The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 131

la llErr,rJ.,-11,, from which our English word and peoples who were concerned in the "deepot" comee. It menne "mnster, owner," crucifixion of the Lord Christ. In this city. in respect of slo.vee, and " 11, lord" or "king," This is omitted in the A.V. and T.R., but whose power over hie subjecte is simile.r to found in most nncials aud Fa.there, and thu.t of u. mu.star over slu.vea. Here, with adopted by Wordsworth, Alford, Meyer, Ben- reference to cree.tion and God's unlimited gel, etc. Herod. St. Luke (:uiii. 1-12) is power over all the.the hns me.de, the Church the only one of the evangelists who records in danger finds support and eole.ce in the the part ta.ken by Herod in conjunction witil thought of God's abeolute sovereignty. The Pontius Pilate in the condemnation of Christ. term is applied to God in the New Testa- Possibly the inference may be that St. Luke ment elsewhere on]y in Luke ii. 29 (where was led to record it in his Gospel from know- observe its relation to 5oiill.ov): 2 Pet. iL 1; i:Jg of this application of Pa. ii. to him and Jude 4, R.T. (of our Se.viour); and Rev. vi. Pilate. Peoples, in the plural, either because 10, where o-6v6ovll.o, av.,-wv immediately fol- of the "many nations" (eh. ii. 5) from lows, as here in ver. 29 does'' thy servants." which the Jews of the dispersion came to In the LXX. it sometimes 11.IlSWers to Elohim, Jerusalem, or with reference to the twelve and sometimes to .Adonai. As regards the tribes (see Gen. :uviii. 3, "Thou shalt be question how the whole assembl:y joined in a multitude of peoples," Hebrew). this prayer, whether by a common inspira- Ver. 28.-To do for for to do, A.V.: fore- tion, or by repeating the words after him ordained to come to pasa for dete-rmined before that pru.yed them aloud (Alford), or by to be done, A.V. To do (fo:r the sentiment, merely singing the second psalm (Banm- comp. eh. ii 23: iii. 18). They were gathered garlen), or by all using what was already together for the purpose of executing their o. formulary prepe.red for the needs of the own will, as they thought, but really to Church (Meyer), it is difficult to speak fulfil the purpose of God (see also Isa. L positively, nor is it of e.ny moment. Another 5-15; :uxvii. 26, 27). See here the com- possible explane.tion is the.t several members fort to the Church of looking upon God as of the congregation, under the influence of the 1i,u,r6.,-11s of the whole earth. tile Holy Ghost, uttered brief prayers and Ver. 29.-Look upon for behold, A.V.; to pre.ises, the consenting matter of which Luke speak thy word with all boldness for that with thus puts together. all boldness they may speal, thy word, A. V. Ver. 25.- Who by the Holy Ghoat, by the Lord. 'fhis time Kvpi< (Kyrie), the word in mouth of our father Dm:id thy servant, didst the LXX. for Jehovah, and the special desig- say for who by the mouth of thy servant David natinn of Jesus Christ (eh. ii. :l6, etc.), but hastsaid, T. R. o.nd A. V.: Gentiles for heathe.n, hero applied to God tile Father. Look upon ; A. V. ; peoples for people, A. V. Who by the a more torcible rendering than the A.V. Look Roly Ghost, eto. Tho R.T. here is impossible, upon, for the purpose of frn:;trating and but the T.R. is perfectly easy and natural. punishing. The only other place in the The confusion in the me.nuscripts from which New Testament where the word (,,rafo«v) the R.T. is formed appears to have arisen ooou:re is in Luke i. 25, where the Lord from ITTOµ,aTos having been i.ccidentally " looked upon" Elisabeth to confer a bless- mistaken for ,rve6µ,aTos, which led to other ing upon her. In 2 Chron. :uiv. 22, " The changee, Three readings resulted and seem Lord look upon it and :require it," the LXX. to be combined : 6 610. Toii vaTp&s .;,~v .O.a,815 have the simple verb l'llo, instead of e,rlllo,. It •l,rC:,v: or, cS 5,a. ,rve6µ,a.Tos ci-y!ou e/,rC:,v: or the is beautiful to notice how, in the heat of the original one, 6 5,a. IT'T&µ,aTos .O.a.,8lll ,ra11l/,s o-ou unjust persecutions, the Church hands over .;,..:,.,, which is preserved in the T.R. her qwrrel to her Lord, and is only Cllfeful Ver. 26.-Set themselves in array fo:r atood that she be not stopped in her work by the up, A. V.; .Anointed for Christ, A.V. Set threatenings of her enemies. To speak thy themselves in array. nap/u-r11µ,1 does not word with e.ll boldness (for the word speci11.lly mean "to set themselves in o.rray," "boldness," see ver. 13, note). which implies a battle, of which there is not Ver. 30.- Whila thou stretchest for by question here, but it means simply " to ,tretching, A.V.; thy for thine, A.V.; through present " or " show themselves" ( eh. i. S) for by, A.V.: Seroant for child, A.V., as in ve:r. "to be ready," or, ae in ver. 10, "to st11.nd." 27 and eh. iii. 13, 26. While thou stretchest, Anointed. The text in the whole citation etc. The A.V. seems preferable. It was the follows the LXX. exo.ctly. faot that, while they preached the Word oi Vor. 27.-0f a truth in thi, city for of a God, the Lord confirmed the Word with truth, A.V.; &rvant for child (as in oh. signs following, whioh gave them such iii. 26), A.y.; didst anoint for hast anointed, superhuman courage to persevere in the fa.ce A.V.: peoples for people, A.V. For of a of death and bond& And this we.s God's truth,eto. Thesayrng just quoted is proved method and means of encouraging tilem. to have been the wor<l ol' God by its eI11ot And that aigna and wonders may be done. fulfilment in the heathen u.nd Jewish rulers But this clause ii better rendered, as Beza  126 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. [OH, IV, 1-87,