Galatians 4:26

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
Jerusalem	Ἰερουσαλὴμ Ierousalēm	G2419	Hierusalem (i.e. Jerushalem) · noun — nominative singular feminine, a place
is	ἡ hē	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular feminine
above	ἄνω anō	G507	upward or on the top · adverb
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
free	ἐλευθέρα eleuthera	G1658	unrestrained (to go at pleasure) · adjective — nominative singular feminine
which	ἥτις hētis	G3748	which some · relative pronoun — nominative singular feminine
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
mother	μήτηρ mētēr	G3384	a "mother" (literally or figuratively · noun — nominative singular feminine
us	ἡμῶν hēmōn	G2257	of (or from) us
all	πάντων pantōn	G3956	all · adjective — genitive plural masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Micah 4:1-2 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and…
Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God,…
Isaiah 66:10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
Isaiah 65:18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
Psalms 87:3-6 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Galatians 4:21–end

In these verses the apostle illustrates the difference between believers who rested in Christ only and those judaizers who trusted in the law, by a comparison taken from the story of Isaac and Ishmael. This he introduces in such a manner as was proper to strike and impress their minds, and to convince them of their great weakness in departing from the truth, and suffering themselves to be deprived of the liberty of the gospel: Tell me, says he, you that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? He takes it for granted that they did hear the law, for among the Jews it was wont to be read in their public assemblies every sabbath day; and, since they were so very fond of being under…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Galatians 4:26

This verse stands instead of the sentence which we should expect, to correspond to Gal 4:24, "One from Mount Sinai," namely, the other covenant from the heavenly mount above, which is (answers in the allegory to) Sarah. Jerusalem . . . above-- (Heb 12:22), "the heavenly Jerusalem." "New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God" (Rev 3:12; Rev 21:2). Here "the Messianic theocracy, which before Christ's second appearing is the Church, and after it, Christ's kingdom of glory" [MEYER]. free--as Sarah was; opposed to "she is in bondage" (Gal 4:25). all--omitted in many of the oldest manuscripts, though supported by some. "Mother of us," namely, believers who are already member…

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Adam Clarke on Galatians 4:26

But Jerusalem which is above - The apostle still follows the Jewish allegory, showing not only how the story of Hagar and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac, was allegorized, but pointing out also that even Jerusalem was the subject of allegory; for it was a maxim among the rabbins, that "whatsoever was in the earth, the same was also found in heaven for there is no matter, howsoever small, in this world, that has not something similar to it in the spiritual world." On this maxim, the Jews imagine that every earthly thing has its representative in heaven; and especially whatever concerns Jerusalem, the law, and its ordinances. Rab. Kimchi, speaking of Melchizedec, king of Salem, says: זו ירושלם של מעל…

The Church Fathers

Jerusalem, which he calls our mother, represents the Lord's mystery, through which we are reborn into freedom, just as she is free. And she is called heavenly because heaven is her seat. Those to whom she gives birth will be there with her.
— Ambrosiaster, EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 4.26

One and the same Jerusalem can be understood in a fourfold way: historically as the city of the Jews, allegorically as the church of Christ, anagogically as the heavenly city of God, which is the mother of all, and tropologically as the human soul, which is often upbraided or praised under this name by the Lord.
— John Cassian, CONFERENCES 14.8.4

Those therefore, who are born of her are not bondmen. Thus the type of the Jerusalem below was Hagar, as is plain from the mountain being so called; but of that which is above is the Church. Nevertheless he is not content with these types, but adds the testimony of Isaiah to what he has spoken...
— John Chrysostom, Homily on Galatians 4

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Heaven — (1.) Definitions. The phrase “heaven and earth” is used to indicate the whole universe (Gen. 1:1; Jer. 23:24; Acts 17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens, (a) The firmament,…
Sarah — Princess, the wife and at the same time the half-sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29; 20:12). This name was given to her at the time that it was announced to Abraham that she should be the mother of the…
Abraham · God’s covenant withGe 15;17:1-22; — God’s covenant withGe 15;17:1-22;
Church Of Israel · A type of the church of Christ — A type of the church of Christ
Jerusalem · Illustrative: Of the church — Illustrative: Of the church
Justification · 23:6; — 23:6;
Liberty, Christian · Typified — Typified
Parables · The two covenants — The two covenants
Titles And Names Of The Church · Heavenly of Jerusalem — Heavenly of Jerusalem
Woman · Illustrative: (Gloriously arrayed,) of the Church of Christ — Illustrative: (Gloriously arrayed,) of the Church of Christ

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Galatians 4:26

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Galatians 4:21–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Galatians 4:26

Adam Clarke on Galatians 4:26

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Galatians 4:26

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Galatians 4:21–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Galatians 4:26

Adam Clarke on Galatians 4:26

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Galatians 4:26

John Calvin on Galatians 4:21-26

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Galatians 4:26