Galatians 4:24

“Which things are an allegory, etc..] Or “are allegorized”: so Sarah and Hagar were allegorized by Philo the Jew f87, before they were by the apostle. Sarah he makes to signify virtue, and Hagar the whole circle of arts and sciences, which are, or should be, an handmaid to virtue; but these things respecting Hagar and Sarah, the bondwoman and the free, and their several offspring, are much better allegorized by the apostle here. An allegory is a way of speaking in which one thing is expressed by another, and is a continued metaphor; and the apostle's meaning is, that these things point at some other things; have another meaning in them, a mystical and spiritual one, besides the literal; and…”

“are an allegory--rather, "are allegorical," that is, have another besides the literal meaning. these are the two covenants--"these [women] are (that is, mean; omit 'the' with all the oldest manuscripts) two covenants." As among the Jews the bondage of the mother determined that of the child, the children of the free covenant of promise, answering to Sarah, are free; the children of the legal covenant of bondage are not so. one from--that is, taking his origin from Mount Sinai. Hence, it appears, he is treating of the moral law (Gal 3:19) chiefly (Heb 12:18). Paul was familiar with the district of Sinai in Arabia (Gal 1:17), having gone thither after his conversion. At the gloomy scene of the…”

“Which things - The different accounts of Ishmael and Isaac. Are an allegory - May be regarded allegorically, or as illustrating great principles in regard to the condition of slaves and freemen; and may therefore be used to illustrate the effect of servitude to the Law of Moses compared with the freedom of the gospel. He does not mean to say that the historical record of Moses was not true, or was merely allegorical; nor does he mean to say that Moses meant this to be an allegory, or that he intended that it should be applied to the exact purpose to which Paul applied it. No such design is apparent in the narrative of Moses, and it is evident that he had no such intention. Nor can it be…”

“Which things are an allegory - An allegory is a figurative speech, wherein one thing is expressed, and another intended. For those two sons are types of the two covenants. One covenant is that given from mount Sinai, which beareth children to bondage - That is, all who are under this, the Jewish covenant, are in bondage. Which covenant is typified by Agar. Galatians 4:25”

“4:24-25 Paul connects Abraham’s human attempt to fulfill God’s promises (4:23) with the human attempt in Galatia and elsewhere to attain salvation by keeping the law. Hagar’s status as a slave-wife corresponds with Israel’s enslaved status under the law. This status contrasts with the status of those who have faith in Christ (4:26-27). 4:24 serve as an illustration (literally are being allegorized): In allegorical writing, every character and event is symbolic of a deeper meaning. Allegorical interpretations often ignore the historical meaning of the text and invent fanciful meanings. Here, by contrast, Paul understood the story correctly in its historical context and recognized the story as…”

“an allegory: Eze 20:49; Hos 11:10; Mat 13:35; Co1 10:11 \*Gr: Heb 11:19 for: Gal 4:25; Luk 22:19, Luk 22:20; Co1 10:4 the two: Gal 3:15-21; Heb 7:22, Heb 8:6-13, Heb 9:15-24, Heb 10:15-18, Heb 12:24, Heb 13:20 covenants: or, testament Sinai: Gr. Sina which: Gal 5:1; Rom 8:15 Agar: Gen 16:3, Gen 16:4, Gen 16:8, Gen 16:15, Gen 16:16, Gen 21:9-13, Gen 25:12, Hagar Galatians 4:25”