The pericope is organized. It begins with a question (v. 21) addressed to the Galatians, as Paul has done previously (3:1-5; 4:9, 15-16), identified by the second person plural pronoun (you). Then the apostle himself answers the question (v. 22-30) using the allegory of the biblical text. The conclusion (v. 31) comes in the form of affirmation in which Paul himself includes himself, indicated by the first person plural pronoun (we, implied).
Since the heart of the discussion in the letter is the validity and interpretation of the Law, Paul returns to it with a question. He does not discuss the interpretation of the Law, but its very reason for being and, therefore, its relevance to the present time of its readers. For this, he takes as his starting point the high degree of reverence that the Galatians had for the Law (“those who want to be under the law”). His question is provocative: “Do you not hear the law?”. “Listening” reveals the practice of contact with the Scriptures at that time since there were practically no private copies of the sacred texts. Contact with them took place, as a rule, at meetings where liturgical readings were held. But the idea is also that it is not enough to listen but to understand, and apply.
In answering his question (v. 22-30) Paul enters the field of adversaries. After all, the legalists had taught and convinced the Galatian Christians to submit to the Law. Now the apostle enters this terrain to question the real understanding of the Law by the Galatians. And he does so using allegory. What is her role? Leave aside the argument that aims to convince, since it brings with it the idea that you beat the other (since he has doubts about the validity of this method – v. 20). The objective now is to lure the opponent through another path. It's treating him as an equal, as someone who knows. According to Betz, Paul “leads the Galatians to find the truth for themselves” (Hermeneia, Galatians, p. 240).
For Paul, at this moment “hearing” the Law means understanding its allegorical meaning.
In his exposition, Paul freely quotes the OT. After all, in saying that Abraham had two sons (v. 22) he omits others (cf. Gen. 25:1-6). But these do not matter for his allegory. More important than the children are their mothers: Hagar and Sarah (who are not mentioned but implied). They present the duality: freedom versus slavery, which is a theme developed in the letter (2.4; 3.26-28). Women represent two covenants, two ways in which God deals with human beings.
V. 22 and 23 present the selection of OT themes. From v. 24 Paul introduces the allegorical interpretation. Birth according to “the flesh” in a natural way and birth according to “the promise” supernaturally have meaning for Paul. There's the allegory. You have to understand that it comes out of nowhere. The text allows for this opening. It is as if the text itself asks us: what does what I have said mean? The one that comes from natural birth means the life that Israel had experienced and is experiencing at that moment, which according to Paul is one of slavery. This covenant comes from the slave Hagar and is linked to Mount Sinai, where the Law was given to Moses. Isaac, in turn, is the son of promise, free, before the Law and, therefore, without need to submit to it.
The conclusion that the Galatians are “children of promise, like Isaac” (v. 28) is not new. It was already stated in 3:29 in terms of the relationship with Christ. The novelty is that this fact implies the denial of filiation linked to Hagar and the slavery brought by the Law.
the v. 29 brings another application of the allegory. As in the past, when the one born under the flesh persecuted the one born according to the promise, now it is again. Christians are persecuted by Jews and legalistic Christians. What to do? Deny the slave's son and his covenant (v. 30). The two alliances are irreconcilable. So indirectly Paul is saying that Judaizers should not be part of the fellowship of Galatian Christians.
According to Betz, v. 31 concludes the block of 3.1-4.31 on the theme of freedom, which will be resumed from 5.1.
Paul includes himself in the conclusion (“we are”). He is also the son of the woman/free alliance. Why do you do this? Certainly to seek identification and proximity with the Galatians. By working the OT texts allegorically, developing statements that the Galatians would not only understand but also agree with, the apostle forges bonds of identity and communion.
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