152 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. IV.
26. Jerusalem which is above (7 dvw ‘IepovoaAnp). Paul uses the Hebrew form ‘Iepoveadnp in preference to the Greek ‘IepoodAvua, which occurs Gal. i. 17, 18; uu. 1. The phrase Jerusalem which is above was familiar to the rabbinical teach- ers, who conceived the heavenly Jerusalem as the archetype of the earthly. On the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, the heavenly archetype would be let down to earth, and would be the capital of the messianic theocracy. Comp. Heb. xi. 10; xii. 22; xiii. 14; Apoc. iii. 12; xxi.2. Paul here means the messianic kingdom of Christ, partially realised in the Christian church, but to be fully realised only at the second coming of the Lord. For dvw, comp. Philip. iii. 14; Col. iii. 1, 2.
Free (édev0épa). Independent of the Mosaic law; in con- trast with the earthly Jerusalem, which, like Hagar, is in bondage. ‘The Jerusalem above therefore answers to Sarah.
Which is (jj71s éoriv). The double relative refers to the Jerusalem which is above, not to free. That Jerusalem, as that which is our mother, is free.
The mother of us all. Render, owr mother. Wadvrwv all does not belong in the text.
27. The last statement is proved from Scripture, LXX of Isa. liv. 1, which predicts the great growth of the people of God after the Babylonian exile. It is applied to the unfruit- ful Sarah, who answers to the Jerusalem above, and who is a type of God’s dealings with her descendants.
Break forth (p7£ov). In this sense not in N. T. The ellipsis is usually supplied by dwvyv voice ; cause thy voice to break forth. Others prefer edppoctyny joy, as suggested by evppavOnte rejoice. ‘Py&er dwvyv occurs Job vi. 5, of the low- ing of the ox; and pnEdtacar, pnEdrw edppoctvny in Isa. xlix. 13; lii. 9. As these are the only instances in LXX in which the verb is used in this sense, as the quotation is from Isaiah, and as the verb occurs twice in that prophecy with eddpootynv
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joy, it seems better to supply that noun here. Cause joy to break forth.
Many more children than (qoAdd ra téxeva — pGdrov 4). Incorrect. Notas Lightfoot and others for wdelova } more than. Rather, ‘Many are the children of the solitary one in a higher degree than those of her which hath a husband.” It is a comparison between two manys. Both had many children, but the solitary had a greater many.
28. As Isaac was (cata ’Ioaax). Lit. after the manner of Isaac. See Rom. ix. T-9, and, for this use of- cara, 1 Pet. gio bph. iv. 24 ;°Coh i. 10.
Children of promise (érrayyedias téxva). Not promised children, nor children that have God’s promise, but children who are not such by mere fleshly descent, as was Ishmael, but by promise, as was Isaac: children of the Jerusalem above, belonging to it in virtue of God’s promise, even as Isaac was the child of Sarah in virtue of God’s promise.
29. Notwithstanding this higher grade of sonship, the children of promise, the spiritual children of Abraham, are persecuted by the Jews, the mere bodily children of Abra- ham, as Isaac was persecuted by Ishmael.
Persecuted (éd(@xe). Comp. Gen. xxi. 9, where Ishmael is said to have mocked Isaac (LXX, watfovra pera): but the Jewish tradition related that Ishmael said to Isaac: “ Let us go and seek our portion in the field.” And Ishmael took his bow and arrows and shot Isaac, pretending that he was in sport. Paul evidently meant something more than jeering.
After the Spirit (cara mvedya). The divine Spirit, which was the living principle of the promise. Comp. Rom. iv. 17. The Spirit is called “the Spirit of the promise,” Eph. i. 13.
30. What saith the Scripture? Giving emphasis to the following statement. Comp. Rom. iv. 3; x. 8; xi. 2, 4.