Paul now presents the contrast between the present city of Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem, the former in slavery while the latter is free. The image of the heavenly Jerusalem was evidently common among Jews even before the Christian era, and it occurs elsewhere in the New Testament, particularly in the book of (Revelation 3.12; 21.2,9 ff.). Perhaps one should not understand the heavenly Jerusalem in an eschatological sense (“the Jerusalem up in heaven”) or in a futuristic sense (“the Jerusalem which is to come”) but simply in a figurative sense. Just as the present city of Jerusalem refers to the Jewish nation, so the Jerusalem above refers to the church as the community of those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In this community there is freedom from bondage to law and freedom to become sons or children of God.
It may be quite difficult to find in some receptor languages a term such as heavenly which will suggest a qualitative distinction applicable to Jerusalem. The Greek text itself simply says “the above Jerusalem.” The closest equivalent in some languages may be “the Jerusalem related to heaven” or “the Jerusalem which has to do with heaven.” In some languages the most appropriate contrast seems to be between “the Jerusalem on earth” and “the Jerusalem of God.”
As in various other contexts, it may be best to translate is free as “is not a slave.”
Paul continues the figure of a mother: this heavenly Jerusalem is our mother. Sarah is not specifically named, but Paul assumes that his readers will make the appropriate connection. The term our refers to all Christian believers, and the idea of motherhood includes membership in the Christian community, together with nourishment and spiritual growth within its fellowship. It may be necessary to change the metaphor she is our mother into a simile, “this Jerusalem is just like our mother,” or “… is like a mother to us.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .