“But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
My Notes
What Does Galatians 4:26 Mean?
Paul is in the middle of an allegory — Hagar and Sarah represent two covenants, two Jerusalems, two ways of relating to God. And this verse names the one that matters: the Jerusalem above. The free one. The mother.
"But Jerusalem which is above" — there are two Jerusalems in Paul's allegory. The earthly Jerusalem corresponds to Hagar, to Sinai, to the law, to bondage. The heavenly Jerusalem — the one above — corresponds to Sarah, to promise, to grace, to freedom. The earthly city is enslaved to the system of performance. The heavenly city is free.
"Is free" — the word (eleuthera) means liberated, not under bondage, unshackled. The Jerusalem above operates on freedom, not obligation. Its citizens aren't slaves working to earn their place. They're children who already belong. The freedom isn't moral license — it's the freedom from having to perform your way into God's family. You're already in.
"Which is the mother of us all" — the heavenly Jerusalem is mother. The language is maternal, nurturing, identity-giving. You don't just belong to the heavenly Jerusalem. You were born from it. Your spiritual identity, your citizenship, your belonging — all of it traces back to the free city, not the enslaved one. And "us all" — every believer, Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised. The mother doesn't discriminate.
Paul is telling the Galatians — who are being pressured to submit to circumcision and the law — that they already have a mother, and she's not Hagar. They belong to the free woman. They're children of promise, not children of performance. The Jerusalem they should aspire to isn't the one on a map. It's the one in heaven. And that Jerusalem has already claimed them.
Hebrews 12:22 echoes this: "Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." The city is real. The citizenship is actual. And the freedom is the birthright of every child born from above.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which Jerusalem describes your daily experience — the city of performance (striving, earning, measuring) or the city of freedom (receiving, resting, belonging)?
- 2.What does it mean that the heavenly Jerusalem is your 'mother' — that your spiritual identity comes from freedom, not bondage?
- 3.Where is someone or something pressuring you to live in Hagar's Jerusalem — to add works to grace, to perform for acceptance?
- 4.How does knowing you were 'born' to the free city change the way you approach God — with obligation or with inheritance?
Devotional
You have a mother, and she's free. That's Paul's claim for every believer, and it's aimed directly at anyone who's been living as though they need to earn their place in God's family. The heavenly Jerusalem — the city above, the free one — is your mother. You were born from freedom, not bondage. Your spiritual identity comes from grace, not performance.
The Galatians were being told: you need to be circumcised. You need to keep the law. You need to add works to your faith before you're really in. And Paul says: you're already in. You already have a mother. She's already free. And her children don't earn their place at the table. They were born to it.
The two Jerusalems represent two ways of living. One is the life of performance — earning, striving, measuring yourself against a standard you can never reach, living in the constant anxiety of whether you've done enough. That's Hagar's Jerusalem. The earthly city of religious obligation. The other is the life of promise — received, rested in, enjoyed as a gift, lived from the security of belonging rather than the anxiety of proving. That's Sarah's Jerusalem. The heavenly city of grace.
Which Jerusalem are you living in? Not which one do you claim — which one actually describes your daily experience? Do you wake up in freedom or in obligation? Do you approach God from security or from performance? The mother of us all is free. And her children are meant to live in the inheritance of that freedom — not scrambling to earn what was given at birth.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For it is written,.... Isa 44:1, which is cited to prove, that the heavenly Jerusalem, or Gospel church state, is the…
But Jerusalem which is above - The spiritual Jerusalem; the true church of God. Jerusalem was the place where God was…
But Jerusalem which is above - The apostle still follows the Jewish allegory, showing not only how the story of Hagar…
In these verses the apostle illustrates the difference between believers who rested in Christ only and those judaizers…
the mother of us all Probably we should read with R.V. our mother, where of course - our" is emphatic. Comp. Gal 4:4.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture