Acts 13:41

Act 13:41. Ἴδετε οἱ καταφρονηταὶ) So the LXX. for the Hebrew ראו בגוים, Behold ye among the heathen. There may seem to have been read בגדים, ye violent or perfidious, as also by the Syr[81] translator, who has transgressors. They derive it from the Arabic בגא, he bore himself in an elated manner, inflicting injury. See Gebhard, on the Twelve Lesser Prophets, p. 1017, from Pocock.—καταφρονηταὶ despisers) The sum and source of destruction is slothfulness [which leads men to despise Christ].—καὶ θαυμάσατε) LXX. have καὶ ἐπιβλέψατε, καὶ θαυμάσατε θαυμάσια.—ἀφανίσθητε, lose your colour) the colour of your countenance; through excess of wonder, which in the Hebrew והתמהו תמהו is signified either by the verb or by the doubled termination of the verb. The imperative has this force, that the despisers should be left to their own astounded surprise.—ὍΤΙ) The LXX. ΔΙΌΤΙ.—ἜΡΓΟΝ) The LXX. have only Ὅ.—Ὃ, which) There is hereby expressed in general terms the judgment on the Jews: then in Act 13:46 it is most openly indicated.—οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε, ye shall in no wise believe) “Habakkuk 1 was written in opposition to the incredulity of those, who did not credit the word which promised deliverance out of the power of the Chaldeans. Those words of the prophet were undoubtedly then used among the pious as a general proverb against all unbelievers, whoever they might be.”—Justus Jonas.—ὙΜῖΝ) The LXX. have not this word.

[81] yr. the Peschito Syriac Version: second cent.: publ. and corrected by Cureton, from MS. of fifth cent.

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

Act 13:41 .Hab 1:5 , but here slightly different from the Hebrew “behold, ye among the nations,” in LXX through the possible mistake of reading the Hebrew noun as if = deceitful ones (with the idea perhaps of impudence, shamelessness). On βλέπ . μὴ ἐπέλ . see Burton, pp. 85, 89; Viteau, p. 83 (1893). ἀφανίσθητε : added by LXX to the “wonder marvellously” of Heb. and LXX: “perish,” “vanish away,” R.V. margin, an idea involved in Heb. though not expressed: verb frequent in LXX, in N.T. three times, in Mat 6 , and nowhere else except Jas 4:14 , see Mayor’s note, in loco. The Apostle here transfers the prophecies of the temporal judgments following on the Chaldean invasion to the judgment of the nation by the Romans, or to the punishment which would fall upon the Jews by the election of the Gentiles into their place. Perhaps the latter is more probable before his present audience. The πᾶς ὁ πιστ . naturally leads him to the warning for those who disbelieved ( ἔργον ᾧ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε ). It is tempting to regard the words with Ramsay ( Expositor , December, 1898), as insisting upon the marvellous and mysterious nature of God’s action in the sending forth of His Son, but the context ( cf. ἐπέλθῃ ) here, and the O.T. prophecy, both point to the imminence of judgment and penalty. ἐργάζομαι : the present (so in LXX), because the result was so certain that it was regarded as actually in process. With true rhetorical force St. Paul concludes his speech, as at Athens, by an appeal to awaken all consciences, cf. St. Peter’s closing words, Act 2:36 , Act 3:26 possibly, as at the close perhaps of St. Stephen’s speech, signs of impatience had begun to manifest themselves in his audience (Plumptre).

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

ye will not believe though a man declare it unto you--that is, even on unexceptionable testimony. The words, from Hab 1:5, were originally a merciful but fruitless warning against the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans and the Babylonish captivity. As such nothing could more fitly describe the more awful calamity impending over the generation which the apostle addressed.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 41. Behold, ye despisers] There is a remarkable difference here between the Hebrew text in Habakkuk, and that in the Septuagint, which is a little abridged here by St. Paul. I shall exhibit the three texts. Heb:-

ראו בגוים והביטו והתמהו תמהו כי פעל פעל בימיכם לא תאמינו כי יספר

Reu bagoyim vehabitu vehitammehu; temehu; ki poal poel bimeycem, lo teaminu hi yesupar.

Behold, ye among the heathen, (nations,) and regard, and be astonished; be astonished, for I am working a work in your days, which; when it shall be told, ye will not credit. See Houbigant.

Sept. Ιδετε οἱ καταφρονηται, και επιβλεψατε, και θαυμασατε θαυμασια, και αφανισθητε· διοτι εργον εγω εργαζομαι εν ταις ἡμεραις ὑμων, ὁ ου μη πιστευσητε, εαν τις εκδιηγηται ὑμιν.

See, ye despisers, and look attentively, and be astonished, (or hide yourselves,) for I work a work in your days, which, if any one will tell to you, ye will not believe.

St. Luke. Ιδετε οἱ καταφρονηται, [και επιβλεψατε], και θαυμασατε, [θαυμασια], και αφανισθητε· ὁτι εργον εγω εργαζομαι εν ταις ἡμεραις ὑμων, εργον ᾡ ου μη πιστευσητε, εαν τις εκδιηγηται ὑμιν.

Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and be astonished, (or hide yourselves,) for I work a work in your days, which, if any one will tell unto you, ye will not believe.

I have taken Luke's quotation from the best MSS., and I have quoted the Septuagint according to the Codex Alerandrinus; and the quotations are exactly the same, not only in words, but almost in letters, with the exception of επιβλεψατε and θαυμασια which the evangelist omits, and which I have included in crotchets in the text of St. Luke, merely that the place of the omission may be the better seen. It may now be necessary to inquire how St. Luke and the Septuagint should substitute ye despisers, for ye among the heathen, in the Hebrew text?

Without troubling myself or my readers with laborious criticisms on these words, with which many learned men have loaded the text, I will simply state my opinion, that the prophet, instead of בגוים bagoyim, among the heathen, wrote בגדים bogadim, despisers, or transgressors: a word which differs only in a single letter, ד daleth, for ו vau; the latter of which might easily be mistaken by a transcriber for the other, especially if the horizontal stroke of the ד daleth happened to be a little faint towards the left; as, in that case, it would wear the appearance of a ו vau; and this is not unfrequently the case, not only in MSS., but even in printed books. It seems as evident as it can well be that this gives the word which the Septuagint found in the copy from which they translated: their evidence, and that of the apostle, joined to the consideration that the interchange of the two letters mentioned above might have been easily made, is quite sufficient to legitimate the reading for which I contend. Houbigant and several others are of the same mind.

The word αφανισθητε, which we translate perish, signifies more properly disappear, or hide yourselves; as people, astonished and alarmed at some coming evil, betake themselves to flight, and hide themselves in order to avoid it.

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

41. And yet he doth not recite word for word the words of Habakkuk, which go thus, “Behold, ye Gentiles, and see and wonder, and be astonished; because a work shall be done in your days which no man shall believe when it shall be told him.” Paul saith, “Behold, ye despisers,” that the Jews may know that the vengeance which was once brought upon their fathers is common to the despisers of the word; as if he should say, God doth at this day make no less account of his word, the contempt whereof he did once punish so sharply. Therefore, the prophet’s denunciation doth appertain unto all ages, so that the despisers cannot hope that they can escape that vengeance now whereof others have tasted. They boasted of the temple; they vaunted that they were the people of God; being puffed up with wicked pride, they despised all threatenings. Therefore Paul putteth them in mind of that which God by his prophets doth threaten to the despisers.

A work in your days. The sense is, Those who refuse to believe the word of God shall feel his hand, that being at length with plagues convicted, they may know that he spake in earnest. It is a common proverb, that experience is the mistress of fools. So the Lord doth indeed punish the wicked, that being tamed with miseries, they may begin to confess his power. And what manner [of] punishment doth he denounce? Because you (saith he) do not believe my word, I will show an example among you which no man will believe; by which words he meaneth, that he will punish them, so that the world shall be afraid to see it. For as rebellion against God is a detestable monster, so it is no marvel if of itself it beget monsters of punishments. Therefore, we must beware, lest, if we cease to give credence to God’s word, we feel his hand more mighty than all our senses do comprehend, and even unto the astonying [astonishment] of all the whole world; and lest even we be made astounded through fear. Habakkuk prophesieth of the destruction brought upon them by the Chaldeans; but the punishment whereby God revenged the contempt of his gospel was more cruel, [severe.] Therefore, let us accustom ourselves to fear God and reverently embrace his word, lest some such things befall us.

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.

(41) Behold, ye despisers.—The quotation is from the LXX. version, the Hebrew giving “Behold, ye among the heathen.” So, in the next clause, “wonder, and perish” takes the place of “wonder marvellously.” The fact that St. Paul quotes from the prophet (Hab_1:5) whose teaching (Hab_2:4) that “the just by faith shall live” becomes henceforth the axiom of his life, is not without a special interest. The “work” of which the prophet spoke was defined in the following verse as the raising up the Chaldeans, “that bitter and hasty nation,” to execute God’s judgment. St. Paul may have had in his thoughts the like judgment about to be executed by the Romans, and already known as foretold by Christ (Mat_24:2-28), or may have thus dimly indicated that which was so closely connected with it—the rejection of Israel, because they, as a nation, had rejected Christ. The sharp tone of warning, as in St. Stephen’s speech (see Note on Act_7:51), suggests the thought that signs of anger and impatience had already begun to show themselves.

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

41. Behold ye despisers] This is the rendering of the LXX. and some other versions. The Hebrew text gives, as A. V., “Behold, ye among the heathen.” The LXX. either had, or thought they had, a different text.

a work which you shall in no wise believe] It is the result of long-continued evil-doing that those who live in it grow incredulous and proof against all warnings. Their hearts are allowed to wax gross and their ears to become dull of hearing.

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.

And the next sabbath day,.... The same which is before called the "sabbath between", which was between the first and tenth of Tisri, or between the beginning of the year, and the day of atonement:

came almost the whole city together. The Syriac and Ethiopic versions leave out the word "almost", and read, the whole city came together; some out of curiosity, having heard much said of these men and their doctrines, others to cavil and quarrel, and others from a true affection to the Gospel, and an earnest desire of knowing more of it, and of receiving more advantage from it: though the end in all was,

to hear the word of God; or "of the Lord", as the Alexandrian copy; that is, the doctrine of the Gospel, which comes from God, and, concerns the Lord Jesus Christ, his person, offices, grace, and righteousness.

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

41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

Ver. 41. Behold, ye despisers] These the Scripture makes to be the worst sort of men; those that jeer when they should fear, and despise what they should give greatest regard unto; hell even gapes for such, though they will not be persuaded so, till it be all too late; as Pliny saith of moles, that they begin not to see till pangs of death are upon them. He that despiseth his way shall perish, saith Solomon.

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.

Behold, ye despisers - Hebrew, “Behold, ye among the pagan.” The change from this expression to “ye despisers” was made by the Septuagint translators by a very slight alteration in the Hebrew word - probably from a variation in the copy which they used. It arose from reading בּוגדים bowgadiym instead of בגּוים bagowyim. The Syriac, the Arabic, as well as the Septuagint, follow this reading.

And wonder - Hebrew, “And regard, and wonder marvelously.”

And perish - Thin is not in the Hebrew, but is in the Septuagint and the Arabic. The word means literally “to be removed from the sight; to disappear; and then to corrupt, defile, destroy,” Mat 6:16, Mat 6:19. The word, however, may mean “to be suffused with shame; to be overwhelmed and confounded” (Schleusner); and it may perhaps have this meaning here, corresponding to the Hebrew. The word used here is not what is commonly employed to denote “eternal perdition,” though Paul seems to use it with reference to their destruction for rejecting the gospel.

For I work a work - I do a thing. The thing to which the prophet Habakkuk referred was, that God would bring upon them the Chaldeans, that would destroy the temple and nation. In like manner Paul says that God in that time might bring upon the nation similar calamities. By rejecting the Messiah and his gospel, and by persevering in wickedness, they would bring upon themselves the destruction of the temple, the city, and the nation. It was this threatened destruction doubtless to which the apostle referred.

Which ye shall in no wise believe - Which you will not believe. So remarkable, so unusual, so surpassing anything which had occurred. The original reference in Habakkuk is to the destruction of the temple by the Chaldeans; a thing which the Jews would not suppose could happen. The temple was so splendid; it had been so manifestly built by the direction of God; it had been so long under his protection, that they would suppose that it could not be given into the hands of their enemies to be demolished; and even though it were predicted by a prophet of God, still they would not believe it. The same feelings the Jews would have respecting the temple and city in the time of Paul. Though it was foretold by the Messiah, yet they were so confident that it was protected by God, that they would not believe that it could possibly be destroyed. The same infatuation seems to have possessed them during the siege of the city by the Romans.

Though a man ... - Though it be plainly predicted. We may learn:

(1) That people may be greatly amazed and impressed by the doings or works of God, and yet be destroyed.

(2) There may be a prejudice so obstinate that even a divine revelation will not remove it.

(3) The fancied security of sinners will not save them.

(4) There are people who will not believe in the possibility of their being lost, though it be declared by prophets, by apostles, by the Saviour, and by God. They will still remain in fancied security, and suffer nothing to alarm or rouse them. But,

(5) As the fancied security of the Jew furnished no safety against the Babylonians or the Romans, so it is true that the indifference and unconcern of sinners will not furnish any security against the dreadful wrath of God. Yet there are multitudes who live amidst the displays of God’s power and mercy in the redemption of sinners, and who witness the effects of his goodness and truth in revivals of religion, who live to despise it all; who are amazed and confounded by it; and who perish.

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

Ye despisers[2] of the favours offered you, behold, wonder, &c. This citation is out of Habacuc, (chap. i. ver. 5.) according to the Septuagint. The prophet, by these words, foretold to the Jews in his time the evils that would come upon them in their captivity in Chaldea, but St. Paul here applies them at least to the miseries that the incredulous Jews would incur, if they obstinately refused to believe in Christ. (Witham)

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Habacuc i. 5. In the Latin text, and according to the Hebrew, aspicite in Gentibus: but in the Septuagint and Greek here, Greek: idete kataphronetai.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

These words are cited from that place in Habakkuk, according to the reading of the Septuagint, St. Paul not being willing to alter the words, the Jews that were dispersed being so, used to that translation, especially the sense being the same with the original Hebrew. This quotation of the apostle might also be taken from Isa 28:14,16.

Ye despisers; for which cause, in that place of Habakkuk they are commanded to consider the heathen, and are sent to school unto them they contemned so much, who had had God for their teacher, had they not despised his word.

And wonder; grow pale for shame and fear.

And perish; ye shall be destroyed by the Romans your enemies, as your ancestors were by their enemies.

A work in your days; this work was a work of God’s just revenge on them then, by the Chaldeans; but threatened to come on these (without repentance) by the Romans.

Which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you; which destruction should be so great, that it was incredible to them now, though it should have been told them.

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

41. Behold—The words are quoted from Hab_1:5, Septuagint version.

Ye despisers—In the Hebrew text, Ye among the heathen; which, however, the Septuagint, apparently from a different Hebrew text, translated as here quoted by Paul. The work in Habakkuk refers to God’s judgment in bringing upon Israel an invasion by the Chaldeans. It here, perhaps, dimly foreshadows the overthrow of the State by the Romans.

Perish—The original word signifies to disappear from recognised existence, to perish.

Though a man—Authorized to reveal the truth.

Declare it—Make clear and announce it.

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

If one for though a man, A.V. "Though" best expresses the ejan and the yK of the Hebrew. The passage is quoted nearly verbatim from the LXX of gBo, Heb_1:5. The difference from the Hebrew arises from the LXX having read in their copy proud, arrogant men (katafronhtai), for the heathen, as is clear from their rendering the Hebrew dgewOb, in Hab_1:13 and Hab_2:5, by the same word (katafronountav and katafronhthv). The rendering kaisqhte, and perish, for the Hebrew WhmT (another form of the preceding verb WhmThi, which in the A.V is construed with it, and the two together rendered "wonder marvelously"), is not so easily explained. The two best explanations seem to be

(1) that the LXX read WhmThw WhmT instead of the present order of the words, and so rendered the first word qaumasate, wonder, and, taking the next word from another root, rendered it ajfanisqhte, perish;

(2) that, reading the words in the same order in which they now stand in the Hebrew text, they rendered the first qaumasate, or, with the intensive addition, qaumasia, and took the second in the sense it has in Arabic, "to be altered" or "changed for the worse," and expressed it by ajfanisqhte, meaning" change countenance from fear and astonishment." And in favor of this explanation the use of ajfanizousi taswpa in Mat_6:16 ("they disfigure their faces") is quoted. (see Rosenmuller on Hab_1:5) St. Paul took the LXX as he found it. Perhaps he saw signs in some of that unbelief and perverse opposition which afterwards broke out (ver. 45), and so was led to close his sermon with words of awful warning.

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

I work a work which ye will in nowise believe - This was originally spoken to those, who would not believe that God would ever deliver them from the power of the Chaldeans. But it is applicable to any who will not believe the promises, or the works of God. Hab. i, 5.

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

work

See, Hab 1:5.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes one verse 40

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.

41. ἴδετε, οἱ καταφρονηταί, behold, ye despisers. This the rendering of the LXX. and of some other versions. The Hebrew text gives, as A.V., ‘Behold, ye among the heathen.’ The LXX. either had, or thought they had, a different text.

ἔργον ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε, a work which ye shall in no wise believe. It is the result of long-continued evil-doing that those who live in it grow incredulous and proof against all warnings. Their hearts are allowed to wax gross and their ears to become dull of hearing.

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.

41. καταφρονηταί] So the LXX for בַּגּוֹיִם, ‘among the heathen,’ for which they seem to have read בּוֹגְדִים. So the Arabic, ‘videte arrogantes:’ and the Syriac, ‘videte transgressores.’ (Kuinoel.)

The prophecy was spoken of the judgment to be inflicted by means of the Chaldæans: but neither this nor any other prophecy is confined in its application to the occasion of which it was once spoken, but gathers up under it all analogous procedures of God’s providence: such repeated fulfilments increasing in weight, and approaching nearer and nearer to that last and great fulfilment of all the promises of grace and all the threats of wrath, by which every prophetic word shall be exhausted.

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

Perish [αφανισθητε] . Lit., vanish.

Declare [εκδιηγηται] . Only here and ch. 14 3. See on shew, Luk 8:39. The word is a very strong expression for the fullest and clearest declaration : declare throughout.

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