4:27

Verse 4:27 is a quote from Isaiah 54:1. In Isaiah, these words refer to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is commanded to rejoice because God would bring back from captivity the people of this “barren” city. Paul connected Sarah to this verse. She had also been barren.

Paul applied this quotation to the heavenly Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem is like the rejoicing woman. It is free, and those who belong to it are free. Paul wanted the Galatians to recognize that they also belong to the heavenly Jerusalem and are free. They too should rejoice and be glad.

4:27a

For: Verse 4:27 supports Paul’s point in 4:26 that people who believe are free and belong to the Jerusalem in heaven. The Greek introduces this supporting statement with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.

Another way to translate this conjunction is:

because

Some English versions do not translate this word. In some languages, it may not be necessary to translate this word either.

it is written: This clause introduces the quotation from Isaiah.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

It is written in the Scriptures (New Century Version)
-or-
the scripture says (Good News Translation)
-or-
as God’s word says
-or-
Isaiah wrote

4:27b–c

This quote from Isaiah contains a form of poetry called parallelism. In this parallelism, the first part of 4:27b is similar in meaning to the first part of 4:27c. And the second part of 4:27b is similar in meaning to the second part of 4:27c.

27b
Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children ;

27c
break forth and cry aloud, you who have never travailed ;

In this parallelism, Isaiah described Jerusalem in two ways:

(a) O barren woman, who bears no children

(b) you who have never travailed

If a parallel structure in your language wrongly implies that these two clauses refer to two towns or two women, you may need to combine the parallel parts in these lines. For example:

b-c You who have never given birth, rejoice!

4:27b

Rejoice: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Rejoice means “be glad/happy.” For example:

Be happy (Good News Translation)
-or-
be glad (Contemporary English Version)

O barren woman, who bears no children: The phrases O barren woman and who bears no children are two ways of describing a woman who cannot have children. It is common in Hebrew poetry to say the same thing in two ways.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

childless woman, you who have never given birth (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
You childless woman having a closed womb
-or-
woman who has not given birth, woman who has not known pregnancy

In some languages, it is too repetitive or poor style to repeat the same idea. If that is the case in your language, you could combine the two expressions into one expression. For example:

you childless woman (Good News Translation)

4:27c

break forth and cry aloud: The commands break forth and cry aloud both mean “shout.” (As in 4:27b, it is common in Hebrew poetry to say the same thing in two ways.) It is implied that the shouting is for joy. You may need to make this explicit. For example:

raise your voice and shout for joy
-or-
make your voice strong and declare your happiness
-or-
break into a shout of joy (Revised English Bible)
-or-
raise your voice to make known your joy

Here the word cry does not mean “weep.”

As in 4:27b, if it would be considered too repetitive or poor style in your language to translate both expressions, you could combine the two expressions into one. For example:

shout with/for joy

you who have never travailed: The word travailed refers to the pain that a woman has when she gives birth. This clause is another way to refer to a childless woman. If you have an idiom to say this in your language, you can use it.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

you who never felt the pains of childbirth (Good News Translation)
-or-
you who have never suffered birth pains

4:27d

because: Verse 4:27d is the basis for the commands to rejoice in 4:27b–c. The Greek introduces this basis with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because. Another way to translate this word is:

for (English Standard Version)

more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as desolate woman means “deserted woman” or “forsaken woman.” It refers to a woman whose husband has left her. In Isaiah, the desolate woman refers to Jerusalem, which God abandoned. Isaiah prophesied that God would bring back the exiles. The new Jerusalem would be bigger than the old one, the one who had a husband.

Paul applied this verse to the heavenly Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem will have more people than the earthly Jerusalem.

Some other ways to translate these clauses are:

the deserted woman will have many more children than the woman who has a husband
-or-
many are the children of the forsaken woman. They are more than those of the woman who has a husband

are: In Greek, there is no verb in 4:27d. So English versions add a verb. Some use the future “will be” or “will have.” Others use the present are. For example:

the woman who was deserted will have more children (Good News Translation)
-or-
more are the children of the desolate woman (New International Version)

In this verse from Isaiah, the idea is that the woman had many children after her time of being desolate. So, in many languages, the future tense will be better.

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