the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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THE MESSAGE
Galatians 4:26
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedParallel Translations
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
But the other wife, Sarah, is like the Jerusalem that will come down from heaven. She is a free woman and this new city will be like our mother.
But the Jerusalem on high is free, which is our mother.
but the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
But Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
But the Jerusalem which is above is free, and *she* is *our* mother.
But Ierusalem which is aboue is free, which is the mother of vs all.
but the Jerusalem from above is free, who is the mother of us all;
But Ierusalem that is aboue, is the fre woman, which is the mother of vs all.
but the heavenly Jerusalem is represented by the free-woman, who is the mother of us all.
But the Jerusalem above [that is, the way of faith, represented by Sarah] is free; she is our mother.
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
But Ierusalem which is above is fre: which is the mother of vs all.
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
and the Jerusalem above is the free-woman, which is mother of us all,
But the heavenly Jerusalem, which is above, is like the free woman. She is our mother.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
But our mother is the city of Jerusalem in heaven above, and she isn't a slave.
But the Yerushalayim above is free, and she is our mother;
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
But Hierusalem, which is aboue, is free: which is the mother of vs all.
But the Jerusalem which is above is free, and is the mother of us all.
But the Yerushalayim that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
But the heavenly Jerusalem is the free woman, and she is our mother.the mother of us all">[fn]Isaiah 2:2; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 3:12;">[xr]
But she, Urishilem the high, is the free, who is our mother.
But the Jerusalem above, is the free woman, who is the mother of us.
but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.
But the Jerusalem of heaven is the free woman, and she is our mother.
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.
But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother.
But, the Jerusalem above, is free, - the which is our mother;
But that Jerusalem which is above is free: which is our mother.
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
But the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother.
But Hierusalem which is aboue, is free: which is the mother of vs all.
But the heavenly Jerusalem that is above is like the free woman, who is our mother.
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
But the heavenly Jerusalem is free, and she is our mother.
But that Jerusalem that is aboue, is fre, whiche is oure modir.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Jerusalem: Psalms 87:3-6, Isaiah 2:2, Isaiah 2:3, Isaiah 52:9, Isaiah 62:1, Isaiah 62:2, Isaiah 65:18, Isaiah 66:10, Joel 3:17, Micah 4:1, Micah 4:2, Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 3:12, Revelation 21:2, 10-27
free: Galatians 4:22, Galatians 5:1, John 8:36, Romans 6:14, Romans 6:18, 1 Peter 2:16
mother: Song of Solomon 8:1, Song of Solomon 8:2, Isaiah 50:1, Hosea 2:2, Hosea 2:5, Hosea 4:5, Revelation 17:5
Reciprocal: Genesis 17:16 - be a mother of nations 1 Kings 11:36 - the city 2 Chronicles 8:9 - But of the Psalms 45:16 - children Psalms 87:6 - this man Song of Solomon 1:5 - O ye Song of Solomon 3:4 - I had Song of Solomon 6:9 - General Isaiah 49:20 - children Isaiah 49:21 - seeing Isaiah 49:25 - I will save Isaiah 60:9 - thy sons Isaiah 66:7 - General Jeremiah 3:17 - the throne Jeremiah 50:12 - mother Ezekiel 16:61 - when Ezekiel 40:2 - as the Joel 2:23 - ye children Zechariah 14:2 - shall not Luke 13:34 - thy Ephesians 2:19 - but
Cross-References
God told him, "No. Anyone who kills Cain will pay for it seven times over." God put a mark on Cain to protect him so that no one who met him would kill him.
Cain slept with his wife. She conceived and had Enoch. He then built a city and named it after his son, Enoch. Enoch had Irad, Irad had Mehujael, Mehujael had Methushael, Methushael had Lamech.
He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God .
Isaac built an altar there and prayed, calling on God by name. He pitched his tent and his servants started digging another well.
"And now listen to this, family of Jacob, you who are called by the name Israel: Who got you started in the loins of Judah, you who use God 's name to back up your promises and pray to the God of Israel? But do you mean it? Do you live like it? You claim to be citizens of the Holy City; you act as though you lean on the God of Israel, named God -of-the-Angel-Armies. For a long time now, I've let you in on the way I work: I told you what I was going to do beforehand, then I did it and it was done, and that's that. I know you're a bunch of hardheads, obstinate and flint-faced, So I got a running start and began telling you what was going on before it even happened. That is why you can't say, ‘My god-idol did this.' ‘My favorite god-carving commanded this.' You have all this evidence confirmed by your own eyes and ears. Shouldn't you be talking about it? And that was just the beginning. I have a lot more to tell you, things you never knew existed. This isn't a variation on the same old thing. This is new, brand-new, something you'd never guess or dream up. When you hear this you won't be able to say, ‘I knew that all along.' You've never been good listeners to me. You have a history of ignoring me, A sorry track record of fickle attachments— rebels from the womb. But out of the sheer goodness of my heart, because of who I am, I keep a tight rein on my anger and hold my temper. I don't wash my hands of you. Do you see what I've done? I've refined you, but not without fire. I've tested you like silver in the furnace of affliction. Out of myself, simply because of who I am, I do what I do. I have my reputation to keep up. I'm not playing second fiddle to either gods or people.
Who Goes There? The watchmen call out, "Who goes there, marching out of Edom, out of Bozrah in clothes dyed red? Name yourself, so splendidly dressed, advancing, bristling with power!" "It is I: I speak what is right, I, mighty to save!" "And why are your robes so red, your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?" "I've been treading the winepress alone. No one was there to help me. Angrily, I stomped the grapes; raging, I trampled the people. Their blood spurted all over me— all my clothes were soaked with blood. I was set on vengeance. The time for redemption had arrived. I looked around for someone to help —no one. I couldn't believe it —not one volunteer. So I went ahead and did it myself, fed and fueled by my rage. I trampled the people in my anger, crushed them under foot in my wrath, soaked the earth with their lifeblood." I'll make a list of God 's gracious dealings, all the things God has done that need praising, All the generous bounties of God , his great goodness to the family of Israel— Compassion lavished, love extravagant. He said, "Without question these are my people, children who would never betray me." So he became their Savior. In all their troubles, he was troubled, too. He didn't send someone else to help them. He did it himself, in person. Out of his own love and pity he redeemed them. He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time. But they turned on him; they grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned on them, became their enemy and fought them. Then they remembered the old days, the days of Moses, God's servant: "Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock up and out of the sea? And what happened to the One who set his Holy Spirit within them? Who linked his arm with Moses' right arm, divided the waters before them, Making him famous ever after, and led them through the muddy abyss as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground? Like a herd of cattle led to pasture, the Spirit of God gave them rest." That's how you led your people! That's how you became so famous! Look down from heaven, look at us! Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house! Whatever happened to your passion, your famous mighty acts, Your heartfelt pity, your compassion? Why are you holding back? You are our Father. Abraham and Israel are long dead. They wouldn't know us from Adam. But you're our living Father, our Redeemer, famous from eternity! Why, God , did you make us wander from your ways? Why did you make us cold and stubborn so that we no longer worshiped you in awe? Turn back for the sake of your servants. You own us! We belong to you! For a while your holy people had it good, but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place. For a long time now, you've paid no attention to us. It's like you never knew us.
"In the end I will turn things around for the people. I'll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted, Words to address God in worship and, united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel. They'll come from beyond the Ethiopian rivers, they'll come praying— All my scattered, exiled people will come home with offerings for worship. You'll no longer have to be ashamed of all those acts of rebellion. I'll have gotten rid of your arrogant leaders. No more pious strutting on my holy hill! I'll leave a core of people among you who are poor in spirit— What's left of Israel that's really Israel. They'll make their home in God . This core holy people will not do wrong. They won't lie, won't use words to flatter or seduce. Content with who they are and where they are, unanxious, they'll live at peace."
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But Jerusalem which is above,.... This Sarah was a type and figure of; she answered to, and agreed with this; which is to be understood, not of the church triumphant in heaven, but of the Gospel church state under the administration of the new covenant; and that, not as in the latter day glory, when the new Jerusalem shall descend from God out of heaven, but as it then was in the apostle's time, and has been since. Particular respect may be had to the first Gospel church at Jerusalem, which consisted of persons born from above, was blessed with a Gospel spirit, which is a spirit of liberty, out of which the Gospel went into all the world, and from among whom the apostles and first preachers of the word went forth everywhere, and were the means of the conversion of multitudes, both among Jews and Gentiles, and so might be truly said to be the mother of us all. The church in general, under the Gospel, may be, as it often is, called Jerusalem, because of its name, the vision of peace; being under the government of the Prince of peace; the members of it are sons of peace, who are called to peace, and enjoy it; the Gospel is the Gospel of peace, and the ordinances of it are paths of peace; and the new covenant, under the administration of which the saints are, is a covenant of peace. Jerusalem was the object of God's choice, the palace of the great King, the place of divine worship, was compact together, and well fortified: the Gospel church state consists of persons, who, in general, are the elect of God, among whom the Lord dwells, as in his temple. Here his worship is observed, his word is preached, and his ordinances administered; saints laid on the foundation, Christ, and being fitly framed together, grow up unto an holy temple in him, and are surrounded by him, as Jerusalem was with mountains, and are kept by his power unto salvation. This is said to be above, to distinguish it from the earthly Jerusalem, the inhabitants of which were chiefly men of the world, carnal men; but this heavenly Jerusalem, or Gospel church state, chiefly consists of persons born from above, called with an heavenly calling, and who bear the image of the heavenly one, whose conversation is in heaven, who are seeking things above, and in a little time will be there themselves; its constitution and form of government are from above, and so are its doctrines, and its ordinances. The Jews often Speak of
ירושלם דלעילא, or עלאה, or של מעלה, "Jerusalem above" x, as distinguished from Jerusalem below: and to this distinction the apostle seems to have respect here, who further says concerning this Jerusalem, that she
is free; from the servitude of sin, Satan, and the world, from the yoke of the law, and from a spirit of bondage; having the Spirit of God, the spirit of adoption, who is a free spirit, and makes such free that enjoy him; and where he is, there is true liberty. He adds,
which is the mother of us all; that are born again, whether Jews or Gentiles, as particularly the church at Jerusalem was, and the Gospel church state in general may be said to be; since here souls are born and brought forth to Christ, are nursed up at her side, and nourished with her breasts of consolation, the word and ordinances. This form of speech is also Jewish: thus it is said y that
"Zion, אמן דישראל, "the mother of Israel", shall bring forth her sons, and Jerusalem shall receive the children of the captivity.''
Again, explaining Proverbs 28:24 it is observed z, that there is no father but the ever blessed God, ואין אמו, "and no mother" but the congregation of Israel. Some copies leave out the word "all"; and so do the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, and only read, "the mother of us", or "our mother".
x Zohar in Gen. fol. 13. 2. & 16. 2. & 75. 4. & 77. 1. & 78. 2. & 114. 3. & 121. 1. & in Exod. fol. 6. 1. & 92. 2. T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 5. 1. Gloss. in T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 97. 2. Caphtor, fol. 14. 2. & 25. 2. & 65. 1. & 68. 2. & 71. 2. & 118. 2. Raziel, fol. 13. 1. & 27. 1. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 61. 3. & 150. 3. Nishmat Chayim, fol. 26. 2. Kimchi in Hos. xi. 19. y Targum in Cant. 8. 5. z Sithre Tora in Zohar in Gen. fol. 55. 2. & Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Lev. fol. 34. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
But Jerusalem which is above - The spiritual Jerusalem; the true church of God. Jerusalem was the place where God was worshipped, and hence, it became synonymous with the word church, or is used to represent the people of God. The word rendered “above,” (ἄνω anō) means properly “up above,” that which is above; and hence, heavenly, celestial; Colossians 3:1-2; John 8:23. Here it means the heavenly or celestial Jerusalem; Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God, out of heaven.” Hebrews 12:22,” ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” Here it is used to denote the church, as being of heavenly origin.
Is free - The spirit of the gospel is that of freedom. It is freedom from sin, freedom from the bondage of rites and customs, and it tends to promote universal freedom; see the note at Galatians 4:7; compare John 8:32, John 8:36; and the note at 2 Corinthians 3:17.
Which is the mother of us all - Of all who are true Christians, whether we are by birth Jews or Gentiles. We should not, therefore, yield ourselves to any degrading and debasing servitude el any kind; compare the note at 1 Corinthians 6:12.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 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 מעלה zu Yerushalem shel malah, "This is the Jerusalem that is from above." This phrase frequently occurs among these writers, as may be seen in Schoettgen, who has written an express dissertation upon the subject. Hor. Hebr., vol. i. page 1205.
Is free, which is the mother of us all. — There is a spiritual Jerusalem, of which this is the type; and this Jerusalem, in which the souls of all the righteous are, is free from all bondage and sin: or by this, probably, the kingdom of the Messiah was intended; and this certainly answers best to the apostle's meaning, as the subsequent verse shows. There is an earthly Jerusalem, but this earthly Jerusalem typifies a heavenly Jerusalem: the former, with all her citizens, is in bondage; the latter is a free city, and all her inhabitants are free also. And this Jerusalem is our mother; it signifies the Church of Christ, the metropolis of Christianity, or rather the state of liberty into which all true believers are brought. The word παντων, of all, is omitted by almost every MS. and version of antiquity and importance, and by the most eminent of the fathers who quote this place; it is undoubtedly spurious, and the text should be read thus: But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is our mother.
