Galatians 3:7

3:7 so then, understand ¹  that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. ² 

Galatians 3:16

3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. ³  Scripture ⁴  does not say, “and to the descendants,” ⁵  referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” ⁶  referring to one, who is Christ.

Galatians 3:28

3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave ⁷  nor free, there is neither male nor female ⁸  – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 4:22-31

4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the ⁹  slave woman and the other by the free woman. 4:23 But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, ¹⁰  while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise. 4:24 These things may be treated as an allegory, ¹¹  for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. 4:25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 4:26 But the Jerusalem above is free, ¹²  and she is our mother. 4:27 For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; ¹³ 

break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains,

because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous

than those of the woman who has a husband.” ¹⁴ 

4:28 But you, ¹⁵  brothers and sisters, ¹⁶  are children of the promise like Isaac. 4:29 But just as at that time the one born by natural descent ¹⁷  persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, ¹⁸  so it is now. 4:30 But what does the scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son” ¹⁹  of the free woman. 4:31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ²⁰  we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.

Genesis 21:10-12

21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish ²¹  that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”

21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. ²²  21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset ²³  about the boy or your slave wife. Do ²⁴  all that Sarah is telling ²⁵  you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. ²⁶ 

Romans 4:12

4:12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, ²⁷  who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised. ²⁸ 

Romans 4:16-21

4:16 For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, ²⁹  with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants – not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, ³⁰  who is the father of us all 4:17 (as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”). ³¹  He is our father ³²  in the presence of God whom he believed – the God who ³³  makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do. ³⁴  4:18 Against hope Abraham ³⁵  believed ³⁶  in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations ³⁷  according to the pronouncement, ³⁸  “so will your descendants be.” ³⁹  4:19 Without being weak in faith, he considered ⁴⁰  his own body as dead ⁴¹  (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 4:20 He ⁴²  did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. 4:21 He was ⁴³  fully convinced that what God ⁴⁴  promised he was also able to do.

Romans 9:7-8

9:7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” ⁴⁵  9:8 This means ⁴⁶  it is not the children of the flesh ⁴⁷  who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.

Hebrews 11:18

11:18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,” ⁴⁸ 

[3:7]  ¹ tn Grk “know.”

[3:7]  ² tn The phrase “sons of Abraham” is used here in a figurative sense to describe people who are connected to a personality, Abraham, by close nonmaterial ties. It is this personality that has defined the relationship and its characteristics (BDAG 1024-25 s.v. υἱός 2.c.α).

[3:16]  ³ tn Grk “his seed,” a figurative extension of the meaning of σπέρμα (sperma) to refer to descendants (L&N 10.29).

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “It”; the referent (the scripture) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The understood subject of the verb λέγει (legei) could also be “He” (referring to God) as the one who spoke the promise to Abraham.

[3:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “to seeds.” See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse. Here the term is plural; the use of the singular in the OT text cited later in this verse is crucial to Paul’s argument.

[3:16]  ⁶ tn See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse.

[3:28]  ⁷ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 1:10.

[3:28]  ⁸ tn Grk “male and female.”

[4:22]  ⁹ tn Paul’s use of the Greek article here and before the phrase “free woman” presumes that both these characters are well known to the recipients of his letter. This verse is given as an example of the category called “well-known (‘celebrity’ or ‘familiar’) article” by ExSyn 225.

[4:23]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “born according to the flesh”; BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4 has “Of natural descent τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκός children by natural descent Ro 9:8 (opp. τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας). ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται Gal 4:23; cp. vs. 29.”

[4:24]  ¹¹ tn Grk “which things are spoken about allegorically.” Paul is not saying the OT account is an allegory, but rather that he is constructing an allegory based on the OT account.

[4:26]  ¹² sn The meaning of the statement the Jerusalem above is free is that the other woman represents the second covenant (cf. v. 24); she corresponds to the Jerusalem above that is free. Paul’s argument is very condensed at this point.

[4:27]  ¹³ tn The direct object “children” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied for clarity. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[4:27]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “because more are the children of the barren one than of the one having a husband.”

[4:28]  ¹⁵ tc Most mss (א A C D² Ψ 062 Ï lat sy bo) read “we” here, while “you” is found in Ì⁴⁶ B D* F G 0261^vid 0278 33 1739 al sa. It is more likely that a copyist, noticing the first person pronouns in vv. 26 and 31, changed a second person pronoun here to first person for consistency.

[4:28]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[4:29]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “according to the flesh”; see the note on the phrase “by natural descent” in 4:23.

[4:29]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the one born by the Spirit’s [power].”

[4:30]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation from Gen 21:10. The phrase of the free woman does not occur in Gen 21:10.

[4:31]  ²⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[21:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.

[21:11]  ²² tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.

[21:12]  ²³ tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”

[21:12]  ²⁴ tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.

[21:12]  ²⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.

[21:12]  ²⁶ tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.

[4:12]  ²⁷ tn Grk “the father of circumcision.”

[4:12]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the ‘in-uncircumcision faith’ of our father Abraham.”

[4:16]  ²⁹ tn Grk “that it might be according to grace.”

[4:16]  ³⁰ tn Grk “those who are of the faith of Abraham.”

[4:17]  ³¹ tn Verses 16-17 comprise one sentence in Greek, but this has been divided into two sentences due to English requirements.

[4:17]  ³² tn The words “He is our father” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to show that they resume Paul’s argument from 16b. (It is also possible to supply “Abraham had faith” here [so REB], taking the relative clause [“who is the father of us all”] as part of the parenthesis, and making the connection back to “the faith of Abraham,” but such an option is not as likely [C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:243].)

[4:17]  ³³ tn “The God” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[4:17]  ³⁴ tn Or “calls into existence the things that do not exist.” The translation of ὡς ὄντα (Jw" onta) allows for two different interpretations. If it has the force of result, then creatio ex nihilo is in view and the variant rendering is to be accepted (so C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:244). A problem with this view is the scarcity of ὡς plus participle to indicate result (though for the telic idea with ὡς plus participle, cf. Rom 15:15; 1 Thess 2:4). If it has a comparative force, then the translation given in the text is to be accepted: “this interpretation fits the immediate context better than a reference to God’s creative power, for it explains the assurance with which God can speak of the ‘many nations’ that will be descended from Abraham” (D. Moo, Romans [NICNT], 282; so also W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans [ICC], 113). Further, this view is in line with a Pauline idiom, viz., verb followed by ὡς plus participle (of the same verb or, in certain contexts, its antonym) to compare present reality with what is not a present reality (cf. 1 Cor 4:7; 5:3; 7:29, 30 (three times), 31; Col 2:20 [similarly, 2 Cor 6:9, 10]).

[4:18]  ³⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:18]  ³⁶ tn Grk “who against hope believed,” referring to Abraham. The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:18]  ³⁷ sn A quotation from Gen 17:5.

[4:18]  ³⁸ tn Grk “according to that which had been spoken.”

[4:18]  ³⁹ sn A quotation from Gen 15:5.

[4:19]  ⁴⁰ tc Most mss (D F G Ψ 33 1881 Ï it) read “he did not consider” by including the negative particle (οὐ, ou), but others (א A B C 6 81 365 1506 1739 pc co) lack οὐ. The reading which includes the negative particle probably represents a scribal attempt to exalt the faith of Abraham by making it appear that his faith was so strong that he did not even consider the physical facts. But “here Paul does not wish to imply that faith means closing one’s eyes to reality, but that Abraham was so strong in faith as to be undaunted by every consideration” (TCGNT 451). Both on external and internal grounds, the reading without the negative particle is preferred.

[4:19]  ⁴¹ tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A C D Ψ 33 Ï bo) have ἤδη (hdh, “already”) at this point in v. 19. But B F G 630 1739 1881 pc lat sa lack it. Since it appears to heighten the style of the narrative and since there is no easy accounting for an accidental omission, it is best to regard the shorter text as original. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[4:20]  ⁴² tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[4:21]  ⁴³ tn Grk “and being.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “be called.” The emphasis here is upon God’s divine sovereignty in choosing Isaac as the child through whom Abraham’s lineage would be counted as opposed to Ishmael.

[9:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”

[9:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.

[11:18]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “in Isaac seed will be named for you.”