Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Galatians 4:23
But he [who was] of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman [was] by promise.
But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh – In the ordinary course of nature, without any special promise, or any unusual divine interposition, as in the case of Isaac.
But he of the free woman … – The birth of Isaac was in accordance with a special promise, and by a remarkable divine interposition; see Gen 18:10; Gen 21:1-2; Heb 11:11-12; compare the notes at Rom 4:19-21. The idea here of Paul is, that the son of the slave was in a humble and inferior condition from his very birth. There was no special promise attending him. He was born into a state of inferiority and servitude which attended him through his whole life. Isaac, however, was met with promises as soon as he was born, and was under the benefit of those promises as long as he lived. The object of Paul is, to state the truth in regard to a condition of servitude and slavery. It is attended with evils from beginning to end; from the birth to the grave. By this illustration he means to show them the folly of becoming the voluntary slaves of the Law after they had once been made free.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 23. Was born after the flesh] Ishmael was born according to the course of nature, his parents being both of a proper age, so that there was nothing uncommon or supernatural in his birth: this is the proper meaning of the apostle’s , after or according to the flesh, and answers to the Hebrew phrase, al derec basar, according to the manner of the flesh, i.e. naturally, according to the common process of nature.
By promise.] Both Abraham and Sarah had passed that age in which the procreation of children was possible on natural principles. The birth, therefore, of Isaac was supernatural; it was the effect of an especial promise of God; and it was only on the ground of that promise that it was either credible or possible.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
They were both (in a sense) born after the flesh, viz. in a natural way and course of generation: but
after the flesh is plainly, in this verse, opposed to
by promise; and the meaning is, that Ishmael, the son of Hagar, was not that son of Abraham to whom the promise was made, that in him all the nations of the earth should be blessed: see Gen 15:4; 17:19. Isaac is said to have been born after the promise, either because God gave Isaac to Abraham, in completion or fulfilling of the promise made to him, that he should have an heir out of his own loins; or because the mighty and miraculous power of God was seen in his production, enabling Abraham at those years to beget, and Sarah to bear, a child, when both their bodies were as dead.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. after the fleshbornaccording to the usual course of nature: in contrast to Isaac, whowas born “by virtue of the promise” (so the Greek),as the efficient cause of Sarah’s becoming pregnant out of the courseof nature (Ro 4:19). Abrahamwas to lay aside all confidence in the flesh (after whichIshmael was born), and to live by faith alone in the promise(according to which Isaac was miraculously born, contrary to allcalculations of flesh and blood).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But he who was of the bondwoman,…. Ishmael, who was begotten and born of Hagar,
was born after the flesh; after the common order and course of nature, through the copulation of two persons, the one able to procreate, and the other fit for the conception of children; and was typical of the Jews, the natural descendants of Abraham, who, as such, and upon that account, were not the children of God, nor heirs of the eternal inheritance:
but he of the free woman was by promise; by a previous promise made by God to Abraham, that he should have a son in his old age, when his body was now dead, and when Sarah his wife, who had always been barren, was now grown old, and past the time of bearing children; so that Isaac was born out of the common order and course of nature; his conception and birth were owing to the promise and power of God, and to his free grace and favour to Abraham. This son of promise was a type of the spiritual seed of Abraham, whether Jews or Gentiles, the children of the promise that are counted for the seed; who are born again of the will, power, and grace of God, and are heirs, according to the promise, both of grace and glory, when they that are of the law, and the works of it, are not. All which is further illustrated in the following verses.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Is born (). Perfect passive indicative of , stand on record so.
Through promise (‘ ). In addition to being “after the flesh” ( ).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Was born [] . Has been born, or is born : perfect tense, treating the historical fact as if present.
After the flesh [ ] . According to the regular course of nature. Very common in Paul.
By promise [ ] . Most editors retain the article, the promise of Gen 17:16, 19; Gen 18:10. Comp. Rom 9:9. In virtue of the promise; for according to natural conditions he would not have been born.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “But he who was of the bondwoman,” (all’ ho men ek tes pardiskes) “but the one indeed (was) out of the maidservant,” that one being Ishmael, Gen 16:1; Gen 16:15.
2) “Was born after the flesh,” (kata sarka gegennetai) “has been born according to flesh;” according to the lust purpose, course, or plan of the flesh, in contrast with the plan or purpose of the Spirit, Joh 1:13; Gal 5:17.
3) “But he of the freewoman was by promise,” (ho de ek tes eleutheras dia tes epangelias) “and the one (was) out of the free woman, through the promise;” this one was Isaac, the Son of promise, who came to Abraham and Sara in their old age, Gen 21:2-3; Gen 17:21; Gen 18:10-14; Rom 9:7-8. The specific births of Ishmael and Isaac, and both human and Divine history relating to them, attest the accuracy of Revelation and surety of all God’s promises, Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18. He, by nature, can not lie.
TRIED AND PROVED
A clergyman, visiting a poor Christian woman, found her Bible marked here and there with the letters T. and P. Wondering what the letters stood for, he inquired of her their meaning. “Oh!” said she, “those are the promises in my precious Bible. There are many of them, you see, I have tried; so I marked them T; and many I’ve proved, and I know that they are true; so I marked them P.”
-Bowes
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
23. But he who was of the bond woman. Both were sons of Abraham according to the flesh; but in Isaac there was this peculiarity, that he had the promise of grace. In Ishmael there was nothing besides nature; in Isaac there was the election of God, signified in part by the manner of his birth, which was not in the ordinary course, but miraculous. Yet there is an indirect reference to the calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews: for the latter boast of their ancestry, while the former, without any human interference, are become the spiritual offspring of Abraham.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(23) But.Both were alike in being children of Abraham; they were unlike in that one was born naturally, the other by divine instrumentality.
Was born.Strictly, is borni.e., is stated to have been born, was born as we still read.
After the fleshi.e., in the regular course of nature.
By promise.The birth of Isaac is regarded as due to the direct agency of the promise, The promise itself is conceived of as possessing a creative power. The birth of Isaac was the result of a miraculous intervention. (See Gen. 18:10.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. After the flesh Not by miracle and promise, as Isaac was, but in the ordinary mode. And so he is suitable type of the unregenerate; and, as under bondage, he is type of the falsely regenerate under law and works; just like their Judaizing apostles and all their converts in Galatia or elsewhere. See note, Rom 9:8.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gal 4:23 presents the relation of diversity between the two, in contrast to the previously mentioned relation of similarity, according to which they both were sons of Abraham.
] according to the flesh , so that the birth was the result of a natural carnal intercourse. Differently in Rom 1:3 ; Rom 9:5
] is born; the perfect realizes the historically existing relation as present.
] through the (well-known) promise , Gen 17:16 ; Gen 17:19 ; Gen 18:10 ; Rom 9:9 . This must not, however, be rationalized (with Grotius, Rosenmller, and others) into “per eam vim extraordinariam, quam Deus promiserat,” which does violence to the history in Genesis, as above; nor, with Hofmann, to the effect that the promise , with which Abraham had been called , was realized in the procreation itself; but it is to be definitely explained in accordance with the tenor of the words and with Gen 21:1 : “ by virtue of the promise he is born,” so that in his procreation (Mat 1:2 ; Luk 3:34 ) the divine promise made to his parents, which had assured them of the birth of a son, was the procuring cause of the result, which would not have occurred without such an operation of the power of the divine promise (Gen 18:14 ), seeing that the two parents were in themselves incapable of the procreation of Isaac; for Sarah was barren, and both were already too old (Gen 18:11 ; Rom 4:19 ). Comp. Chrysostom.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Ver. 23. Was born after the flesh ] In an ordinary way, as all others are; for Hagar was young, and Abraham not old.
Was by promise ] i.e. By a supernatural power, by a divine miracle.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
23 .] , according to nature , in her usual course: , by virtue of ( the ) promise , as the efficient cause of Sara’s becoming pregnant contrary to nature: see Rom 4:19 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Gal 4:23 . The two who were coupled together in the last verse as sons of one father are here contrasted in respect of their different mothers. . The perfect is used in order to present the birth as a Scripture record now in existence ( cf. Heb 11:17 ; Heb 11:28 ): otherwise the aorist would have been appropriate. . There is an alternative reading . supported by equal MS. authority: but it is difficult to attach any meaning to the article, whereas . forms an appropriate antithesis to . Like in Gal 2:19 ; Gal 2:21 it describes the attendant circumstances under which the birth took place, not having an instrumental force.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
born = begotten. Greek. gennao
after = according to. Greek. kata. App-104.
by. Greek. dia. App-104. Gal 4:1.
promise. See Luk 24:49,
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
23.] , according to nature, in her usual course: , by virtue of (the) promise, as the efficient cause of Saras becoming pregnant contrary to nature: see Rom 4:19.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Gal 4:23
Gal 4:23
Howbeit the son by the handmaid is bom after the flesh;-Notwithstanding the fact that they were the children of one father, there was a further difference between them beyond that consequent on the different states of their respective mothers. Abraham and Hagar were united in accordance with natural counsels and with results after the order of nature. Sarah was aware, indeed, of the promise of God to Abraham that he should have a son, but her own name had not yet been mentioned in connection therewith, and assuming that the promise was impossible of fulfillment through herself, she planned to bring it about through Hagar, her handmaid. (Gen 16:1-2). To Sarahs device Paul refers. From it sprang evils innumerable, first for Abraham and Sarah, then for Isaac, then for the people of Israel at large. Gods word is settled forever in heaven, and cannot fail of its fulfillment; but God is not to be hindered or hurried in any. [Whoever attempts one of the other dooms himself to disaster. Scheming and faith are mutually exclusive. He who trusts God will not scheme; he who schemes makes its manifest that he does not trust God.]
but the son by the freewoman is born through promise.-Isaac was the child of promise, was conceived after both parents were past age, and his conception was of the direct power of God-not after the fleshly desires.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
born: Rom 9:7, Rom 9:8
but: Gen 17:15-19, Gen 18:10-14, Gen 21:1, Gen 21:2, Rom 4:18-21, Rom 10:8, Heb 11:11
Reciprocal: Gen 16:15 – Hagar Gen 21:14 – wandered Gal 4:1 – That Gal 4:28 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gal 4:23. , , -Howbeit he of the bond-maid was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman by the promise. -howbeit (though both were sons of the same father)-introduces the difference between the two sons in their birth, probably with the underlying idea of difference, too, in their character and destiny. (Rom 9:7-10) means that Ishmael was born in the usual course of nature, and implies that Isaac was not; for he was born by virtue of the promise, as is recorded in Gen 18:10. There was a promise also connected with Ishmael’s birth, though that birth in itself implied nothing out of the ordinary course of nature; whereas in Isaac’s case there was miracle, when Sarah, past age, gave birth to a son in fulfilment of the promise. Gen 17:15-16; Gen 18:10-11; Gen 18:14; Rom 9:9. But for the promise, there would have been no such birth.
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Verse 23. After the flesh. Ishmael was conceived and born according to the established laws of fleshly reproduction; the account of it is in Genesis 16. The mother of Isaac was barren and a miracle was needed to enable her to conceive. But God had promised her a son, hence He performed the miracle upon her so that she could become a mother, and that made him a son by promise. (See Gen 16:1-2 Gen 21:1-2.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Gal 4:23. But the son from the bondmaid was born after the flesh, in the regular course of nature. (Used somewhat differently in Rom 1:3; Rom 9:5.) But the son of the freewoman is through the promise, by virtue of supernatural influence, by the Spirit of God working through the word of promise (as in the conception of our Lord). Gen 17:16; Gen 17:19; Gen 18:10-11; comp. Rom 4:19.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the son by the freewoman is born through promise. [Gen 18:10; Gen 18:14; Gen 21:1-2; Heb 11:11; Rom 4:13; Rom 9:7-9]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
4:23 But he [who was] of the bondwoman was born after the {x} flesh; but he of the freewoman [was] by {y} promise.
(x) As all men are, and by the common course of nature.
(y) By virtue of the promise, which Abraham laid hold on for himself and his true seed, for otherwise Abraham and Sara were past the begetting and bearing of children.