Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 13]
Gentiles to be the real (the spiritual) Israel.
13:47 {For so hath the Lord commanded us} (\hout•s gar entetaltai
h•min ho kurios\). Perfect middle indicative of \entell•\, poetic
(Pindar) and late verb to enjoin (1:2). The command of the Lord
Paul finds in Isa 49:6 quoted by Simeon also (Lu 2:32). The
conviction of Paul's mind was now made clear by the fact of the
rejection by the Jews. He could now see more clearly the words of
the prophet about the Gentiles: The Messiah is declared by God in
Isaiah to be "a light to the Gentiles" (\ethn•n\, objective
genitive), "a light for revelation to the Gentiles" (\ph•s eis
apokalupsin ethn•n\, Lu 2:32). So Paul is carrying out the will
of God in turning to the Gentiles. He will still appeal to the
Jews elsewhere as they allow him to do so, but not here. {That
thou shouldest be} (\tou einai se\). Genitive articular
infinitive of purpose with the accusative of general reference.
This is all according to God's fixed purpose (\tetheika\, perfect
active indicative of \tith•mi\). {Unto the uttermost part of the
earth} (\he•s eschatou t•s g•s\). Unto the last portion (genitive
neuter, not feminine) of the earth. It is a long time from Paul
to now, not to say from Isaiah to now, and not yet has the gospel
been carried to half of the people of earth. God's people are
slow in carrying out God's plans for salvation.
13:48 {As the Gentiles heard this they were glad} (\akouonta ta
ethn• echairon\). Present active participle of \akou•\ and
imperfect active of \chair•\, linear action descriptive of the
joy of the Gentiles. {Glorified the word of God} (\edoxazon ton
logon tou theou\). Imperfect active again. The joy of the
Gentiles increased the fury of the Jews. "The synagogue became a
scene of excitement which must have been something like the
original speaking with tongues" (Rackham). The joy of the
Gentiles was to see how they could receive the higher blessing of
Judaism without circumcision and other repellent features of
Jewish ceremonialism. It was the gospel of grace and liberty from
legalism that Paul had proclaimed. Whether Ga 4:13 describes
this incident or not (the South Galatian theory), it illustrates
it when Gentiles received Paul as if he were Christ Jesus
himself. It was triumph with the Gentiles, but defeat with the
Jews. {As many as were ordained to eternal life} (\hosoi •san
tetagmenoi eis z••n ai•nion\). Periphrastic past perfect passive
indicative of \tass•\, a military term to place in orderly
arrangement. The word "ordain" is not the best translation here.
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC13.RWP.html (19 of 22) [28/08/2004 09:06:51 a.m.]