Sarah vs. Hagar: The Allegory of the Two Women

 

Sarah vs. Hagar: The Allegory of the Two Women

1. Biblical foundation — Galatians 4:22–31

Galatians 4:22–24

“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one out of the maidservant and one out of the free woman. But the one out of the maidservant was born according to the flesh, but the one out of the free woman was born through promise. These things are spoken allegorically, for these women are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, bringing forth children unto slavery, which is Hagar.”

Galatians 4:25–26

“Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.”

Galatians 4:28–31

“But you, brothers, in the way Isaac was, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? ‘Cast out the maidservant and her son, for the son of the maidservant shall by no means inherit with the son of the free woman.’ So then, brothers, we are not children of the maidservant but of the free woman.”

2. Integrated comparison table: The two women and their allegorical significance

Comparison	Sarah	Hagar
The two women	Sarah	Hagar
The two covenants — Covenant origin	Covenant of promise	Covenant established through circumcision
The two covenants — Chronological order	The original covenant	The covenant added later
The two covenants — Nature	Covenant of grace	Covenant of law
The two covenants — Testament	The New Testament	The Old Testament
The two statuses	Wife	Concubine
The two statuses — Spiritual position	The free woman	The enslaved maidservant
The two positions	The position of grace	The position of law
The two children	Isaac	Ishmael
The two kinds of birth	Born according to the Spirit	Born according to the flesh
The two natures	Children born according to the Spirit	Children born according to the flesh
The two kinds of rights	Possesses full rights	Does not possess the rights
The two kinds of rights — Participation	Participates in the blessings promised by God	Participates in the blessings promised by God
The two Jerusalems — Position	The Jerusalem above	The Jerusalem below
The two Jerusalems — Nature	The heavenly Jerusalem	The earthly Jerusalem
The two Jerusalems — Covenant	The New Covenant of grace	The Old Covenant of law
The two kinds of experience	Liberation and freedom	Slavery and bondage
The two kinds of experience — Daily condition	Rest and enjoyment	Toil and distress

3. One-sentence summary

Sarah signifies the covenant of promise and grace, bringing forth children of promise who enjoy freedom and inheritance; Hagar signifies the covenant of law, bringing forth children according to the flesh who are under slavery and bondage.

4. References for further study

l   Life-study of Romans, Message 8: The Subjective Experience of Justification (2).

l   2026 Fall Training for Elders and Responsible Ones, general subject: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Message 3: The Allegory of the Two Women.