Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 13:34
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.
34. he said on this wise ] Better, “He [i.e. God] hath spoken on this wise.” The words are from Isa 55:3.
I will give you the sure mercies of David ] Rather, “I will give you the holy and faithful ( mercies) of David.” There is no word for “mercies” in the original; but the word rendered “holy” is one which the LXX. have frequently used to represent the Hebrew word for “mercies.” St Paul to the audience at Antioch used the Greek version, though no doubt he carried along with him the thought of the Hebrew. But having this Greek rendering as an interpretation of the “everlasting covenant” of which Isaiah speaks in the verse here quoted, he connects the “ holy and faithful things of David” with that verse of David’s Psalm (Act 16:10) which tells how God will not give his Holy One to see corruption.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And as concerning – In further proof of this. To show that he actually did it, he proceeds to quote another passage of Scripture.
No more to return to corruption – The word corruption is usually employed to denote putrefaction, or the mouldering away of a body in the grave; its returning to its native dust. But it is certain (Act 13:35. See the notes on Act 2:27) that the body of Christ never in this sense saw corruption. The word is therefore used to denote death, or the grave, the cause and place of corruption. The word is thus used in the Septuagint. It means here simply that he should not die again.
He said on this wise – He said thus houtos.
I will give you – This quotation is made from Isa 55:3. It is quoted from the Septuagint, with a change of but one word, not affecting the sense. In Isaiah the passage does not refer particularly to the resurrection of the Messiah, nor is it the design of Paul to affirm that it does. His object in this verse is not to prove that he would rise from the dead, but that, being risen, he would not again die. That the passage in Isaiah refers to the Messiah there can be no doubt, Act 13:1, Act 13:4. The passage here quoted is an address to the people, an assurance to them that the promise made to David would be performed, a solemn declaration that he would make an everlasting covenant with them through the Messiah, the promised descendant of David.
The sure mercies of David – The word mercies here refers to the promise made to David; the mercy or favor shown to him by promising to him a successor that should not fail to sit on his throne, 2Sa 7:16; Psa 89:4-5; Psa 132:11-12. These mercies and promises are called sure, as being true or unfailing; they would certainly be accomplished. Compare 2Co 1:20. The word David here does not refer, as many have supposed, to the Messiah, but to the King of Israel. God made to David a promise, a certain pledge; he bestowed on him this special mercy, in promising that he should have a successor who should sit forever on his throne. This promise was understood by the Jews, and is often referred to in the New Testament, as relating to the Messiah. Paul here says that that promise is fulfilled. The only question is how it refers to the subject on which he was discoursing. The point was not mainly to prove his resurrection, but to show particularly that he would never die again, or that he would forever live and reign. And the argument is, that as God had promised that David should have a successor who should sit forever on his throne, and as this prediction now terminated in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, it followed that, as that promise was sure and certain, he would never die again. He must live if the promise was fulfilled. And though he had been put to death, yet under that general promise there was a certainty that he would live again. It was impossible, the meaning is, that the Messiah, the promised successor of David, the perpetual occupier of his throne, should remain under the power of death. Under this assurance the church now reposes its hopes. Zions King now lives, ever able to vindicate and save his people.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 34. No more to return to corruption] To the grave, to death, the place and state of corruption; for so we should understand the word in the text.
The sure mercies of David.] . These words are quoted literatim from the Septuagint version of Isa 55:3; where the Hebrew is chasdey David ha-neemanim, of which the Greek is a faithful translation; and which sure mercies of David St. Paul considers as being fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ. From this application of the words, it is evident that the apostle considered the word David as signifying the Messiah; and then the sure or faithful mercies, being such as relate to the new covenant, and the various blessings promised in it, are evidently those which are sealed and confirmed to mankind by the resurrection of Christ; and it is in this way that the apostle applies them. Had there not been the fullest proof of the resurrection of Christ, not one of the promises of the new covenant could have been considered as sure or faithful. If he did not rise from the dead, then, as said the apostle, your faith and our preaching are vain, 1Co 15:14.
The following observations of Bp. Pearce are judicious: “For the sense of these words, we must have recourse to what God said to David in 2Sa 7:11-12, c., explained by what is said in Ps 89:3-4, Ps 89:28-29, Ps 89:36, where frequent mention is made of a covenant established by God with David, and sworn to by God, that David’s seed should endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven, and as the sun, to all generations. This covenant and this oath are the sure and sacred things of which Isaiah, Isa 55:3, speaks and Luke in this place. And Paul understood them as relating to the kingdom of Jesus, (the Son of David,) which was to be an everlasting kingdom; and if an everlasting one, then it was necessary that Jesus should have been (as he was) raised from the dead; and, to support this argument, Paul, in the next verse, strengthens it with another, drawn from Ps 16:10.” See also the note among the marginal readings.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The former verse was not intended so much by St. Paul for a proof of the resurrection, as it was to show how faithful God was in fulfilling that promise there spoken of; here the apostles design is, to evince Christs resurrection, and that it was agreeable to the prophesies which were concerning him.
I will give you the sure mercies of David; these words are found, Isa 60:3, and
the sure mercies of David there and here spaken of, are such mercies as were promised to David (David being to be taken positively). Now the mercies which were promised to David are all included or surmounted in this, that by this Son of David (our Lord and Saviour, frequently and truly so called) God would erect and establish an everlasting kingdom; which could not be done, unless Christ rose again, and obtained the victory over death and the grave. All the promises God hath made unto his church in any age concerning Christ, are sure and faithful, holy and just; the words have been variously rendered and changed; but no words can sufficiently express their stability and excellency.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
34-37. now no more to return tocorruptionthat is, to the grave where death reigns; andcompare Ro 6:9, “Christbeing raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no moredominion over him.”
I will give you the suremercies of David (Isa 55:3).The word rendered “mercies” is peculiar, denoting thesanctity of them, as comprehending the whole riches of the newcovenant; while the other word, “sure,” points to thecertainty with which they would, through David’s Seed, be atlength all substantiated. See on Joh1:14. But how do these words prove the resurrection of Christ?”They presuppose it; for since an eternal kingdom was promisedto David, the Ruler of this kingdom could not remain under the powerof death. But to strengthen the indefinite prediction by one moredefinite, the apostle adduces Ps16:10, of which Peter had given the same explanation (see on Ac2:27; Act 2:30; Act 2:31),both apostles denying the possibility of its proper reference toDavid” [OLSHAUSEN].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead,…. This, as it is differently expressed from the raising him up, spoken of in the preceding verse, so seems to be a distinct article from it, and is supported by other passages of Scripture: the apostle having shown that God had fulfilled his promise to the fathers, concerning the raising up, or sending the Messiah into the world, who is no other than the eternal Son of God, proceeds to prove his resurrection from the dead, as man, which was in such sort, as
now no more to return to corruption; so as not to die any more, and be laid in the grave, and there corrupted; as was the case of those who were raised from the dead by the prophets, under the Old Testament, or by Christ himself, before his death and resurrection; for these were raised to a mortal life, and died again, and were buried, and saw corruption; but Christ was raised up from the dead, never to die more, but to live forever, having in his hands the keys of hell and death, and being the triumphant conqueror over death and the grave; in proof of which some passages are produced out of the Old Testament, as follow: “he said on this wise”; that is, God said so, or after this manner, Isa 55:3 “I will give you the sure mercies of David”; that is, of the Messiah; by which are meant the blessings of the sure and well ordered covenant of grace, which the Messiah by his sufferings and death was to ratify and secure for all his people: now had he only died, and not been raised from the dead, these blessings had not been ratified and made sure unto them; therefore, when God promises his people, that he will give them the sure mercies of David, or the Messiah, he promises that the Messiah shall not only die to procure mercies and blessings for them, but that he shall rise again from the dead, to make them sure unto them; so that these words are pertinently produced in proof of Christ’s resurrection. David is a name frequently given to the Messiah, as in
Jer 30:9 David being an eminent type of Christ, and the Messiah being a son of his; and who must be meant here; and which is owned by several Jewish commentators o of the best note; and which appears from his being called a witness to the people, a leader and a commander of them, in the next verse: the blessings of the covenant are fitly called “mercies”, because they spring from the grace and mercy of God, and wonderfully display it, and are in mercy to his people; and these are the mercies of David, or of Christ, because the covenant being made with him, these blessings were put into his hands for them, and come through his blood to them; and hence they are said to be “sure” ones; they are in safe hands; Christ, who is intrusted with them, faithfully distributes them: but then, as by his death he has made way for the communication of them, consistent with the justice of God; so he must rise again, and live for ever, to distribute them, or see that there is an application of them made to the persons for whom they are designed: besides, it is one of the sure mercies promised to David, to the Messiah himself, that though he died, and was laid in the grave, he should not continue there, but rise again, as the next testimony most clearly shows.
o Aben Ezra & Kimchi in Isa. lv. 3. Abarbinel. Mashmia Jeshua, fol. 26. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Now no more to return to corruption ( ). No longer about to return as Lazarus did. Jesus did not die again and so is the first fruits of the resurrection (1Cor 15:23; Rom 6:9).
He hath spoken (). Present perfect active indicative, common way of referring to the permanent utterances of God which are on record in the Scriptures.
The holy and sure blessings of David ( ). See 2Sa 7:13. Literally, “the holy things of David the trustworthy things.” He explains “the holy things” at once.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The sure mercies [ ] . Lit., the holy things, the sure. Rev., the holy and sure blessings.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1 ) “And as concerning that He raised Him up from the dead,” (hoti de anestesen auton ek nekron) “Because He raised Him up out of (from among) the dead,” from the tombs, from among dead bodies, up into glory, which He did, 1Ti 3:16; Heb 1:3; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Rom 8:34.
2) “Now no more to return to corruption,” (meketi mellonta hupstrephein eis diaphtoran) “He is no more at all about to return to, with reference to, corruption,” to return to a corruptible state, or state of death condition any more at all, Act 2:31.
3) “He said on this wise,” (houtos eireken) “He (God) has said it like this,” declared it as follows: as also related or alluded to, Isa 55:1-3; Isa 55:6-11.
4) “I will give you the sure mercies of David.” (hoti doso humin ta hosia David ta posta) “I will give (dole outto you) the holy things of David, the faithful one,” the objects of holy promises of an heirsetting in glory, as He promised to the Davidic people, 2Sa 7:8; Psa 89:28, realized in Christ and restored Israel one day, Luk 1:32-33.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
34. That he should not return. He addeth now the other member, that Christ was once raised from death that he may live for ever, as Paul teacheth, Rom 6:10,
“
He dieth no more, neither shall death have dominion over him any more; because he liveth to God.”
For the hope conceived of Christ’s resurrection should be slender and cold, if he were yet subject to destruction, or to any change. Therefore he is said to be entered into the kingdom of God, that he may also give to his [people] eternal felicity, living for ever. For because Christ rose rather for our sake than for himself, the perpetuity of life which the Father hath given him reacheth unto us all, and is ours. Notwithstanding the place of Isaiah which is here cited, seemeth to make but a little for proof of Christ’s immortality, I will give you the holy things of David, (Isa 55:3.) But it is not so. For seeing Isaiah speaketh of the redemption promised to David, and affirmeth that the same shall be firm and stable, we do well gather by this the immortal kingdom of Christ, wherein the eternity of salvation is grounded. And Paul followed the Greek interpreters when he put holy things for mercies. Chessed, which signifieth meek, merciful, and gentle, is wont by the Grecians to be translated holy. Therefore they translated הסדי of David, the holy things of David, whereas the prophet meaneth rather the grace promised to David. But Paul granted this to the ignorant and weak, who were better acquainted with the Greek reading, especially forasmuch as the force of the testimony consisteth in another point. For this is Paul’s meaning in sum, If the grace be eternal which God saith he will give in his Son, the life of his Son must be eternal, and not subject to corruption. (818) For we must hold this rule, that all the promises of God are in Christ yea and amen, (2Co 1:20😉 and that therefore they cannot be of any force unless he do quicken them.
(818) “ Mutationi,” change.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(34) Now no more to return to corruption.We note from the turn of the phrase that St. Paul already has the words of Psa. 16:10 in his mind, though he has not as yet referred to it.
I will give you the sure mercies of David.The words do not seem in themselves to have the nature of a Messianic prediction. To those, however, whose minds were full to overflowing with the writings of the prophets they would be pregnant with meaning. What were the sure mercies of David (Isa. 55:3) but the everlasting covenant of mercy which was to find its fulfilment in One who should be a leader and commander to the people? We may well believe that the few words quoted recalled to St. Paul and to his hearers the whole of that wonderful chapter which opens with Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. The Greek word for mercies is the same adjective as that translated holy in the next verse, holiness being identified with mercy, and so forms a connecting link with the prophecy cited in the next verse.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
34. Sure mercies of David We can give no better commentary upon these words than is furnished by Bishop Pearce: “For the sense of these words we must have recourse to what God said to David in 2Sa 7:11-12, etc., explained by what is said in Psa 89:3-4; Psa 89:28-29; Psa 89:36, where frequent mention is made of a covenant established by God with David, and sworn to by God, that David’s seed should endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven, and as the sun, to all generations. This covenant and this oath are the sure and sacred things of which Isaiah (Isa 55:3) speaks, and Luke in this place. And Paul understood them as relating to the kingdom of Jesus, (the son of David,) which was to be an everlasting kingdom; and if an everlasting one, then it was necessary that Jesus should have been (as he was) raised from the dead; and to support this argument, Paul, in the next verse, strengthens it with another, drawn from Psa 16:10.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy blessings (ta hosia) of David, the sure ones.’ ”
A further Scripture that evidences the rising again from the dead of the coming greater David is Isa 55:3. There God had declared, ‘I will give you the holy blessings of David, the sure ones’. Those holy and sure blessings signified the promises in 2 Samuel 7, the promises in the end of eternal unceasing kingship. But if the Messiah was first to die then this eternal kingship also could only be fulfilled by His resurrection to everlasting life. For only as the One Who would live everlastingly could He receive eternal blessing and eternal kingship. Thus the promise of these ‘sure blessings’ (ta hosia) in the Scriptures was the guarantee of His resurrection and eternal kingship.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 13:34. Now no more to return to corruption, As Christ never saw corruption at all, Act 13:37 the Greek word , corruption, must signify the grave, as , sheahet, in the Hebrew, also does; (compare Psa 94:13 and Lam 4:20.) just as the coffin of a man raised from the dead, as soon as he was put into it, might be called his sarcophagus, though his flesh had not been consumed in it. The blessings of the Messiah’s reign may be called the sure mercies of David, either as they were promised to that prince,to which sense the translation of 1729 determines it, by rendering the passage, I will faithfully perform the promise made to David; or, because the name of David is sometimes given to the Messiah himself, as the great heir of David, of whose victories and glories David’s were but a faint shadow: and when Isaiah calls them sure mercies, he may probably refer to the last words of David, in which he uses the same expression with regard to them, 2Sa 23:5. The propriety of the application here is evident, as it was the resurrection of Christ which rendered the blessings that he promised sure to his faithful people, who, without that, could have had no hope from him, as the apostle argues at large, 1Co 15:14; 1Co 15:58. See Isa 55:3.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 13:34 . But that God raised Him from the dead as one who is no more to return to corruption, He has thus said . The . is the main element whereby the speech advances . Comp. Rom 6:9 .
] into corruption , is not, with Kuinoel (after Beza and Piscator), to be explained: in locum corruptionis , i.e. in sepulcrum , for which there is no reason at all, as by no means requires the inference that Christ must already have been once in the condition of corruption; for refers logically to the general idea of dying present in the mind of Paul, which he, already thinking on Psa 16:10 , expresses by . . Comp. Winer, p. 574 [E. T. 772]. Bengel aptly says: “non amplius ibit in mortem, quam alias solet subsequi .” The appeal to the LXX., which renders by , is equally inadmissible, for the translators actually so understood , and thus connected with their no other idea than corruptio (comp. on Act 2:27 ).
. . . . ] a free quotation of the LXX. Isa 55:3 , in which Paul, instead of , gives , certainly not designedly, because the text of the LXX. represents the appearance of the Messiah as something future, as Olshausen thinks; for the words of the LXX., particularly the , would have been very suitable as probative of our passage; nor yet by a mistake of memory, as the passage about the eternal covenant certainly was very accurately known to the apostle; but because he saw the probative force in . , and therefore, in introducing those words on which his argument hinged, with his freedom otherwise in quotation he regarded it as sufficient only to prefix to them that verb, the idea of which is really contained in . I shall give unto you the holy things of David, the sure; i.e. the holy blessings conferred by me on David, the possession of which will be (federally) sure and certain. By this is meant the whole Messianic salvation as eternally enduring, which (in an ideal sense, for future realization by the Son of David, the Messiah) belonged as a holy property to David, the Messianic ancestor, and was to come to believers through Christ as a sacred inheritance. The LXX. translates inexactly by ; but on this very account the literal meaning beneficia is not (against Kuinoel and others) to be assumed for . It denotes veneranda, pie observanda. Comp. Bremi, ad Lys. p. 269, Goth.
The historical meaning of the passage in Isaiah contains a promise of the Messianic times alluring the exiles to the appropriation of the theocratic salvation; but in this very Messianic nature of the promise Paul had reason and right to recognise the condition of its fulfilment in the eternal remaining-alive of the risen Christ, and accordingly to understand the passage as a prophetic promise of this eternal remaining-alive; because through a Messiah liable again to death, and accordingly to corruption, those holy possessions of David, seeing they are to be , could not be conferred; for that purpose His life and His government, as the fulfiller of the promises (2Co 1:10 ), must be eternal. Comp. Calvin and Hofmann, Weissag. u. Erf. II. p. 173 f. As surely as God, according to this prophetic assurance, must bestow the , so surely Christ, through whom they are bestowed, cannot again die. Less accurately Hengstenberg, Christol. II. p. 384.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1778
THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID
Act 13:34. 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.
IT is of the nature of prophecy to be dark. It was doubtless given in order to raise in men an expectation of future events; but it was not designed to declare them so fully, as to induce men to exert themselves either for the effectuating or counteracting of the things foretold. Its true use was, to shew, that God had both foreseen and fore-ordained all that should come to pass; and to convince us, that nothing can occur, but according to his determinate counsel and will. The passage cited in my text is strongly illustrative of this truth. One would not readily have imagined that so sublime a mystery as that of our Saviours resurrection had been contained in these words: but, now that we see them accomplished, we can have no doubt but that they were intended to predict that great event; since an inspired Apostle so explains them, and builds upon his explanation the most important of all truths, the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus.
To place the text in its true light, I will consider,
I.
The fact asserted
[This was, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; the most important of all events; since, without it, neither the incarnation nor death of Christ would have been of any avail [Note: 1Co 15:14-18.]. To this our blessed Lord continually referred, as the most convincing proof of his Messiahship [Note: Joh 2:19. Mat 12:38-40; Mat 20:19.] For the more full discovery of this, he abode on earth forty days after his resurrection; shewing, by many infallible proofs, that he was indeed risen, according to the Scriptures [Note: Act 1:3.]. And to this event all his Apostles bare witness, as establishing, beyond all doubt or question, his divine mission. This was the point to be settled for the conviction of all, whether Jews or Gentiles: and this once clearly established, all the rest followed as a matter of course, that could not be questioned by any child of man [Note: Rom 1:4.].]
But let me direct your attention to,
II.
The prophecy appealed to in confirmation of it
This, we have said, was dark: but, when duly explained, it carries full conviction along with it.
To this event, beyond all doubt, the prophecy referred
[With his people God entered into covenant, to give them the sure mercies of David. What these were, the Psalmist fully informs us. They were, in the first place, to establish on his throne his Promised Seed, the Messiah; and then to give to all the subjects of the Messiahs kingdom the full blessings of salvation [Note: Cite, at full length, Psa 89:19-36.] But Messiah was to suffer [Note: Isa 53:1-12.] How, then, could this prophecy be fulfilled? ]
By this event, the prophecy was fulfilled
[Christ, being raised from the dead, was empowered to carry on his work; as the high-priest did, when, after offering his sacrifice, he entered into the holy of holies. Now, too, he was seated on his throne [Note: Psa 2:6.]; and all which had been engaged in covenant both to him and to his people, was put into a train of progressive and ultimate accomplishment. Thus were the mercies, which David had long since contemplated as sure [Note: 2Sa 23:5.], rendered sure to Christ and to all his believing people Not only was Gods word verified by this; but a pledge was given, that it should be fulfilled in every the minutest particular, to all who should rely upon it in deed and in truth.]
And now let me call your attention to,
III.
The conclusion drawn
The same train of argument had been followed both by St. Peter and St. Paul. And from it their inferences were,
1.
That Christ was indeed the true Messiah
[See the argument as stated by St. Peter on the day of Pentecost [Note: Act 2:22-35.] Then mark his conclusion drawn: Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ [Note: Act 2:36.]. Know ye then this, my beloved brethren: there is a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: and there is no other than He. He has died for you; and his sacrifice has been accepted of the Father in your behalf. And of this you have a certain pledge, in his resurrection from the dead. I call upon you, then, to renounce every other hope; and to look unto Him, as all your salvation and all your desire ]
2.
That all who believe in him shall most assuredly be saved
[This is the conclusion, as drawn by the Apostle Paul. Having further prosecuted the line of argument which we have already noticed [Note: ver. 3537.], he adds, Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses [Note: ver. 38, 39.]. Yes; to every one of you do I this day preach the forgiveness of sins. Who amongst you does not need it? Who amongst you can obtain remission in any other way? Who amongst you would not account the pardon of all his sins as the richest blessing that could he conferred upon him? Behold, then, I this day offer it to every one amongst you; yea, I offer it simply by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Under the Mosaic law there were many sins for which no sacrifice was appointed. But not so under the Christian dispensation. There is no sin, whatever, nor any accumulation of sins, which may not be washed away by the Redeemers blood: for the blood of Jesus Christ, we are told, cleanseth from all sin [Note: 1Jn 1:7.]. To every one of you, therefore, do I offer, in his name, a free and full remission, in perfect accordance with Gods covenant, ratified as it has been by the Redeemers blood, and confirmed as it is by his predicted resurrection and his glorious ascension.]
Behold, then, how certain are Gods promises to those who rely upon them!
[If any promise could have failed, methinks it was that which related to the exaltation of the Messiah. See him dying on the cross, and sealed up in the grave: what is now become of all Gods promised mercies? Wait but a little, and they shall be acknowledged to be sure and certain. So your case, brethren, may appear as desperate as his: yet, in the appointed hour, shall you surmount your every difficulty, and be glorified with your Messiah at the right hand of God ]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
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.
Ver. 34. To return to corruption ] That is, to the grave, that house of corruption; which yet the Hebrews call Beth chajim, the house of the living, because of the promise “thy dead men shall live,” &c. The Germans call the place of burial God’s Acre, because the dead body, though sown there in corruption, yet riseth again in incorruption.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
34. . ] Compare Rom 6:9 , . It is interesting to trace the same shades of thought in the speeches and epistles of Paul; and abundant opportunity of doing so will occur as we proceed.
But here the . . does not merely imply death , so that Jesus should have once undergone it, and no more hereafter, as the E. V. seems to imply: but we must supply ‘to die, and in consequence to’ before the words, understanding them as the result of death, if it had dominion over him : thus the clause answers even more remarkably to Rom 6:9 .
is the LXX rendering of , ref. Isa., which in 2Ch 6:42 , they have translated . The word ‘holy’ should have been preserved in the E. V., as answering to below; the mercies of David, holy and sure : or my holy promises which I made sore unto David.
Act 13:34 . . . ., cf. Rom 6:9 , “no more to return to corruption,” does not of course mean that Christ had already seen corruption, so that there is no need to understand . of the place of corruption, sepulchrum , with Beza, Kuinoel. Hilgenfeld refuses to follow Jngst, Sorof, Clemen in referring Act 13:34-37 to a reviser, for he justly remarks that the speech which was intended to move the Israelites to a recognition of Jesus as the promised Saviour of the seed of David, would have been imperfect, unless it had set forth His sufferings and after-resurrection. . . .: “I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David”. This rendering makes the connection with the next verse more evident, cf. Isa 55:3 , . “By David was understood the Messiah, which yet the Rabbis themselves have well observed:” J. Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. (so Schttgen), in loco. “The everlasting covenant,” what was it but the holy and sure blessings promised to David? But these blessings, , sancta promissa Davidi data , are connected with the resurrection of Christ because (“ not , T.R., see critical notes, stating the cause, not the consequence”) only in the triumph of God’s Holy One ( ) are these blessings ratified and assured. Just as Peter (Act 2:47 ), so here Paul applies the passage in Psa 16 . directly to Christ, Briggs, Messianic Prophecy , p. 151.
And as concerning = But.
no more, &c. = being no longer (Greek. meketi. Comp. of me. App-105.) about to return.
to = unto. Greek. eis. App-104.
corruption. Greek. diaphthora. See note on Act 2:27. Here corruption means the place of corruption, i.e. the grave, for He did not see corruption and therefore could not return to it.
on this wise = thus.
sure = assured. Greek. pistos. App-150.
mercies = holy things. Greek. hosios. See Act 2:27. Same as “holy” in Act 13:35. The sure mercies are the promises faithfully kept by the Almighty. Figure of speech Catachresis. See Isa 55:3.
34. .] Compare Rom 6:9, . It is interesting to trace the same shades of thought in the speeches and epistles of Paul; and abundant opportunity of doing so will occur as we proceed.
But here the . . does not merely imply death, so that Jesus should have once undergone it, and no more hereafter, as the E. V. seems to imply: but we must supply to die, and in consequence to before the words, understanding them as the result of death, if it had dominion over him: thus the clause answers even more remarkably to Rom 6:9.
is the LXX rendering of , ref. Isa., which in 2Ch 6:42, they have translated . The word holy should have been preserved in the E. V., as answering to below; the mercies of David, holy and sure: or my holy promises which I made sore unto David.
Act 13:34. that) Paul does not prove the everlasting life of Christ by, as it were, presupposing the resurrection; otherwise, in Act 13:37, he would say in the future, He shall not see corruption; but proves the resurrection itself (comp. following ver.), and mentions additionally, that His everlasting life is conjoined with it. The question was concerning the resurrection itself of Christ, not, presupposing it, concerning His everlasting life.-, no more hereafter) Not even once did Christ see corruption. Therefore resolve , thus: , He shall no more go to death, which in ordinary cases is wont to be followed by , corruption. Comp. Rom 6:9, , Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more.- ) Isa 55:3, in the LXX., , .- , the holy things of David) , the graces of (the acts of grace promised to) David. Christ is called , the Holy One, , in Act 13:35; , that which is the peculiar attribute of Christ, is expressed by , an abstract term. And it is in the plural in Isa 63:7, loving-kindnesses; in Joh 1:16, grace for grace (i.e. grace accumulated upon grace); and in Act 13:17, ibid., grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. They are those Divine graces promised in Christ to David, and eagerly looked for by David: comp. Act 13:23.- ) , sure, firm, solid, which altogether uphold and answer to their name (Rom 11:6, If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace), and which mutually sustain one another; of which some precede others, some follow others by necessary consequence, and on which we ought altogether to lean, and which will stand fast for ever. Comp. , amen, 2Co 1:18; 2Co 1:20; , , sure plagues, Deu 28:59. Comp. ibid. Deu 32:20, where, by comparing with it the following ver., such sons in whom there is no faith (, LXX., ), are no sons (comp. Act 13:19, His sons). Isaiah has from the parallel put before this phrase, an everlasting covenant. Hence necessarily follows the resurrection of Christ, Heb 13:20; for without it the promised benefits of the Messiah could not have been enjoyed by the people of God. , , faith, is a conjugate and correlative to these ()
now: Rom 6:9
I will: Isa 55:3
the sure: 2Sa 7:14-16, 2Sa 23:5, Psa 89:2-4, Psa 89:19-37, Jer 33:15-17, Jer 33:26, Eze 34:23, Eze 34:24, Eze 37:24, Eze 37:25, Hos 3:5, Amo 9:11, Zec 12:8
mercies: “Gr. [Strong’s G3743], holy, or just, things; which word the LXX, both in the place of Isa 55:3, and in many others, use for that which is in the Heb. mercies.
Reciprocal: 2Sa 7:15 – But my 2Ch 6:42 – remember Job 17:14 – corruption Jer 30:9 – General Joh 1:17 – grace Act 2:24 – God Act 26:23 – the first 1Co 15:42 – in corruption
4
Act 13:34. No more to return to corruption means that Jesus arose from the dead to die no more. Sure mercies of David. The second word is from HOSIOS which Thayer defines at this place, “The holy things (of God) promised to David.” These things included the resurrection of his illustrious descendant, Jesus, to die no more.
Act 13:34. No more to return to corruption. That is to say, Christ will never again endure deathdeath which is invariably followed by corruption. His sacred body, however, underwent no change or corruption while it lay in the grave; so that here to return to corruption is simply to die. The doctrine of the eternity of Christs existence is often urged by Paul (see especially Rom 6:9). We can trace in this and in other sermons of the Gentile apostle, outlines of the great arguments and doctrines which he afterwards pressed home with so much power in his epistles.
I will give you the sure mercies of David. The literal translation of these words is more forcible: I will give to you (perform to you) the holy and sure mercies of David. This quotation slightly varies from the words, but fully expresses the sense of the original (Isa 55:3). One of these mercies was a promise to David that after he (the king) had fulfilled his allotted days and slept with his fathers, God would raise up a successor of his house, whose reign should be perpetual, the throne of whose kingdom God would establish for ever (see 2Sa 7:13; 2Sa 7:16). This promise Paul tells them belongs to them, that is, to them and all who accept the salvation he was offering them in his Masters name; and the promise was, that a king Messiah should appear, whose reign should be perpetual. Now Jesus, whom Paul preached, had been shown to be the Messiah by His resurrection: the promise, then, made it certain that He (Jesus) would live and reign for ever, without any more interruption by death or corruption.
34-37. That we have given the true explanation of the clause last quoted is confirmed by the course of the argument in that which follows, in which the speaker continues to quote from David, to prove that, according to his prophesies, the Messiah should rise from the dead. (34) “Now that he did raise him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he spoke thus: I will give to you the sure mercies of David. (35) Wherefore he also says in another psalm, Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. (36) For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, and was added to his fathers, and saw corruption; (37) but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.”
The words quoted from the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah , “I will give you the sure mercies of David,” have given no little trouble to both translators and interpreters. No translator can feel well satisfied with rendering ta osia David ta pista, the sure mercies of David; yet the literal translators have generally adopted this as the best that can be done. I think the words mean the holy things made sure to David. The purpose of the quotation is to prove that God would raise the Messiah from the dead no more to return to corruption. He assumes, therefore, that the words quoted refer to the Messiah, and that his hearers would not dispute the reference. Whatever, therefore, might otherwise be our own understanding of the words, we must take this as their true reference. The promise is addressed not to the Messiah, but to the Jews; for the pronoun you (umin) is in the plural number. It is a promise, then, to give to the Jews the holy things faithfully promised to David, among which was the promise already referred to, “Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.” It furnished, therefore, the required proof that the Messiah would rise, and not see corruption.
The only objection which his hearers would be likely to raise against the argument is, that in the words, “Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption,” David spoke of himself. But this objection is anticipated by the remark that David had fallen asleep and seen corruption, whereas he, Jesus, whom God raised up, as was proved by the witnesses who saw him alive, did not see corruption; hence to him the words must refer. According, therefore, to the only possible application of David’s words, and to the admitted reference of the words quoted from Isaiah, they were bound to admit that Jesus was the Messiah.
Verse 34
No more to return, &c,; his case being thus, distinguished from that of all other individuals who had been raised from the dead.–Sure mercies; mercies or blessings made sure to him by the divine promise.
Acts 13:35-37. Peter argued in a similar manner from this passage, Acts 2:22-36.
13:34 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 {p} sure mercies of David.
(p) The Greeks call those things “holy things” which the Hebrews call “gracious bounties”: and they are called David’s bounties in the passive voice, because God bestowed them upon David. Moreover, they are termed “sure”, after the manner of speech which the Hebrews use, who terms those things “sure” which are steady and certain, and such things which never alter or change.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes