Galatians 4:27

“For it is written: Rejoice, barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; because many are the children of the desolate one, more than of her who has a husband.”
Galatians 4:27 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

Forγάρit is written:γέγραπταιRejoice,Εὐφράνθητιbarren oneστεῖραwhoἡdoes notοὐbear;τίκτουσαbreak forthῥῆξονandκαὶshout,βόησονyou whoἡare notοὐκin labor;ὠδίνουσαbecauseὅτιmanyπολλὰarethe childrenτὰ τέκναof the desolate one,τῆς ἐρήμουmoreμᾶλλονthanἢof herτῆςwho hasἐχούσηςa husband.τὸν ἄνδρα

Quotation · Isaiah 54:1

Go to Isaiah 54:1

Paul quotes the whole of Isaiah 54:1.

Formula: γέγραπται “it is written” (Galatians 4:27)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: γέγραπται γάρ Εὐφράνθητι στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα

Hebrew (Masoretic text): רָנִּי עֲקָרָה לֹא יָלָדָה פִּצְחִי רִנָּה וְצַהֲלִי לֹא חָלָה כִּי רַבִּים בְּנֵי שׁוֹמֵמָה מִבְּנֵי בְעוּלָה אָמַר יְהוָה

Septuagint (Isaiah 54:1 in the Septuagint numbering): Εὐφράθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα· εἶπεν γὰρ Κύριος.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 22 consecutive words: “στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Galatians 4:27, word by word

it is writtenγέγραπταιgegraptai

it is written

So the Bible says; a passage is quoted.

Where else “gegraptai” appears

RejoiceΕὐφράνθητιEuphranthēti

rejoice

To feel joy over something good that happened or that God did.

Where else “Euphranthēti” appears

barren oneστεῖραsteira

barren

Barren: a woman unable to have children.

Where else “steira” appears

bearτίκτουσαtiktousa

give birth

To have a baby, or be born.

Where else “tiktousa” appears

break forthῥῆξονrhēxon

break forth

Break forth into shouts of joy.

Where else “rhēxon” appears

shoutβόησονboēson

cry out

Cry out, shout loudly.

Where else “boēson” appears

in laborὠδίνουσαōdinousa

suffer birth pains

Suffer birth pains, be in labor.

Where else “ōdinousa” appears

manyπολλὰpolla

many

A great number of people or things.

Where else “polla” appears

the childrenτέκναtekna

child

Someone born of parents, or of a family or people.

Where else “tekna” appears

of the desolate oneἐρήμουerēmou

desolate

A lonely or abandoned place.

Where else “erēmou” appears

moreμᾶλλονmallon

To a greater degree; how much more, when comparing.

Where else “mallon” appears

who hasἐχούσηςechousēs

have

To count something or someone as one's own: goods, family, faith, power.

Where else “echousēs” appears

a husbandἄνδραandra

husband

The married man, his wife's partner.

Where else “andra” appears

Translation note

Quoted from Isaiah 54:1, according to the Greek of the Old Testament.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Isaiah 54:1

Paul quotes the whole of Isaiah 54:1.

See them side by side

Galatians 4:27

²⁷For it is written: Rejoice, barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; because many are the children of the desolate one, more than of her who has a husband.

Isaiah 54:1

¹“Shout for joy, barren one, who did not give birth; break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who did not have birth pains; for more are the children of the desolate one than the children of the married one,” says YHWH.

The context

26But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

27 · This verse (above)

28And you, brothers, are children of promise like Isaac.

Read all of Galatians 4

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