, this analogy is an incredible thing for Paul to say. We’ll let the analogy unfold to see what I mean, but it is the stuff that modern sermons are made of.
But to understand this allegory, we must briefly discuss the OT story.
Abraham had been called by God to leave his home and to go to a land that God would show him. Abraham picked up his family and household servants and followed God. God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. The problem was that Sarah was barren and couldn’t have children. Sarah encourages Abraham to have children by her slave Hagar. He consents and Hagar has a child who they name Ishmael. Sarah becomes distraught over the event and she and Hagar have issues because of the child Ishmael.
God tells Abraham that the covenant will be between God and a son that Sarah will have in her old age. His name will be Isaac. Later, angels from God come to announce that Sarah would have the child. A year later, she has Isaac.
Later, Sarah sees Ishmael mocking Isaac and asks Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away, because the son of a slave women shouldn’t share in the inheritance with her son Isaac. Being distressed in the matter, Abraham is assured by God that both Hagar and Ishmael will survive and a great nation will be made through Ishmael. That is the backdrop for this allegory.
It is possible that Paul is responding to the agitators own use of the story. They probably said something like: “Abraham is the father of the Jews in Jerusalem. If you want to be his son, then you have to be circumcised and follow the Jewish law like his descendants did when the law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Otherwise, you will be like Ishmael and Hagar and will be banished.” Paul turns that notion on its head!
21 Tell me, the ones who are wanting to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? My Translation
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? NIV11
Paul addresses the entire congregation and provides some hope that not all is lost yet by saying “the ones who are wanting to be under the law”. This insinuates that the Galatians were not all the way under the law yet. It is Paul’s goal to keep that from happening as he asked them “do you not hear/listen to the law?” Paul is about to provide some evidence directly from the the very law that the Galatians want to be under.
22 For it has been written that Abraham had two sons: one from a slave woman and one from a free woman. 23 But the one from the slave woman has been born according to the flesh, but the one who was born from the free woman was through the promise. My Translation
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise. NIV11
Paul now goes into the story of Abraham’s two sons. One son was born to a slave by way of the flesh (κατὰ σάρκα), while the other one son was born to a free woman through a promise that had been given by God (δι᾿ ἐπαγγελίας). The differences are two-fold: 1. One son has a slave for a mother, and the other son has a free woman as a mother. 2. The slave’s son was born through nature conception (according to the flesh), while the free woman’s son was born by a miracle which was promised by God to happen.
24 These things are spoken allegorically, for these women represent the two covenants: one covenant, on the one hand, is from the mountain of Sinai bearing children into slavery. This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the Jerusalem now, for she is a slave with her children. 26 But, on the other hand, the Jerusalem above is free, who is our mother. My Translation
24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. NIV11
I’m going to stray a little from the NIV11 text. I translate 24a as “These things are spoken allegorically...”. The verb ἀλληγορέω means “to use analogy or likeness to express something”. Note this quote from TDNT:
“There is no allegorical handling of Scripture either in the Synoptic sayings of Jesus or in John, but we find it in Paul in 1 C. 5:6–8; 1 C. 9:8–10; 1 C. 10:1–11; Gl. 4:21–31. Paul’s allegorising is closer to the Palestinian than the Alexandrian, since he does not use it to extract cosmological, psychological or similar lessons from the text. Yet formally the distinction from Philo is only one of degree. He allegorises in the true sense. If there is a distinctive feature as compared with Jewish allegorising, both Palestinian and Alexandrian, it is that he expounds Scripture as one who lives in the time of its fulfilment (1 C. 10:11), as one for whom the veil is thus removed which had previously lain over its reading (2 C. 3:14), so that the true sense of the OT may now be seen. Allegorising is thus a means to carry though his understanding of Scripture in terms of the centrality of Christ or the cross. In this regard Hebrews continues the work of Paul (7:1 ff.). Hence, for all the formal dependence of Christianity on Judaism and Hellenism, we really have a new beginning in this field which demonstrates the independence of Christianity.” TDNT
Therefore, Paul is interpreting OT scripture allegorically. This, of course, turns Judaism on its head!
Paul says that the two women represent two covenants. He says that Hagar represents Mount Sinai where one covenant was given. The Jewish law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Paul says that the children of this covenant are slaves because they are birthed by a slave. Paul says that Hagar (slavery) represents Mount Sinai and that Mount Sinai “corresponds” or “stands in line with” (συστοιχέω. This verb will be used in 5:25 without the preposition σύν “with”) to Jerusalem now, which is Jerusalem in its current state under the law.
One the other hand, Sarah, who was a free women and had a miracle child through a promise, so that covenant represents the Jerusalem that is above! Paul’s meaning of ἄνω (above) is in the sense of the heavenly, the spiritual, and the overall supremacy of the new covenant. It is also possible that Paul is drawing of the OT depiction of Jerusalem being on Mount Zion. The children born under the new covenant are free from the law. Therefore, Sarah is the true mother of the Galatians and all Christians.
27 For it has been written,
“Rejoice, barren woman,
who can bear no children,
break forth and shout,
who can not suffer birth pains,
because there are many more children of the desolate woman than the one who has a husband.” My Translation
27 For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.” NIV11
Paul now quotes Isaiah 54:1 LXX to back up his claim. Among Jewish eschatology, the barren woman in Isaiah 54 is the Jerusalem that will be repopulated in the end times. In 2-3, she is told to:
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities. NIV11
Paul is making Sarah, the free woman who was barren, into the eschatological Jerusalem in which he describes as “the Jerusalem above”.
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise according to Isaac. 29 Now just as the one who was born according to the flesh, at that time, persecuted the one born according to the Spirit; it is also this same way now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son: for the son of a slave woman will never inherit with the son of a free woman”. 31 For this reason, brothers and sisters, we are not the children of a slave woman, but the children of a free woman. My Translation
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. NIV11
Paul reiterates that the Galatians are God’s children by way of the promise, just like Isaac was. He then goes into how Ishmael treated Isaac. Paul says that Ishmael, the son born according to the flesh, persecuted Isaac, the one born according to the Spirit. Paul pulls forward his interpretation of the events then and allegorizes them for the Galatians at that time. The agitators, who are in slavery, are like Ishmael, who was born by something other than a spiritual means. The Galatians, who are free, are like Isaac, who was born by spiritual means. Ishmael persecuted Isaac, that is, the slave’s son persecuted the free woman’s son. The agitators, who are fleshly born and in slavery, are persecuting the Galatians, who were born by the Spirit and free. They are being persecuted so that they will join in the slavery of the ones who are slaves, the agitators. This is indicated by Genesis 21:9.
How does Paul say that the Galatians need to handle this? Just like Ishmael and Hagar were handled in Scripture. Paul quotes Genesis 21:10 in response, but we will take a look at 9-10 LXX.
9 ἰδοῦσα δὲ Σαρρα τὸν υἱὸν Αγαρ τῆς Αἰγυπτίας, ὃς ἐγένετο τῷ Αβρααμ, παίζοντα μετὰ Ισαακ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς 10 καὶ εἶπεν τῷ Αβρααμ Ἔκβαλε τὴν παιδίσκην ταύτην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς· οὐ γὰρ κληρονομήσει ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης ταύτης μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου Ισαακ.
9 Now Sarah saw Hagar of Egypt’s son, who came into being by Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10 She said to Abraham, “Throw out the this slave women and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not inherit with my son Isaac.” LXX
30b ἔκβαλε τὴν παιδίσκην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς· οὐ γὰρ μὴ κληρονομήσει ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἐλευθέρας.
30b “Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of a slave woman will never (οὐ μὴ) inherit with the son of the free woman.”
Paul’s slight changes to the LXX’s text are these. Paul removes the references to “this” (ταύτην and ταύτης). He adds μὴ (underlined above) in order to make the passage emphatic (“Never” instead of just “not”). Last of all, he changes μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου Ισαακ (with my son Isaac) to μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἐλευθέρας (with the son of the free woman).
The Galatians are to treat the agitators just as Hagar and Ishmael were treated. “Throw them out!” The Galatians are children of the free woman and not children of the slave woman. But not only the Galatians, but WE ALL. Paul includes both he, a former Jew, as well as most of the Galatians, who are former Gentiles.
1 It is for freedom that the Anointed set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject to the yoke of slavery again. My Translation
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. NIV11
Paul sums it up nicely for the Galatians. Christ did not come to enslave them. He came to set them free from the curse of the law and of the curse of sin. They were once enslaved in Paganism. They are now being led back into the same slavery, but by a different path. Keeping the law would enslave them again in the very slavery that Christ set them free from.
Conclusion
Paul allegorically interprets a story that was probably used by the agitators for their cause. But Paul turns their interpretation on its head by turning Judaism on its head. The Galatians are not to be a slave like Hagar since she represents both the slavery of the law and the enslavement of “the Jerusalem now” under the law. The Galatians are from the free woman Sarah according to the promise by God. They were spiritually born and represent “the Jerusalem above”, the heavenly Jerusalem. They should treat the agitators just like Hagar and Ishmael were treated; “Throw them out!”
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