Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 7:46
Who found favor before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
46. to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob ] referring to Psa 132:5, “Until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.” A reading which is largely accepted gives, “for the house of Jacob,” but in spite of the ancient authority for it, it is so unsuitable to the drift of the argument, that it seems better to conclude that it is an error of the earliest scribes, rather than to accept it in the text.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Who found favour … – That is, God granted him great prosperity, and delivered him from his enemies.
To find a tabernacle – To prepare a permanent dwelling-place for the ark, and for the visible symbols of the divine presence. Hitherto the ark had been kept in the tabernacle, and had been borne about from place to place. David sought to build a house that would be permanent, where the ark might be deposited, 2 Sam. 7; 1Ch 22:7.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 46. Desired to find a tabernacle] This was in David’s heart, and it met with the Divine approbation: see 2Sa 7:2, c., and see the purpose, Ps 132:2-5 but, as David had been a man of war, and had shed much blood, God would not permit him to build the temple; but he laid the plan and made provision for it, and Solomon executed the design.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Found favour before God; as Luk 1:30.
Desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob; it was Davids earnest request, that he might any ways glorify God, especially in his worship, and that he might know where the ark should rest, and where the temple was to be built, its Psa 132:1-18 declares throughout.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
42-50. gave them upjudicially.
as . . . written in the bookof the prophetsthe twelve minor prophets, reckoned as one: thepassage is from Am 5:25.
have ye offered to me . . .sacrifices?The answer is, Yes, but as if ye did it not; for”neither did ye offer to Me only, nor always, nor with a perfectand willing heart” [BENGEL].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Who found favour before God,…. That is, David, who had an interest in the free favour and love of God, was chosen of God, a man after his own heart, and raised up to do his will; and who had the grace of God implanted in him, and was acceptable, and well pleasing to God through Christ; the same is said of Noah, Ge 6:8
and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob; from whom the Israelites descended: David having a deep sense of the love of God to him, and the grace of God wrought in his heart, was exceeding desirous of finding a place for the building of an house, or fixed habitation for God; for there was a tabernacle already, which had been from the time of Moses, and which the children of Israel brought with them into Canaan, and was moved from place to place; sometimes it was at Gilgal, sometimes at Shiloh, and then it was at Nob, and Gibeah, and at length it was brought by David into his own city; but he wanted to build a settled and stable house for the Lord, of which there was a hint given that the Lord would choose a place to put his name in, De 16:2 but it seems, where that was to be was not known; and therefore David very anxiously sought after it; the reference is had to Ps 132:3 where David determines not to go to his house, nor up to his bed, nor give sleep, to his eyes, nor slumber to his eyelids, till he had found out a place for the habitation of the God of Jacob.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Asked (). Aorist middle (indirect) indicative, asked for himself (as a favour to himself). Cf. 2Sa 7:2f.
A habitation (). Like Ps 132:5, but it was a house that David proposed to build (2Sa 7:2), not a tent () which already existed. here means a more permanent abode (, house, in verse 47), though from the same root as .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Desired [] . More correctly, asked : through Nathan. See 2Sa 7:2.
Tabernacle [] . It was not a tabernacle or tent which David proposed to build, but a house. See 2Sa 7:2. Rev., rightly, habitation. Compare oikon, a house, ver. 47 and 2Ch 6:18.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Who found favor before God,” (hos heuren chsrin enopion tou theou) “Who found favor before (in the presence) of God;” The “who” was David, 1Sa 16:1-5; Who found favor (Grace) before God, Psa 40:1-3.
2) “And desired to find,” (kai etesato heurein) “And even requested to find,” had a godly concern to find, to locate, or to build, 2Sa 7:1-12; 1Ki 8:17-19.
3) “A tabernacle for the God of Jacob,” (skenoma to oiko lakob) “A tent or tabernacle for the house of Jacob,” 2Ch 6:6-9; Psa 132:1-5; 1Ch 22:1-9. It was to be a (Greek oiko) habitation, dwelling place for God, where He would meet and commune with Israel in a special way, as Jesus promised to be with and in the church, in the promised presence of His Spirit forever, after the Pentecost empowering, Joh 14:16-18; Eph 3:21; Joh 17:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(46) Who found favour before God.Again we trace, though still in the form of a narrative, an indirect answer to the accusation brought against Stephen. He was ready to acknowledge without reserve that the Temple was planned by the man after Gods own heart, and built by the wisest of the sons of men. But the question still remained whether it was therefore the symbol of a final and perfect worship, whether it did not bear witness to its own incompleteness.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
46. Found favour find a tabernacle This repetition of the finding forms a significant contrast. As David found favour with God, so he would find a tabernacle for God. The word tabernacle here in the Greek is different from the tabernacle of Act 7:44. This signifies a permanent residence; that a movable tent.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Who found favour in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the house of Jacob (or in some MSS ‘the God of Jacob’).’
And David himself found favour in God’s sight, and wanted to find some kind of habitation (skene – tent) for the house (or ‘God’) of Jacob. However, as all knew, God had forbidden him to erect a permanent house, which was surely significant (2Sa 7:5-7). Stephen is deliberately bringing out that David’s idea was of a habitation of God which was satisfactory to God, and could therefore be compared with the Tabernacle, in contrast with the Temple.
‘A tent for the house/God of Jacob.’ The best manuscripts have ‘a tent for the house of Jacob’. It may be that here Stephen is using ‘Jacob’ as a shortened form for ‘the God of Jacob’ (compare Psa 24:6), meaning therefore that David sought a tent which would be suitable for the house of the God of Jacob. Or the meaning may simply be a tent suitable for the house of Jacob to worship in. See here Isa 2:2-5 where the ‘house of the God of Jacob’ is the exalted new age Temple, and the house of Jacob are called to walk in His ways.
For ‘a habitation for the God of Jacob’, which is the reading in A E, compare ‘a dwellingplace for the Mighty One of Jacob’ (Psa 132:5).
Whichever is the correct reading the idea is that David was seeking something suitable for the worship of God. And Stephen was probably indicating that notice should be taken of the fact that God forbade him to build a Temple because he was not a fit person to do so, as indeed we shall soon learn no one was fir to do so. A house made with human hands could never be satisfactory. It glorified humanity.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 7:46-50. And desired to find a tabernacle, &c. ‘, made it his petition. From the account which the Scripture gives of David, it appears how greatly he longed to find out a place for the Lord,an habitation,which is a properer word than tabernacle in this place. Comp. 2Sa 7:2. &c. and Psa 132:1-5. However, as he was a man of war, and had shed blood, he was not allowed to build the temple; which was deferred to the peaceful reign of his son; and hence the plain inference was, that if king David was not thought fit to build the temple, because he was a man of blood, how much less fit are they to have such a structure continued to them, who have murdered the great Messiah, king David’s son and Lord. Farther, it is evident, that David and the Patriarchs worshipped God as acceptably before this temple was built, as he was worshipped afterwards; though it cannot be denied that both the tabernacle and the temple were erected according to the will and appointment of God; and,when used agreeably to the original design and intention of them, were highly to be esteemed. St. Stephen, however, goes on to convince them that they set too great a value on this temple, when they would confine to it the divine presence, and all acceptable worship, seeing that God is the omnipresent being, able to shew favour to the pious and holy in one place, as well as another, throughout the whole creation. Nay, indeed, the whole creation is too narrow a temple for the omniscient and omnipresent God.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 7:46-47 . ] and asked , namely, confiding in the grace of God, which he experienced (Luk 1:30 ). The channel of this request , only indirectly expressed by David (2Sa 7:2 ), and of the answer of God to it, was Nathan. See 2Sa 7:2 ; 1Ch 18:1 . What is expressed in Psa 132:2 ff. is a later retrospective reference to it. See Ewald on the Psalm. This probably floated before the mind of Stephen (hence and ). The usual interpretation of : optabat, desiderabat , is incorrect; for the fact, that the LXX. Deu 14:16 expresses by , has nothing at all to do with the linguistic use of .
.] i.e. to obtain the establishment of a dwelling-place destined for the peculiar god of Jacob. In the old theocratic designation (instead of the bare ) lies the holy national motive for the request of David; on applied to the temple at Jerusalem, comp. 3 Esdr. 1:50, and to a heathen temple, Pausan. iii. 17. 6, where it is even the name. Observe how David, in the humility of his request, designates the temple, which he has in view, only generally as , whereas the continuation of the narrative, Act 7:47 , has the definite .
Stephen could not but continue the historical thread of his discourse precisely down to the building of Solomon’s temple, because he was accused of blasphemy against the temple.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
Ver. 46. Who found favour ] This he made more account of than of his crown and sceptre, Psa 4:6 . Like as when he gave Ziba the lands of Mephibosheth, Ziba begged a further and better boon; “I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king,” 2Sa 16:4 . What is air without light? or daily bread without pardon of sin? God’s favour sugars all comforts.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
46. ] asked permission , see 2Sa 7:2 ff., in which this request is made through Nathan the prophet, and at first conceded by Nathan, though afterwards, on a revelation made from God, denied: not ‘ wished ’(Grot., Kuin.: ‘ desired ,’ E. V.). The vow (a species of prayer) here referred to, is defined by the words , to be that mentioned Psa 131:1-3 (LXX).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 7:46 . , cf. Luk 1:30 , Hebraistic, cf. Gen 6:8 ; it may be tacitly implied that had the temple been so important as the Jew maintained, God would have allowed the man who found favour before him to build it; on the phrase . . or see above on Act 4:10 . , i.e. , , cf. Act 3:3 ; , and instances in Wetstein, “asked to find,” not only “desired,” LXX, 2Sa 7:2 ff., 1Ch 22:7 , Psa 81:5 . : perhaps used by David (as in the Psalm quoted) in his humility (Meyer); used of the temple in 1Es 1:50 . David of course desired to build not a , which already existed. , see critical notes.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
before = in the eyes of. Greek. enopion.
desired = asked. Greek. aiteo. App-134. See 2Sa 7:2, 2Sa 7:3.
tabernacle. Greek. skenoma. Only here and 2Pe 1:13, 2Pe 1:14. Not the same as in Act 7:44. Revised Version reads “habitation”. Compare Psa 132:5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
46. ] asked permission, see 2Sa 7:2 ff., in which this request is made through Nathan the prophet, and at first conceded by Nathan, though afterwards, on a revelation made from God, denied:-not wished(Grot., Kuin.: desired, E. V.). The vow (a species of prayer) here referred to, is defined by the words , to be that mentioned Psa 131:1-3 (LXX).
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 7:46. , found favour) Happy is he who finds favour. Nothing is better.- , sought to find) ardently: Psa 132:2-5.-() Psa 132:5, , LXX., . This is more than .[52]
[52] i.e. implies a more permanent dwelling, though any earthly house of God must still be but a tabernacle, .-E. and T.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
found: Act 13:22, 1Sa 15:28, 1Sa 16:1, 1Sa 16:11-13, 2Sa 6:21, 2Sa 7:1, 2Sa 7:8, 2Sa 7:18, 2Sa 7:19, 1Ch 28:4, 1Ch 28:5, Psa 78:68-72, Psa 89:19-37, Psa 132:11
and desired: 2Sa 7:1-5, 1Ki 8:17-19, 1Ch 17:1-4, 1Ch 22:7, 1Ch 22:8, 1Ch 28:2, 1Ch 28:3, 1Ch 29:2, 1Ch 29:3, Psa 132:1-5
Reciprocal: Gen 6:8 – General 2Sa 7:2 – the ark 1Ch 15:1 – houses Psa 132:5 – I find Mar 12:1 – and set
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6
Act 7:46. The preceding verse does not mean that no heathen existed in the land after David’s time. The pause in the narrative at him is because of his outstanding importance in the affairs of Israel, the ancestors of these rebellious Jews to whom Stephen was speaking. David was in the favor of God and desired to find a tabernacle, referring to his desire to build the temple (2Sa 7:1-3).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
See notes on verse 44
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 46
A tabernacle; another tabernacle, referring to the temple which David desired to build.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
God blessed David’s reign, and the tabernacle, not the temple, existed then. The initiative to build the temple was David’s, not God’s. It had been David’s desire to build God a more glorious place in which to dwell. However, God did not "jump" at this suggestion because He did not need another place in which to dwell.
"The temple, Stephen implies, was a royal whim, tolerated of God." [Note: Ibid., p. 77.]