Acts 13:17

Act_13:17-41

The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers.

The hours on the worlds clock

1. Moving slowly forward as the hours of the Eternal God, with whom a thousand years are as one day, and of the long suffering God, whose patience has borne with this perverse world, as it did with Israel for forty years in the wilderness.

2. But unceasingly progressing to the end appointed of God--of the worlds redemption, and the worlds judgment. (K. Gerok.)

The history of the kingdom of God

The history of the world in the light of the gospel transfigured into the history of the kingdom of God.

I. Its place is sketched out before in the eternal counsels of Divine wisdom, power, and love.

II. Its sections of time are stations on the progress of humanity to its destination.

III. Its heroes are the vassals of Christ, and willingly or unwillingly the servants of His kingdom.

IV. Its end is the glorification of God in humanity. (K. Gerok.)

The providence of God in the history of Israel

An encouraging type of the Divine government of mankind.

I. Wherein this providence is recognised.

1. In the history of Israel.

2. In the history of the world.

II. What influence the certainty of this Divine government should have upon us.

1. We should be comforted with the sure confidence that the issue of things will be the best.

2. We should do our part, in order that the Divine plan of salvation may be more and more realised. (Lisco.)

Christ, the worlds Saviour

I. Foretold in the old testament (Act_13:16-25.)

II. Rejected by his people (Act_13:26-29.)

III. Preached as the salvation of believers (Act_13:30-41.)

(Lisco.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 13:17-18. The God of this people, &c. — Such a commemoration of God’s favours to their fathers, as he here gives, was at once calculated to conciliate their minds to the speaker, to convince them of their duty to God, and to invite them to believe his promise and its accomplishment. This paragraph contains the whole sum of the Old Testament. See the passages referred to in the margin, and the notes thereon. Chose our fathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be the objects of his special favour, and for their sakes was pleased to promise most important blessings to their offspring; and exalted the people — Wrought astonishing miracles in their behalf, and raised them from the state of bondage and depression in which they lay prostrate in Egypt; and with a high arm — With an evident and most extraordinary display of uncontrollable and almighty power; brought them out of it — In spite of all the efforts of Pharaoh and his host to detain them in slavery. And forty years suffered he their manners — Greek, ετροποφορησεν, he endured their behaviour; by which expression the apostle gives an oblique intimation of that perverseness and ingratitude which so early began to prevail among them. But, according to the Alexandrian and Cambridge manuscripts, and the Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, and Ethiopic versions, the genuine reading is, ετροφοφορησεν, he nursed, or cherished them: a sense which suggests a fine view of the conduct of Divine Providence toward them; and, as Dr. Hammond observes, is beautifully connected with the expression of taking them up, when they lay like an exposed infant. See Deu 1:31; Eze 16:4-8. The common reading, however, accords better with Psa 96:8-10; Heb 3:8-11, and a variety of other passages of Scripture, where the perverse and ungrateful behaviour of the Israelites toward God, and his great patience with them, are represented as being so extraordinary as to deserve peculiar attention; and therefore, it seems, that reading ought to be preferred; as also, because it is supported by a much greater number of manuscripts and versions.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13:17-22 To establish common ground, Paul traced Jewish history from the Exodus onward, stressing the Jews’ powerful deliverance from Egyptian bondage, the providential occupation of their inheritance in Canaan, the establishment of the monarchy, the removal of Saul, and the special place of David.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Act 13:17. Ὁ Θεὸς, God) By such a mention of Him their minds were conciliated, when they saw that Paul agrees with the books of the Old Testament. They were proved by Paul to lie under a peculiar obligation towards the supremely good and great God, and were invited to have faith in His promise and its fulfilment. In the six verses, 17–22, the whole recapitulation of the Old Testament is clearly set forth (is completed): the rest of his address treats of the New Testament.—τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, of this people) Paul especially addresses those whom he calls persons fearing GOD; and he speaks of (not to) Israel, Act 13:23; until in Act 13:26 he more directly addresses the Israelites also.—ἐξελέξατο, chose out) It was the Divine election that exalted the people; not the merit of the people, or any worthiness in them: Eze 20:5.—πατέρας, fathers) Abraham and his posterity.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act_13:17. Τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου Ἰσρ. (see the critical remarks) refers with τούτου to the address ἄνδρες Ἰσρ., and with the venerated name Ἰσραήλ the theocratic national feeling is appealed to. Comp. 2Co_11:22.

ἐξελέξατο] He chose for Himself, namely, from the mass of mankind, to be His peculiar property. On τοὺς πατέρ. ἡμ., the patriarchs, comp. Rom_9:5; Rom_11:1; Rom_11:16. In them the people saw the channels and sureties of the divine grace.

ὕψωσεν] During the sojourn in Egypt, God exalted the people, making them great in number and strength, and especially distinguishing and glorifying them in the period directly before the Exodus by miraculous arrangements (of Moses). The history, which Paul supposes as known, requires this interpretation (comp. already Chrysostom, who in ὕψωσεν finds the two points: εἰς πλῆθος ἐπέδοσαν and τὰ θαύματα διʼ αὐτοὺς γέγονε). Others, among whom are Kuinoel, Olshausen, and de Wette, arbitrarily limit ὕψωσεν merely to the increase of number, appealing even to Gen_48:19, Sir_44:21; Sir_50:22, where, however, ὑψοῦν, as always (comp. particularly Isa_1:2), signifies nothing else than to exalt. The special nature of the exaltation is derived purely from the context. Calvin, Elsner, and Heinrichs suppose that the deliverance from Egypt is meant. But the exaltation, according to the text, occurred ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ (Act_7:6; Act_7:29; Wis_19:10), during their sojourn as strangers in Egypt. Beza and Grotius think that it is the ὕψωσις of the people by and under Joseph that is meant. Erroneously, as ὕψωσεν stands in historical connection with the following ἐξήγαγεν.

μετὰ βραχίονος ὑψηλοῦ] i.e. without figure: ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ τῇ μεγάλῃ. LXX. Deu_4:37. Jehovah is conceived as a leader who advances with uplifted arm, at the head of His people, for their defence against all their enemies. Comp. Exo_6:1; Exo_6:6; Bar_2:11.

Act_13:17-22. An introduction very wisely prefixed to prepare the minds of the Jews, giving the historical basis of the subsequent announcement that the Messiah has appeared, and carried down to David, the royal Messianic ancestor and type; the leading thought of which is not the free grace of God, but generally the divine Messianic guidance of the people before the final appearance of the Messiah Himself.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 13:17 . τούτου : this points back to Ἰσρ .: an appeal to ‘the national pride of the people in their theocratic privileges and names, cf. 2Co 11:22 , Rom 9:6 . ἐξελ . so often in LXX of God’s choice of Israel. ὕψωσεν : “exalted,” A. and R.V. Weiss and Wendt, with Bethge and Blass, restrict its meaning to increase in numbers, Gen 48:19 , Act 7:17 , so also Overbeck; whilst others refer it to the miraculous events connected with their sojourn as well as to their increase in numbers (so St. Chrysostom), others take it of the exaltation of the people under Joseph. But the word may certainly mean something more than numerical increase, and include increase in strength and power (so Hackett, Page). It is used once by St. Paul elsewhere, 2Co 11:7 , in contrast with ταπεινόω , cf. its similar use in Luk 1:52 . Rendall refers its use here to 2Ki 25:27 , “lifted up,” i.e. , at the end of a miserable state of bondage, a passage where the verb is closely joined with ἐξήγαγεν . In Isa 1:2 ; Isa 23:4 it is used of bringing up children. παροικίᾳ , cf. Act 7:6 , and for the noun as here, LXX, 2Es 8:35 , Wis 19:10 . Prologue of Ecclus., Act 13:26 , Psa 120:5 . μετὰ βραχίονος ὑψ ., cf. Exo 6:1 ; Exo 6:6 , Deu 5:15 , etc., Psa 136:12 , Bar 2:11 , etc. Hebraistic, cf. Luk 1:51 , where we have ἐν as in Hebrew, but in LXX μετά as of the accompanying the arm of God, and not merely of his power as bringing the people out.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Advanced and brought to honor.

Openly and with [much] force, breaking in pieces the enemies of his people.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 17. The God of - our fathers] The apostle begins his discourse with the Egyptian bondage, and their deliverance from it, as points the most remarkable and striking in their history; in which the providence and mighty power of God, exerted so frequently in their behalf, were peculiarly conspicuous.

Exalted the people] Even when they were strangers in the land, and greatly oppressed, God exalted them; made them a terror to their enemies, and multiplied them greatly.

With a high arm] A literal translation of the Hebrew phrase, בזרוע רמה bezeroa ramah, with a lifted-up arm, to protect them and destroy their enemies. The meaning of the phrase is, a manifest display of the Divine power.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. The God of this people. This preface did witness that Paul did go about no new thing, which might lead away the people from the law of Moses. There is but one God, who is God of all nations; but he calleth him God of that people, to whom he had bound himself, and who was worshipped amongst the posterity of Abraham, amongst whom alone true and pure religion was to be found. To the same end tendeth that which is added immediately, He chose our fathers. For he testifieth by these words that he seeketh nothing less than that they may fall away from the true and living God, who hath separated them from the residue of the world. Neither do I doubt but that he did more manifestly express that he did not preach to them an unknown or strange God, but the same who revealed himself long ago to their fathers; so that he doth briefly comprehend the sound knowledge of God, grounded in the law, that their faith, conceived out of the law and prophets, may continue firm.

Notwithstanding, he doth, in the mean season, commend and set forth the free love of God toward that people. For how came it to pass that only the children of Abraham were the Church and inheritance of God, save only because it pleased God to dissever them from other nations? For there was no worthiness to distinguish them; but the difference began at the love of God, wherewith he did freely love Abraham.

Of this free love of God, Moses doth oftentimes put the Jews to mind, as Deuteronomy 4:7, 8, 10, 14, 32, 34, and in other places; wherein God did set before us a mirror of his wonderful counsel, in that finding no excellence in Abraham, an obscure person and miserable idolater, he doth, notwithstanding, prefer him before all the world. Furthermore, this election was common to all the people, as was also circumcision, whereby God did adopt to himself the seed of Abraham; but there was also a more hidden election, whereby severing to himself a few of many children of Abraham, he did declare, that not all who came of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh are reckoned in the spiritual stock.

He did drive out a people. Paul teacheth that all those benefits which God bestowed afterwards upon the Jews, did proceed and flow from that free favor which he did bear toward their fathers. For this was the cause that they were delivered by the wonderful power of God, and brought by his hand into the possession of the land of Canaan, after that he had driven out so many nations for their sake. For it is no small matter for the land to be deprived of her inhabitants, that she might receive strangers. This is the fountain and root of all good things whereunto Paul calleth us, that God chose the fathers. This was the reason and cause which moved God to so great patience, that he would not cast off that rebellious people, who should otherwise have destroyed themselves a thousand times with their own wickedness. Therefore, where the Scripture maketh mention that their sins were pardoned, it saith that God remembered his covenant. He saith that they were exalted, though they were strangers, that they may remember how worthy and gorgeous their deliverance was.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(17) The God of this people of Israel.—It will be observed that St. Paul, as far as the plan of his discourse is concerned, follows in the footsteps of St. Stephen, and begins by a recapitulation of the main facts of the history of Israel. It was a theme which Israelites were never tired of listening to. It showed that the Apostles recognised it as the history of God’s chosen people.

And exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers.—Literally, in their sojourning in the land of Egypt. The word for “exalt” is found in the Greek of Isa_1:2, where our version has, “I have nourished and brought up children,” and may fairly be considered as an echo from the lesson that had just been read. It may be noted that it was only in this sense, as increasing rapidly in population, that Israel could be spoken of as “exalted” in the house of bondage.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers] He commends his words to their hearing by dwelling on the historic facts of their national life as God’s chosen people.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers,.... Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their seed after them, to be a peculiar people to himself; wherefore he is often, as here, styled their God, and whom he distinguished and blessed with many blessings, civil and religious, above all people upon the face of the earth. The apostle seems particularly to address himself to the Gentiles, the inhabitants of Antioch, and the proselytes of righteousness, now in the synagogue, Act 13:42 and, as it were, with his finger pointed to the native Jews present, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a part of the people whose God the Lord was:

and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt as they did for many years, and as the Lord foretold to Abraham they should, Gen 15:13 This refers either to the great honour and dignity Joseph was advanced unto, and to the favours and privileges bestowed on Jacob and his family at the first of their sojourning in that land; or to the great increase of their posterity towards the close of it, even when they were the most oppressed and afflicted.

And with an high arm he brought them out of it out of the land of Egypt, and out of their oppression in it; which was owing to, and was a wonderful display of his mighty power and great strength here expressed by an "high arm" for nothing short of that could have wrought deliverance for them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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.

Ver. 17. Chose our fathers] Separating them by a wonderful separation, as the Hebrew word signifieth, Exo 33:16.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The God of this people - Who has manifested himself as the special friend and protector of this nation. This implied a belief that he had been particularly their God; a favorite doctrine of the Jews, and one that would conciliate their favor toward Paul.

Of Israel - The Jews.

Chose our fathers - Selected the nation to be a chosen and special people to himself, Deu 7:6-7.

And exalted the people - Raised them up from a low and depressed state of bondage, to freedom, and to special privileges as a nation.

When they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt - ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ en tē paroikia. This properly refers to their dwelling there as foreigners. They were always strangers there in a strange land. It was not their home. They never mingled with the people; never became constituent parts of the government; never used their language; never united with their usages and laws. They were a strange, separate, depressed people there; not less so than Africans are strangers and foreigners a depressed and degraded people in this land (America), Gen 36:7; Exo 6:4; Exo 22:21; Exo 23:9; Lev 19:34; Deu 10:19.

And with an high arm - This expression denotes “great power.” The arm denotes “strength,” as that by which we perform anything. A high arm, an arm lifted up, or stretched out, denotes that “strength exerted to the utmost.” The children of Israel are represented as having been delivered with an “outstretched arm,” Deu 26:8; Exo 6:6. “With a strong hand,” Exo 6:1. Reference is made in these places to the plagues inflicted on Egypt, by which the Israelites were delivered; to their passage through the Red Sea; to their victories over their enemies, etc.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The God of this people of Israel; God was the God of Israel after a peculiar manner.

Chose our fathers; having chosen them before all nations, to make him known unto them, to be served and worshipped by them.

And exalted the people; and God exalted them in the time of Joseph, and whilst the memory of that great preservation wrought by his means did continue, till another king arose that knew not Joseph.

An high arm; the many miracles done by the power of God towards the Israelites’ deliverance out of Egypt. By which the apostle would have them remember, that they owed all which they challenged from their progenitors to the grace and blessing of God only, and that God may do with his own as he please.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. Chose our fathers—These words send the thoughts back to the dim beginning at the call of Abraham.

Exalted the people—Namely, exalted Israel, even in her slavery, over despotic Egypt, by inflicting plagues on the despots withheld from the bondsmen.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Israel for of Israel, A.V., sojourned for dwelt as strangers, A.V.; a for an, A.V.; led he them forth for brought he them out, A.V. The word uywsen, exalted, is thought by some to be borrowed from the LXX wr), Isa_1:2 (ytim) I have brought up" (A.V.), but this is very doubtful, as uJyow is frequently used in the New Testament in the sense of exalting from a low to a high estate. (see Mat_11:23 Mat_23:12; Luk_1:52 Luk_10:15 Luk_14:11; Act_2:33; see too Gen_41:52 (LXX, Cod. Vat.) and Gen_48:19) The resemblance of this exordium to that of Stephen"s speech in Acts 7. must strike every one. The natural conclusion is that that speech made a deep impression upon St. Paul when he heard it at Stephen"s trial. The common purpose in the two speeches is to conciliate and gain the attention of the Jewish hearers by dwelling upon the great events of the history of their fathers, of which they were proud, and claiming for Christians an equal heritage in that history. The speeches diverge in that Stephen sought to show in that history instances of the same stubborn unbelief in their fathers which had led the children to crucify the Lord of glory; but St. Paul rather sought to show how the promises made to their fathers had their fulfillment in that Jesus whom he preached unto them, and how the crucifixion of Christ by the Jerusalem Jews was an exact fulfillment of the Law and the prophets which had just been read to them in the synagogue. In both speeches it is a great point to exhibit Christianity as the true development of Judaism. (comp. Heb_1:1 and throughout)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The God - By such a commemoration of God's favours to their fathers, at once their minds were conciliated to the speaker, they were convinced of their duty to God, and invited to believe his promise, and the accomplishment of it. The six verses 17-22, contain the whole sum of the Old Testament. Of this people - Paul here chiefly addresses himself to those whom he styles, Ye that fear God: he speaks of Israel first; and ver. 26, speaks more directly to the Israelites themselves. Chose - And this exalted the people; not any merit or goodness of their own, Ezek. xx, 5. Our fathers - Abraham and his posterity. Isaiah i, 2.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

17-24. After thus arresting the attention of his hearers, he approaches his main theme, by a rapid glance at some of the most cherished events in Jewish history. (17) " The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with a high hand led them out of it; (18) and about the time of forty years nourished them in the wilderness. (19) And having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to them as an inheritance. (20) After these things, he gave them judges about four hundred and fifty years, until the prophet Samuel. (21) Then they desired a king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, forty years. (22) And having removed him, he raised up to them David for a king, to whom he also gave testimony and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to my own heart, who will do all my will. (23) From this man's offspring God has, according to his promise, raised up to Israel a Savior, Jesus; (24) John having preached, before his coming, the immersion of repentance to all the people of Israel. "

This glance at the history of history, from their departure out of Egypt to the reign of David, is a very circuitous method of approaching the announcement of Jesus as a Savior; but, instead of being a defect in the speech, it is one of its chief excellencies. Every speech must be judged with reference to the special character of the audience addressed. The Jews had a glorious history, of which they were justly proud; and any happily expressed allusions to its leading facts always awakened in their hearts the most lively emotions. These incidents furnished the inspiration of their songs, the themes of their orators, the foundation of their national pride, and their comfort in persecution. Whoever, of their own people, appeared most deeply touched by their memories, had the readiest access to their sympathies, and he who would treat them with indifference or contempt, incurred their utmost hatred. Before such an audience, if Paul had abruptly introduced the name and the new doctrine of Jesus, he might have appeared an apostate from the Jewish faith, seeking to supplant it by something entirely new, and would therefore have kindled the resentment of his Jewish hearers at once. But, beginning with a happy reference to the history of the chosen tribes, and the reign of their most glorious king, and catching up the promise made to David, on which their own most cherished hopes were based, he leads them, by almost imperceptible steps, to the favorable consideration of the fulfillment of that promise in the appearance of Jesus as a Savior to Israel. The reference to John, whom all the Jews now accredited as a prophet, served the same purpose, while it designated more specifically the period in which Jesus had first appeared as a Savior.

The commentators have all noticed the striking similarity between this introduction of Paul's speech and that of Stephen before the Sanhedrim, of which Paul was probably a hearer. But the attentive reader of our comments upon the two speeches will observe that the similarity is merely in the facts referred to, not in the purpose for which the reference is made; Paul's object being merely to favorably introduce his main theme, while Stephen was gathering up a bundle of misdeeds in the history of the fathers, with which to lash the backs of sons who were so wickedly imitating their resistance to the Holy Spirit.

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17–19. Destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan. For their names, see Deut. 7:1.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

17. ὁ θεὸς … τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν, the God of this people of Israel chose our fathers. He commends his words to their hearing by dwelling on the historic facts of their national life as God’s chosen people. In that history the LXX. continually represents God’s choice of Israel by this word ἐξελέξατο. Cf. Deu 7:7; Deu 14:2; Ps. 33:12, 77:70, &c.

ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ, when they dwelt as strangers. The expression occurs Wis 19:10, ἐμέμνηντο γὰρ ἔτι τῶν ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ αὐτῶν, where the allusion is to the sojourn in Egypt. In the LXX. of Ezra it is also found (Act 8:35), οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς παροικίας, of those who were in Babylon.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου] ‘Hoc dicit Pisidis, Judæos digito monstrans’ (Grot.). Or rather, perhaps by the τούτου indicating, without gesture, the people in whose synagogue they were assembled.

τ. πατ. ἡμῶν] It is evident that the doctrine so much insisted on afterwards by Paul, that all believers in Christ were the true children of Abraham, was fully matured already: by the τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου he alludes to the time when God was the God of the Jews only: by this ἡμῶν he unites all present in the now extended inheritance of the promises made to the fathers.

ὕψωσεν] Evidently an allusion to Isa 1:2, where the word is also used in the sense of ‘bringing up,’ nourishing to manhood. This was done by increasing them in Egypt so that they became a great nation: see ref. Gen. There is no reference to any exaltation of the people during their stay in Egypt: whether by their deliverance (Calv., Heinr., Elsner), or by the miracles of Moses (Meyer), or by Joseph’s preferment to honour (Beza, Grot.).

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

People [λαου] . Restricted in the Acts to the people of Israel.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.