Galatians 4:27
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse is more than just a prophecy of numbers; it highlights a fundamental shift in God's relationship with His people. The barren, desolate woman (representing the spiritual church) is called to rejoice because her future "children" will far surpass those of the woman who "has a husband" (representing those clinging to the old covenant). This isn't just about quantity, but about a new, richer kind of relationship with God.
For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1 to illustrate the spiritual fertility of the "Jerusalem above" compared to the "Jerusalem that now is." This ancient prophecy, originally about the restoration and growth of Jerusalem after exile, is now applied by Paul to the church, which, like Sarah, was once barren but now has far more spiritual children than the Jewish nation, represented by Hagar. The passage powerfully contrasts the expansive spiritual family of God with the more limited national identity tied to the old covenant.
Imagine being told you'll have more children than you ever thought possible, but you're barren. That's the startling image Paul uses here!
Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1 to show that God's people aren't defined by natural ability but by His promise. Sarah, Abraham's wife, was barren – she couldn't have children naturally. Yet, God promised her descendants would be numerous. This verse applies that promise to the church:
From Barrenness to Fruitfulness
Paul draws a sharp contrast between two 'mothers' in Genesis. Understanding them unlocks why one brings freedom and the other bondage.
The Old Testament story of Sarah and Hagar is a powerful allegory for Paul. He uses this passage from Isaiah to paint a picture of two contrasting realities:
Ask a follow-up
Hagar vs. Sarah in Paul's Argument
Understand the original words
steira · Greek Adjective
Refers to one who is physically unable to have children, often used in Scripture as a symbol of human helplessness and the necessity of divine intervention to bring about God's purpose.
teknon · Greek Noun
A chosen people or believers in a new covenant relationship who are established by divine promise rather than human effort or natural descent.
Paul uses this prophecy, originally about Jerusalem's restoration after exile, to powerfully illustrate that God's true family—the Church—would grow far beyond the natural descendants of Abraham, embracing Gentiles through faith in Christ.
~700 BC
Prophecy of Isaiah
Isaiah delivers his prophecy, including chapter 54 which speaks of a desolate woman who will have more children than the one with a husband. This was originally a message of hope for Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
538 BC
Return from Babylonian Exile
Jews return to Jerusalem after 70 years in exile, beginning to rebuild the city and the temple. This event would have been seen as a fulfillment of prophecies like Isaiah 54.
c. 50 BC - AD 50
Septuagint Translation of Isaiah
The Hebrew scriptures are translated into Greek, making them accessible to a wider audience. This version of Isaiah 54:1 is quoted by Paul in Galatians.
c. AD 48— this verse
Paul's Ministry in Galatia
The Apostle Paul establishes churches in the region of Galatia. He later writes this epistle to address issues of Judaizing teachers attempting to impose the Law on Gentile believers.
c. AD 50-55
Writing of the Epistle to the Galatians
Paul writes this letter to the churches in Galatia to defend the gospel of grace against those who insisted on circumcision and adherence to the Mosaic Law for salvation.
This is the direct source of the quotation, describing the restoration and expansion of God's people after exile, which Paul allegorically applies to the church.
Genesis 17:15-16This passage introduces Sarah as barren and God renaming her to 'princess,' foreshadowing her future motherhood, which is central to the allegorical meaning Paul uses.
Romans 9:8Paul echoes the theme that not all of Abraham's descendants are truly his children, directly referencing the promise to Sarah and the concept of children of promise, aligning with the Galatians passage.
Isaiah 49:19-21This passage vividly describes the increase of God's people, with barren lands and a desolate state becoming populated, mirroring the imagery Paul draws from Isaiah 54:1.
cambridgeGalatians 4:27: "For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband."
27 . For it is written ] The quotation is taken exactly from the Septuagint version of Isaiah 54:1 . By the ‘barren’ we must understand Sarah, who was a type of the Gospel dispensation. Small and persecuted in its early days, the Church of Christ has now ‘many more children’ than the Jewish Church coul…
vincentGalatians 4:27: "For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband."
The last statement is proved from Scripture, lxx of Isaiah 54:1, which predicts the great growth of the people of God after the Babylonian exile. It is applied to the unfruitful Sarah, who answers to the Jerusalem above, and who is a type of God's dealings with her descendants.Break forth (ῥῆξον)In t…
This verse is more than just a prophecy of numbers; it highlights a fundamental shift in God's relationship with His people. The barren, desolate woman (representing the spiritual church) is called to rejoice because her future "children" will far surpass those of the woman who "has a husband" (representing those clinging to the old covenant). This isn't just about quantity, but about a new, richer kind of relationship with God.
Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1 to illustrate the spiritual fertility of the "Jerusalem above" compared to the "Jerusalem that now is." This ancient prophecy, originally about the restoration and growth of Jerusalem after exile, is now applied by Paul to the church, which, like Sarah, was once barren but now has far more spiritual children than the Jewish nation, represented by Hagar. The passage powerfully contrasts the expansive spiritual family of God with the more limited national identity tied to the old covenant.
Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1 to illustrate the spiritual fertility of the "Jerusalem above" compared to the "Jerusalem that now is." This ancient prophecy, originally about the restoration and growth of Jerusalem after exile, is now applied by Paul to the church, which, like Sarah, was once barren but now has far more spiritual children than the Jewish nation, represented by Hagar. The passage powerfully contrasts the expansive spiritual family of God with the more limited national identity tied to the old covenant.
"For it is written,
“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”" — This verse is more than just a prophecy of numbers; it highlights a fundamental shift in God's relationship with His people. The barren, desolate woman (representing the spiritual church) is called t…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026