Discovery BoxGalatians 4:26-27 
Context4:26 But the Jerusalem above is free, 1 and she is our mother. 4:27 For it is written:
“Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; 2
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.” 3
1 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.
2 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.
3 tn Grk “because more are the children of the barren one than of the one having a husband.”
sn A quotation from Isa 54:1.
