Galatians 4:30 (KJV)

What does Galatians 4:30 mean?

Galatians 4:30 uses a command from the story of Abraham’s family to make a point about who will share in the promised inheritance. Paul applies the contrast between a slave woman’s son and a free woman’s son to the situation facing the Galatian believers.

The words come from Genesis 21:10, where Sarah tells Abraham to send Hagar and her son Ishmael away so that Ishmael will not share Isaac’s inheritance. Paul introduces the quotation with “what saith the scripture?” to bring that family conflict into his argument.

The Greek behind Galatians 4:30

• “bondwoman” — παιδίσκη (paidiskē): The word refers to a female servant or slave. Paul’s contrast depends on Hagar’s status as a slave, rather than simply on her being a mother.
• “shall not be heir” — κληρονομέω (klēronomeō): The verb means to inherit or receive a share. The Greek wording stresses that the slave woman’s son will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.

Why Galatians 4:30 matters

• Paul is using the family story as a comparison, not merely retelling it. Earlier, in Galatians 4:24, he says the women represent two different arrangements, one associated with Mount Sinai.
• The contrast speaks to the Galatians’ place in Paul’s argument. He calls them “children of promise” in verse 28 and says in verse 31 that “we” are children of the free woman.
• The command to “cast out” comes from Sarah’s words in Genesis. In Galatians, Paul brings those words to bear on a dispute about living under the law, which he has raised in verse 21.