Galatians 4:21-22

An Appeal from Allegory

4:21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law? ¹  4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the ²  slave woman and the other by the free woman.

[4:21]  ¹ tn Or “will you not hear what the law says?” The Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw) means “hear, listen to,” but by figurative extension it can also mean “obey.” It can also refer to the process of comprehension that follows hearing, and that sense fits the context well here.

[4:22]  ² 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.