Commentary on Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians Timothy Titus and Philemon John Calvin
John Calvin did not hinder them from having Jerusalem for their mother in spirit. But those who adhere to the bare law, and do not acknowledge it to be ``a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ,'' (Galatians 3:24,) but rather make it a hinderance to prevent their coming to him, are the Ishmaelites born to slavery.
It will again be objected, why does the apostle say that such persons are born of God's covenant, and are considered to belong to the Church? I answer, strictly speaking, they are not God's children, but are degenerate and spurious, and are disclaimed by God, whom they falsely call their Father. They receive this name in the Church, not because they are members of it in reality, but because for a time they presume to occupy that place, and impose on men by the disguise which they wear. The apostle here views the Church, as it appears in this world: but on this subject we shall afterwards speak.
25. For Agar is mount Sinai 91 I shall not waste time in refuting the expositions of other writers; for Jerome's conjecture, that Mount Sinai had two names, is trifling; and the disquisitions of Chrysostom about the agreement of the names are equally unworthy of notice. Sinai is called Hagar, 92 because it is a type or figure, as the Passover was Christ. The situation of the mountain is mentioned by way of contempt. It lies in Arabia, beyond the limits of the holy land, by which the eternal inheritance was prefigured. The wonder is, that in so familiar a matter they erred so egregiously.
And answers, on the other hand. The Vulgate translates it, is joined (conjunctus est) to Jerusalem; and Erasmus makes it, borders on (confinis) Jerusalem; but I have adopted the phrase, on the other hand, (ex adverso,) in order to avoid obscurity. For the apostle certainly does not refer to nearness, or relative position, but to resemblance, as respects the present comparison. The word, {σύστοιχα}, which is translated corresponding to, denotes those things which are so arranged as to have a mutual relation to each other, and a similar word, {συατοιχία}, when applied to trees and other objects, conveys the idea of their following in regular order. Mount Sinai is said ({συστοιχεῖν}) to correspond to that which is now Jerusalem, in the same sense as Aristotle says that Rhetoric is ({ἀντίστροφος}) the counterpart to Logic, by a metaphor borrowed from lyric compositions, which were usually arranged in two parts, so adapted as to be sung in harmony. In short, the word, {συστοιχεῖ}, corresponds, means nothing more than that it belongs to the same class.
91"Car Agar est la montagne de Sina en Arabie, et est correspondante a Ierusalem; ou, Sina est une montagne en Arabie, correspondante a Ierusalem." "For Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem; or, Sinai is a mountain in Arabia, which corresponds to Jerusalem."
92"Several critics have thought it so extraordinary, that they have attempted to alter it from mere conjecture, as may be seen in Bowyer's 'Critical Conjectures.' But no man, who knew that the Arabic word 'Hagar' meant a rock, could think of making an alteration in this passage; for it is obvious that {τὸ} {̀̔Αγαρ}, in the neuter gender, cannot signify the woman Hagar; and Paul has not been guilty of a grammatical error, since the passage must be translated, `The word Hagar denotes Mount Sinai in Arabia.'`` --- Michaelis. ``That this was an appellation of Sinai among the people of the surrounding country, we have the testimony of Chrysostom and the ancient commentators, which is also confirmed by the accounts of modern travellers. And it might well have it, since {{( הגרhagar) in Arabia signifies a rock, or rocky mountain; and as Sinai is remarkably such, it might be }κατ} {᾿} {ἐξοχὴν}, called {τὸ} {̀̔Αγαρ}.'' --- Bloomfield.