AT ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA-CHAP, XI. 167 Jalian Pe. 16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand, Antioch, in nod, 4757. Pisidia. Vulgar Era, 46. remember the wonderful gists with which the early converts The apostles, for instance, set apart Timothy and Titus, The subject is too extensive to be further discussed in a note. (a) Biscoe on the Acts, vol. i. p. 271. (b) Mede’s Works, book 2. Julián Pe said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audi- Antioch, un riod, 4757. Pisidia. ence 5. Vulgar Æra, 46. 17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. toribus Synagogorum, minus recte annumerantur, eos vy, decem The ruler of the synagogue is he, by whose voice the .וברי הכנסת 1. p. 5 This oration of St. Paul, the last he addressed peculiarly to the former objects of his patriotic affection, is most wortby the attention of the sons of Israel at present. Nothing can be added to the arguments which the apostles have addressed in their reported sermons and their invaluable epistles, to their beloved countrymen : and their doctrines seem to be all comprised in this address of St. Paul. He reminds them of the former mercies of God to the family of Abraham, and the prediction that their Messiah should be descended from David ; avd asserts that this Messiab was Jesus of Nazareth. He appeals to the well-known fact of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, as the principal evidence of the truth of his declaralion, and concludes with enforcing that one important truth, in which the whole human race are so immediately interested, that forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed through Him alone; and lbat Cbrist alone can justify the Christian, not only from those offences, from which they were typically purified by the ceremonial law, but from those sins also for which that law had made no provision. For we have now tbe comfortable bope that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men, through the mercy and intercession of Christ; on the condition of sincere repentance, amendment of life, and faith in the great atonement. AT ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA-CHAP. XI. 169 46. Jaliap Pe- 18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their Antioch, in riod, 4757. Pisidia. Valgar Æra, manners in the wilderness. 19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. 20 And after that, he gave unto them judges, about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet?. • The word in the original ought rather to have been rendered, for forty years “ be carried them in bis arms, in the wil. derness, as a nurse." It is used in a similar sense in the Alexandrian septuagint version, Deut. i. 31. &popopópnoai ge Kúpios, ως εί τις τροφοφορήσαι άνθρωπος τον υιόν αυτού. The Lord bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, is the translation in the authorized version. For { potopópnoev, the common reading which our translators have rendered “ He bare their manners,” Griesbach would insert ét popopópnoev, as the undoubted reading. He is supported by the authority of Pfaffius, Casaubon, Hammond, Mill, Matthai, Ernesti, Roseomüller, and Valckenaer. Ap. Kuinoel, in lib. Hist. N. T. Comment. vol. iv. p. 445. See, however, Whitby in loc. who does not consider the alteration necessary; and interprets the words in the present Greek Vulgate, in the same manner as if Griesbach's reading had been adopted. He quotes Origen as explaining é poroφόρησεν, by αρμόζεσθαι σε προς το ασθενές, to accommodate himself to the infirmities of children. 7 The apostle seems here to contradict the account in 1 Kings vi. I. And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, he began to build the house of the Lord. Sir Norton Koatchbull, in his Annotations upon difficult Texts, bas considered the various solutions proposed by learned men, of the difficulty before us; and concludes, that the words of the apostlo should not be understood as meaning how long God gave them judges, but when he gave them ; and therefore proposes that the first words of this verse, Και μετά ταύτα ως έτεσι τετρακοσίοις και πεντήκοντα, should be referred to the words going before, ver. 17. that is, to the time when the God of the children of Israel chose their fathers. Now this time, wherein God may properly be said to have chosen tbeir fathers, about four hundred and fifty years before be gave them judges, is to be computed from the birth of Isaac, in whom God may properly be said to bave chosen their fathers; for God, who had chosen Abraham out of all the people of the earth, chose Isaac at this time out of the children of Abraham, in wbose family the covenant was to rest. To make this computation evident, let us observe, that from the birtb of Isaac to ibe birth of Jacob are sixty years; from thence to their going into Egypt, one hundred and thirty'; from thence to the Exodus, two hundred and ten; from thence to tbeir entrance into Canaan, forty; from that to the division of tbe land, (about which time it is probable they began to settle their government by judges,) seven years: which sums make four bundred and forty-seven, viz. 60 + 130+210+40+7=447. And should this be reckoned from the year before the birth of Isaac, when God established his covenant between himself and Abraham, and all his seed after him, Gen. xvii. 19. at which time God properly Julian Pe. 21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave Antioch, in riod, 4757. unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Ben- Pisidia. Vulgar Æra, jamin, by the space of forty years, 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king ; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a chose their fathers, then there will be four hundred and fortyeight years, wbich brings it to within two years of the four hun. dred and fifty; which is sufficiently exact to bring it within the apostles ws, about, or nearly. Some have made the period four bundred and fifty-two years; which, though two years more than the apostles' round number, is still sufficiently reconcileable with his qualifying particle wis, about. And, it may be added, that the most correct writers often express a sum totally, but not exactly. Calmet has paraphrased these passages nearly to the same sense : the text may be thus connected, ver. 19. And having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot, about one hundred and fifty years after. And afterwards he gave them judges, to the time of Samuel the prophet. The paraphrase of Calmet is the following: “ The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers in the person of Abraham ; he promised him the land of Canaan, and four hun. dred and fifty years after this promise, and the birth of Isaac, who was the son and heir of the promise, he put them in possession of that land, which be had promised so long before (a)." Lightfoot remarks on this passage: amongst the many The years of the judges and tyrants, thus distinguished, an- The Tyrants. 8 Ehud ..... 80 Eglon 18 Deborah.... 40 Sisera 20 40 7 3 18 23 The Philistines 40 In all.. 111 7 20 40 Othniel ...... In all.. 339 So that reckoning three hundred and thirty-nine, and one vol. viii. AT ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA-CHAP. XI. 171 Julian Pe man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my Antioch, in riod, 4757. will. Pisidia. Vulgar&ra, 23 of this man's seed hath God, according to his pro16. mise, raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus : 24 When John had first preached, before his coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am ? I am not he: but, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. 26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath-day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him®. 28 And though they found no cause of death in him, 29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of 31 And he was seen many days of them which came 32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again ; as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David'. & The construction of this verse is difficult. The word ερίναντες should be taken with τούτον, and άγνοήσαντες, with tàs pwvd's. In which case it would run tbus-- They that dwell at Jerusalem, in condemning Him, not having known the voices of the prophets, which are read every sabbath-day, bave fulfilled (the prophecies.) But see more on the passage in Knatcbbull, Hammond, and the references and discussion in Kuinoel. in lib. Hist. N. T. Comment. vol. iv. p. 455. • The sure mercies of David are everlasting life, of which the resurrection was a pledge, and the blessings of the redemption of Christ an earnest, even in this world. The expression tå ögra, holy, or just things, is the word used by the LXX in Isai. Iv. 3. and in otber places, for the word "Dn “ mercies." The covenant which Göd establisbed with David, 2 Sam. vij. !!!, 12. which is explained by Ps. Ixxxix. 3, 4. xxviii. 29–36. implies that the bouse of David should never be extinct. It should endure as the days of heaven, and as the sun, to all geperations. As far as relates to this earth, his family has long |
