Having affirmed that Hagar represents a mountain outside the Promised Land and thus outside of the promised inheritance, Paul now claims that she also represents the present Jerusalem. In a spiritual sense, the Jews who deny that Jesus is the Christ, and the Judaizers who cling to old covenant law, are children of Hagar.1 They may think that they will share in God’s promised inheritance, but they will not. They may put much emphasis on their attempts at obedience and their physical descent from Abraham, but it will do them no good.2
25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.