SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:26
Mas la Jerusaln de arriba, libre es; la cual es la madre de todos nosotros.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Galatians 4:26
Verse 26. But Jerusalem which is above] The apostle still follows the Jewish allegory, showing not only how the story of Hagar and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac, was allegorized, but pointing out also that even Jerusalem was the subject of allegory; for it was a maxim among the rabbins, that "whatsoever was in the earth, the same was also found in heaven for there is no matter, howsoever small, in this world, that has not something similar to it in the spiritual world." On this maxim, the Jews imagine that every earthly thing has its representative in heaven; and especially whatever concerns Jerusalem, the law, and its ordinances. Rab. Kimchi, speaking of Melchizedec, king of Salem, says: hl[m l lwry wz zu Yerushalem shel malah, "This is the Jerusalem that is from above." This phrase frequently occurs among these writers, as may be seen in Schoettgen, who has written an express dissertation upon the subject. Hor. Hebr., vol. i. page 1205.
Is free, which is the mother of us all.] There is a spiritual Jerusalem, of which this is the type; and this Jerusalem, in which the souls of all the righteous are, is free from all bondage and sin: or by this, probably, the kingdom of the Messiah was intended; and this certainly answers best to the apostle's meaning, as the subsequent verse shows. There is an earthly Jerusalem, but this earthly Jerusalem typifies a heavenly Jerusalem: the former, with all her citizens, is in bondage; the latter is a free city, and all her inhabitants are free also. And this Jerusalem is our mother; it signifies the Church of Christ, the metropolis of Christianity, or rather the state of liberty into which all true believers are brought. The word pantwn, of all, is omitted by almost every MS. and version of antiquity and importance, and by the most eminent of the fathers who quote this place; it is undoubtedly spurious, and the text should be read thus: But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is our mother.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 26. But Jerusalem which is above , etc..] This Sarah was a type and figure of; she answered to, and agreed with this; which is to be understood, not of the church triumphant in heaven, but of the Gospel church state under the administration of the new covenant; and that, not as in the latter day glory, when the new Jerusalem shall descend from God out of heaven, but as it then was in the apostle's time, and has been since. Particular respect may be had to the first Gospel church at Jerusalem, which consisted of persons born from above, was blessed with a Gospel spirit, which is a spirit of liberty, out of which the Gospel went into all the world, and from among whom the apostles and first preachers of the word went forth everywhere, and were the means of the conversion of multitudes, both among Jews and Gentiles, and so might be truly said to be the mother of us all. The church in general, under the Gospel, may be, as it often is, called Jerusalem, because of its name, the vision of peace; being under the government of the Prince of peace; the members of it are sons of peace, who are called to peace, and enjoy it; the Gospel is the Gospel of peace, and the ordinances of it are paths of peace; and the new covenant, under the administration of which the saints are, is a covenant of peace.
Jerusalem was the object of God's choice, the palace of the great King, the place of divine worship, was compact together, and well fortified: the Gospel church state consists of persons, who, in general, are the elect of God, among whom the Lord dwells, as in his temple. Here his worship is observed, his word is preached, and his ordinances administered; saints laid on the foundation, Christ, and being fitly framed together, grow up unto an holy temple in him, and are surrounded by him, as Jerusalem was with mountains, and are kept by his power unto salvation. This is said to be above, to distinguish it from the earthly Jerusalem, the inhabitants of which were chiefly men of the world, carnal men; but this heavenly Jerusalem, or Gospel church state, chiefly consists of persons born from above, called with an heavenly calling, and who bear the image of the heavenly one, whose conversation is in heaven, who are seeking things above, and in a little time will be there themselves; its constitution and form of government are from above, and so are its doctrines, and its ordinances. The Jews often Speak of aly[ld lwry , or hal[ , or hl[m l , Jerusalem above f94 , as distinguished from Jerusalem below: and to this distinction the apostle seems to have respect here, who further says concerning this Jerusalem, that she is free ; from the servitude of sin, Satan, and the world, from the yoke of the law, and from a spirit of bondage; having the Spirit of God, the spirit of adoption, who is a free spirit, and makes such free that enjoy him; and where he is, there is true liberty. He adds, which is the mother of us all ; that are born again, whether Jews or Gentiles, as particularly the church at Jerusalem was, and the Gospel church state in general may be said to be; since here souls are born and brought forth to Christ, are nursed up at her side, and nourished with her breasts of consolation, the word and ordinances. This form of speech is also Jewish: thus it is said that Zion, laryd ma , the mother of Israel, shall bring forth her sons, and Jerusalem shall receive the children of the captivity.
Again, explaining ( Proverbs 28:24) it is observed f96 , that there is no father but the ever blessed God, wma yaw , and no mother but the congregation of Israel. Some copies leave out the word all; and so do the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, and only read, the mother of us, or our mother.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 21-27 - The difference between believers who rested in Christ only, and thos who trusted in the law, is explained by the histories of Isaac an Ishmael. These things are an allegory, wherein, beside the literal an historical sense of the words, the Spirit of God points out somethin further. Hagar and Sarah were apt emblems of the two differen dispensations of the covenant. The heavenly Jerusalem, the true churc from above, represented by Sarah, is in a state of freedom, and is the mother of all believers, who are born of the Holy Spirit. They were by regeneration and true faith, made a part of the true seed of Abraham according to the promise made to him.
Greek Textus Receptus
γεγραπται 1125 5769 V-RPI-3S γαρ 1063 CONJ ευφρανθητι 2165 5682 V-APM-2S στειρα 4723 N-VSF η 3588 T-NSF ου 3756 PRT-N τικτουσα 5088 5723 V-PAP-NSF ρηξον 4486 5657 V-AAM-2S και 2532 CONJ βοησον 994 5657 V-AAM-2S η 3588 T-NSF ουκ 3756 PRT-N ωδινουσα 5605 5723 V-PAP-NSF οτι 3754 CONJ πολλα 4183 A-NPN τα 3588 T-NPN τεκνα 5043 N-NPN της 3588 T-GSF ερημου 2048 A-GSF μαλλον 3123 ADV η 2228 PRT της 3588 T-GSF εχουσης 2192 5723 V-PAP-GSF τον 3588 T-ASM ανδρα 435 N-ASM
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:26 {The Jerusalem that is above} (he anw ierousalem). Paul uses the rabbinical idea that the heavenly Jerusalem corresponds to the one here to illustrate his point without endorsing their ideas. See also #Re 21:2. He uses the city of Jerusalem to represent the whole Jewish race (Vincent).
