4:23a
His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh: The phrase was born according to the flesh refers to the way that the son of the slave woman was conceived. God had promised Abraham a son. But he had no children with his wife. So he took the slave woman, Hagar, and had a child with her. This child was born because Abraham attempted to fulfil God’s promise on his own. The child was conceived and born in the normal, human way.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
Abraham’s son from the slave woman was born in the normal human way. (New Century Version)
-or-
The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
His son from the slave woman was ?conceived and? born because of the plan of people.
-or-
The birth of the son of the slave woman was only a natural birth.
See flesh, Meaning 5 in the Glossary for more information.
4:23b
but his son by the free woman was born through the promise: The phrase was born through the promise refers to the way that the son of the free woman was conceived. Abraham’s wife Sarah was too old to have a child. But God had promised to give Abraham many descendants. As a result of that promise, Sarah miraculously became pregnant and gave birth.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
But the son from the free woman was born because of the promise God made to Abraham. (New Century Version)
-or-
But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
But the birth of the son of the free woman ?was possible only? because ?God? promised ?he would do this? .
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