Devine Scripture

Galatians 4:28

What does Galatians 4:28 mean?

A plain-English look at Galatians 4:28 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Galatians 4:28 means

Paul declares that believers are, like Isaac, children of promise. Their spiritual birth does not come from human scheming or Law-keeping but from God’s gracious commitment fulfilled in Christ. This identity guarantees inheritance and freedom. It also locates them within Abraham’s true family, not by fleshly descent but by faith. The verse comforts and challenges: comfort, because their status rests on God’s promise; challenge, because living as promise-children means resisting any return to slavery. Paul anchors their self-understanding in Scripture’s pattern, turning the Judaizers’ boast on its head: the Gentile believers, not the legalists, mirror Isaac.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are the children of the undertaking of God.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And we, brethren, as Isaac, are children of promise,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

But ye, brethren, after the pattern of Isaac, are children of promise.

Context

Having cited the prophecy of surprising fruitfulness (v. 27), Paul now applies it: the Galatians are promise-children. This lays the foundation for verse 29’s acknowledgment that such children face persecution from those “after the flesh,” and for verse 30’s directive to cast out the slave line. The flow moves from identity (promise-children) to realistic conflict (persecution) to decisive action (separation from bondage).

v.27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband.

v.28This passage

v.29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted himthat was bornafter the Spirit, so also it is now.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Romans 4:13

    For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith.

  • Acts 3:25

    Ye are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

  • Galatians 3:29

    And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.

  • Galatians 4:23

    Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the son by the freewoman is born through promise.

  • Romans 9:8

    That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.

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