Acts 3:13

Act_3:13-16

The God of Abraham … hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up.

St. Peters testimony

I. The vindication of Christianity from a Jewish standpoint. The God of Abraham, etc., not God generally considered, but God in relations acknowledged by the Jews--the God of Abraham, as such, had glorified Jesus. If this were the case, then Judaism was logically at an end. The God of Abraham, in a sense, had glorified Moses, and had so terminated the patriarchal dispensation, which every good Jew would acknowledge was thereby legitimately closed, and religion thus advanced a stage. Now the same God had glorified the great Teacher whom Moses had predicted (Act_3:22), under whom the legal dispensation must pass into the Christian. When that Teacher came He said, as Moses might have said, I come not to destroy, but to fulfil, and when He died He exclaimed, It is finished. By glorifying Jesus, therefore, God put His seal upon the further advance which religion had made out of Judaism into Christianity. A true servant of the God of Abraham was thus logically a Christian.

II. The glorification of the humiliated Christ.

1. No depth of Christs degradation is here left unexplored.

(1) He who claimed to command legions of angels was delivered up.

(2) He who demanded the profoundest homage and the complete allegiance was destined.

(3) This denial came from His own for whom He had done so much, and to whose loyalty He had every right.

(4) It took place in the presence of a heathen governor, whose jurisdiction was thereby acknowledged, and in spite of even his protestations.

(5) And to crown all the release of a murderer was demanded, while the Prince of Life was handed over to the Cross.

2. The glorification reversed all this. Deep as Christ descended it was higher that He rose.

(1) Jesus was released from a more terrible than Roman tyranny after Jews and Romans had been allowed to do their worst.

(2) The belief and confession of the apostles then, and of adoring Christians since, more than compensates for the denial before Pilate--the inveterate denial which has since characterised the stubborn race. The grand testimony of Paul before Felix, Festus and Nero makes atonement for the shameful denial of Caiaphas and his rabble before the Roman judge--not to mention the innumerable testimonies all through Christian history which, before princes and governors have been borne to Christ.

(3) That Cross to which Christ was nailed gave Him power to give life to dead humanity, and that power He now wields from the throne of heaven.

III. The inveterate depravity of the human heart--the denial of the Holy One and the preference of a murderer. Here sin is seen in its ghastliest development, but the ghastliness lies in the circumstances. We are horrified at the Crucifixion, but the Crucifixion was only a detail, the denial was the essence of the act. And this denial of Christ, and the preference of one who is a murderer from the beginning is normal. The sinner is doing to-day that the only logical outcome of which is crucifixion, and letting loose the devil on his life. This is what is being done on a large scale, and the same is being done on a smaller. What is history but the record of the preference of murderers to deliverers? What was the reward of Socrates, of Savonarola, of Cromwell, of the early Christian martyrs, and later Protestant confessors?

IV. The impotence of seeming might and the power of apparent weakness. The power of Rome was at its greatest, and the malignancy and craft of Judaism most intense and concentrated, and both were exerted to crush the Prophet of Nazareth. And both said that He was crushed--killed upon a cross and shut up in a carefully guarded tomb. And then it might seem was that poor, weak Prophet at His weakest and poorest. Who could help Him now? Himself. The Prince of Life, could not be holden of death; and that stone cut without hands has crushed in succession the mightiest despotisms that have dominated the race. And that the weakness of God is stronger than the power of man, let the history of all great and beneficent monuments bear witness. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. The leader is killed but the cause flourishes. The thinker starves; but his thoughts become the potent forces of the world. The inventor dies of a broken heart with the products of his genius lying in ruins around him; but his invention lives, and helps to make civilisation what it is.

V. The potency of faith--Of all things the weakest in the worlds estimate. Are there not circles in which faith and folly are convertible terms? And on what does this faith rest? On what the world would call an accomplished failure. Stark imbecility--then says the world. But here, again, God chooses the weak things to confound the mighty; for in this early instance of its exercise it accomplished what all the science of the world before and since has failed to do; it gave a man perfect physical soundness. And here, and here alone, is the cure for personal, social, literary, commercial, national unsoundness. Everything else has failed. Let this be tried on a large scale, and faith in Christ will give perfect soundness to a crippled world. (J. W. Burn.)

Men denying the Just One

I. The Person against whom the outrage was perpetrated. Men thought Him a mere Jew; and yet He possessed a universality and fervour of love inconsistent with the Jewish character generally. Men regarded Him as only a carpenter; and yet He evinced a strength of mind and soul which enabled Him to grapple with Divine things altogether beyond the grasp of the Jewish doctors. Men thought Him a mere man; and yet there were profound depths and majestic heights about His nature, which entirely separated Him from the common herd.

1. He looked like a man; but His words proved Him more.

2. He looked like a man; but His works proved Him more.

3. He looked like a man; but His life proved Him more.

II. The nature of the outrage that was enacted.

1. It was the culminating act of human transgression.

2. It was sin against their highest good.

III. The outcome of it all. God turned the curse into a blessing. He made the wrath of man to praise Him.

1. From the death of Christ came deliverance from the curse.

2. From Christs death came the magic force which conquered mans rebellion.

Sinais terrors and the Levitical law failed to evoke the deep affection and fervent devotion of men. But the Cross of Christ succeeded. (Homilist.)

The rejection of Christ

How terrible an evil this was Peter showed--

I. By the testimony of a heathen. The sentiment of common humanity was against this treatment. How often has the conduct of professors shocked the prayerless.

II. By the nature of the thing itself. This is set forth in an awful gradation. The rejected One was--

1. Spotless.

2. Righteous.

3. The Prince of Life, without whose interposition no man could have had life.

4. Gods own chosen Servant.

Those who in rejecting Him had repudiated purity, justice, needful grace, and indispensable Divine service, might well prefer a murderer. What is reserved for those who now reject Christ with clearer light and further knowledge?

III. By Gods manifest opposition to it.

1. Men put Jesus to death, but God raised Him from the dead.

2. Men cast Him out, but God declared Him to be His accepted servant by the Resurrection.

Men thought the Crucifixion would put an end to His influence, but God augmented that influence by the energy of the Holy Ghost which empowered the apostles. The argument showed that they had been fighting against God, and that God had completely overcome their evil course.

IV. By the keen rebuke which the apostles were directed to keep up. Whereof we are witnesses. (W. Hudson.)

Ye killed the Prince of Life.--

The Prince of Life

The title suggests--

I. That Jesus is the source of life.

1. Of natural life. In Him we live and move, etc. It is only for Him to say to dead Lazarus Come forth, and He proves Himself to be the source of life. Let us not, then, deny Him the use of the faculties He has given.

2. Of spiritual life. H we admit that we cannot give ourselves physical life, how absurd to think we can give ourselves spiritual life. And yet multitudes are under this delusion. It is only by Christs almighty fiat that the dead in trespasses and sins can hear the voice of the Son of God and live.

3. Of eternal life. Jesus is the life of all the joy, the glory, and the love of heaven.

II. That life centres in Him as regards sensible enjoyment of it. The common comforts of Christ without Christ are monotonous and miserable; but if Christ be enjoyed in them, if He be eaten with our bread, received with our water, breathed with our air, then life has a blessedness and a dignity conferred upon it which the world knows nothing of.

III. That He sustains the life he gives. He giveth power to the faint, as well as life to the dead. Does the life of faith, of hope, of love, wane through trial and loss and disappointment? Christ has inexhaustible resources of vitality for their invigoration. Dost thou fear lest thou shouldest lose thy little life in the fierce conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil? Hear His promise, They shall never perish.

IV. That He brings life to fruition. Be thou faithful unto death, etc.

V. That He does all this in a princely manner. I am come that they might have life … abundantly. (J. Irons.)

We are witnesses.--

Sworn testimony

In the days of George Stephenson some scientists proved conclusively that a rail-train could never be driven by steam power; but the rushing expresses have made all the world witnesses of the splendid achievement. It was proved conclusively that a steamer could never cross the Atlantic; but the work was done, and the passengers on the Cunard and the Inman Lines are witnesses. There went up a guffaw of laughter from some of the wise men at Professor Morses proposition to make lightning his errand-boy, and it was proved conclusively that the thing could never be done; but now the news of the wide world, put in your hands every morning and night, has made all nations witnesses. In the time of Christ it was proved conclusively that it was impossible for a man to rise from the dead. The disciples took the witness-stand to prove to be true what the wiseacres of the day had proved to be impossible. Now let me play the sceptic for a moment. There is no God, for I have never seen Him with my physical eyesight. Your Bible is a pack of contradictions. There never was a miracle. Your religion is an imposition on the credulity of the ages. There is a suppressed feeling which would like to cry out in behalf of the truth of our glorious Christianity. We are witnesses! If this world is ever brought to God, it will not be through argument, but through testimony. You might cover the whole earth with learned treatises in defence of religion--you would not convert a soul. In order to have faith we must have testimony, and if five hundred men get up and tell me that they have felt the religion of Jesus Christ a joy, an inspiration, I am bound as a fair-minded man to accept their testimony. I want to put before you three propositions, the truth of which I think you will attest with overwhelming unanimity.

I. We are witnesses that the religion of Christ is able to convert a soul. You say conversion is only an imaginary thing. We know better. People laughed at the missionaries in Madagascar because they preached ten years without one convert; but there are thirty-three thousand converts in Madagascar to-day. People laughed at Dr. Judson because he kept on preaching five years without a single convert; but there are twenty thousand Baptist Christians in Burmah to-day. People laughed at Dr. Morrison for preaching seven years without a single conversion; but there are fifteen thousand Christians in China to-day. People laughed at the missionaries for preaching at Tahiti and in Bengal years without a single conversion; yet in all those lands there are multitudes of Christians to-day. But why go so far to find evidence? We are witnesses. We were so proud that no man could have humbled us; we were so hard that no earthly power could have melted us. But one day a power seized us, from which we tried to wrench ourselves, but could not. It flung us on our knees, and when we arose we were as much changed as Gourgis the heathen. He went into prayer-meeting with a dagger and a gun, but the next day was found crying: Oh, my great sins! Oh, my great Saviour! For eleven years be preached the gospel of Christ to his fellow-mountaineers, and the last words on his dying lips were, Free grace! Oh, it was free grace! There is a man who was for ten years a hard drinker. The dreadful appetite had sent down its roots until they were interlinked with the vitals of body, mind, and soul; but he has not taken any stimulants for two years. What did that? Not temperance societies. Not prohibition laws, Not moral suasion. Conversion did it, Why, said one upon whom the great change had come, sir, I feel just as though I were somebody else! There is a sea captain who swore all the way from New York to Havana, and from Havana to San Francisco, and when he was in port he was worse than when he was on the sea. What power was it that washed his tongue clean of profanities, and made him sing to the glory of God? Conversion. There are thousands who are no more what they once were than a water-lily is nightshade, or a morning lark a vulture, or day night.

II. We are witnesses that the gospel has the power to comfort. When a man has trouble the world says: Now get your mind off this; go out and breathe the fresh air! plunge deeper into business. What poor advice. Get your mind off of it I when everything reminds you of what you have lost. They might as well advise you to stop thinking. Take a walk in the fresh air I Why, along that very road your dead wife once accompanied you. Go deeper into business! Why, she was associated with all your ambition, and since she has gone you have no ambition left. And yet you have been comforted. How was it done? Did Christ come to you and say: Get your mind off this, etc. No. There was a minute when He came to you, and He breathed something into your soul that gave peace, so that you could take out the photograph of the departed one and say: It is all right; she is better off; I would not call her back. There are Christian parents who are willing to testify to the power of this gospel to comfort. Your son had just graduated and was going into business, and the Lord took him. Or your daughter had just left the school, and you thought she was going to be a useful woman and of long life, but the Lord took her. Or the little child came home with the hot fever that stopped not for the agonised prayer, or for the skilful physician. What has enabled you to stand all the trial? Oh, you say, I threw myself at the feet of a sympathising Saviour, and when I was too weak to pray, or to look up, He breathed into me a peace that I think must be the foretaste of that heaven where there is neither tear, nor a farewell, nor a grave. Is there power in this gospel to soothe the heart? There comes up an answer from comforted widowhood, and orphanage, and childlessness, saying--

III. We are witnesses that religion has power to give composure in the last moment. We are very apt when we want to bring illustrations of dying triumph to go back to some distinguished personage--to a John Knox, or a Harriett Newell. Such illustrations are of no use to me to-night. I want you for witnesses. I want to know whether you have seen or heard anything that makes you believe that the religion of Christ gives composure in the final hour? Oh yes, you say; I saw my father and mother depart. How did they seem to act? Were they very much frightened? Did they take hold of this world with both hands as though they did not want to give it up? Oh, no, you say; she had a kind word for us all, and there were a few mementos distributed among the children, and then she told us how kind we must be to our father in his loneliness, and then she kissed us good-bye and went asleep as calmly as a child in a cradle. What made her so composed? Natural courage? No, you say, mother was very nervous; it was because she was so good. Here are people who say, I saw a Christian brother die, and he triumphed. And some one else, I saw a Christian sister die, and she triumphed. Conclusion: You see I have not put before you to-night anything like guess-work, but affidavits of the best men and women, living and dead. Two witnesses in court will establish a fact. Here are not two witnesses, but millions. If ten men should come to you when you are sick and say they had the same sickness, and took a certain medicine and it cured them, you would probably take it. Now, suppose ten other men should come up and say, We dont believe there is anything in that medicine. Well, I say, have you ever tried it? No, I never tried it, but I dont believe there is anything in it. Of course you discredit their testimony. The sceptic may come and say, There is no power in your religion. Have you ever tried it? No, no. Then avaunt! (T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)

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

Act 3:13. Ὁ Θεὸς, God) Who gave the promise to the patriarchs and fathers. The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, is an appellation frequently occurring in the Acts, more than in the other books of the New Testament, and one appropriate to that period of time.—τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶμ, of our fathers) Is it the same fathers, viz. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: with which comp. Exo 3:6; Exo 3:15-16: or are those ‘fathers’ meant, who lived, for instance, in the time of Moses and Samuel or David, Act 3:22; Act 3:24-25, to whom also the promise was given? In the former passage of Moses (Exo 3:15-16), the appellative, fathers, is employed: in Luke, the proper names, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Moses at least there is an apposition: there is one also, as we think, in Luke. GOD fulfilled this His promise: therefore all ought to believe.—ἐδόξασε, hath glorified) even before His passion: Mat 11:27; Mat 17:5; Joh 12:28; Joh 8:50; Joh 10:36; Joh 13:3; Joh 13:31; Joh 17:5; 2Pe 1:17; Luk 2:32; Heb 3:3; Heb 5:5. Others refer the word here to the glorification of Jesus Christ by the present miracle specially, or to the whole of His exaltation, or to both conjointly. The discourse begins far back [with the God of Abraham, etc.], in Act 3:13; wherefore we regard the order of the facts, and of the time, and of the text, to be the same.—τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ, His Servant, or Minister [but Engl. Vers. His Son]) See note on Mat 12:18 [παῖς in the LXX. expresses the Hebrew עבדי, Isa 42:1, “Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen.” So here, and ch. Act 4:27; Act 4:30; but not afterwards in the New Testament, as not a suitable expression for Him, now that He is exalted]. [In human fashion, one might call Him the Prime Minister of God, on account of the great dignity and extent of His office.—V. g.]—ὑμεῖς μὲν, ye indeed) The object of this is, that hereby they may be brought to compunction and repentance.—παρεδώκατε, ye have delivered up) This Saviour, who was given to you, ye have given up; whereas ye ought with all zeal to have recognised His glory, and embraced and laid hold of Him.—ἠρνήσασθε, ye have denied) This is opposed to the proper judgment (κρίναντος) of Pilate (Pilate’s own judgment), who tried to let Jesus go.—Πιλάτου, of Pilate) whose blindness is less surprising than yours. Peter shows in this place that the Jews resisted the true judgment of GOD and of men concerning Jesus.

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

Act_3:13. Connection: Do not regard this cure as our work (Act_3:12); no, God, the peculiar God of our fathers, glorified (by this cure, comp. Joh_9:3 f., Act_9:4) His servant Jesus, whom you delivered up (what a stinging contrast!), etc.

τ. πατέρων ἡμ.] embraces the three patriarchs. Comp. on Rom_9:5.

The venerated designation: the God of Abraham, etc. (Exo_3:15 f.), heightens the blame of the contrast.

ἐδόξασε] namely, inasmuch as He granted such a result by means of His name (Act_3:6).

τὸν παῖδα] is not to be explained, after the Vulgate, with the older interpreters (and still by Heinrichs, Kuinoel), as filium, since only υἱὸς Θεοῦ is throughout used of Christ in this sense; but with Piscator, Bengel, Nitzsch (Stud. u. Krit. 1828, p. 331 ff.), Olshausen, de Wette, Baumgarten, and others, as servum; and the designation of the Messiah as the fulfiller of the divine counsel: servant of God, has arisen from Isaiah 40-66, namely, from the Messianic reference of the עֶבֶד יְהֹוָה there. Comp. Mat_12:18. So also in Act_3:26; Act_4:27; Act_4:30. Observe that an apostle is never called παῖς (but only δοῦλος) Θεοῦ. Comp. especially Act_4:29 f.

ὃν ὑμεῖς μέν] This μέν, which pierces the conscience of the hearers, is not followed by any corresponding δέ. Comp. on Act_1:1. The connection before the mind of Luke was: whom you have indeed delivered up, etc., but God has raised from the dead. But by κρίναντος ἐκείνου ἀπολύειν he was led away from carrying out this sentence, and induced to give to it another turn.

παρεδώκατε] namely, to Pilate.

ἠρνήσασθε αὐτόν] i.e. ye have denied that He is the Messiah, Joh_19:14-15; Luk_23:2. Comp. also Act_7:35. The object of the denial was obvious of itself, since Jesus had just been spoken of as the παῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Observe, moreover, that with ἠρνήσ. αὐτόν the relative construction is not carried on, but with rhetorical emphasis the sentence is continued independent of it: and ye have denied Him (comp. Bernhardy, p. 304; Kühner, § 799). This is in keeping with the liveliness of the discourse and its antitheses; but without such a breaking off of the construction αὐτόν would be quite superfluous, as the regimen remains the same as before.

κατὰ πρόσωπον] towards the face; ye have denied Him even unto the face of Pilate (so audaciously!). Comp. Gal_2:11. There is no Hebraism. See Jacobs, ad Achill. Tat. p. 612; Schweighäuser, Lex. Polyb. p. 540.

κρίναντος ἐκείνου ἀπολύειν] although the latter had decided to release (him). See Joh_19:4; Luk_23:16. ἐκείνου is designedly used instead of αὐτοῦ, in order to make the contrast felt between what Pilate judged and what they did. Comp. Act_3:14. See Krüger and Kühner, ad Xen. Anab. iv. 3. 20; Dissen, ad Dem. de cor. p. 319; and the examples from Plato in Ast, Lex. I. p. 658. Chrys. well says: ὑμεῖς ἐκείνου θελήσαντος οὐκ ἠθελήσατε.

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 3:13 . ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ κ . τ . λ .: the words were wisely chosen, not only to gain attention and to show that the speaker identified himself with the nation and hope of Israel, but also because in Jesus St. Peter saw the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham. ἐδόξασε , Joh 8:54 ; Joh 11:4 . Again we mark the same sharp contrast as in St. Peter’s former address God hath glorified … but you put to an open shame. The objections of Weiss, who traces a reviser’s hand in the double mention of the glorification of Jesus in Act 3:13 and in 15, fail to secure the approval of Spitta, Feine, Jüngst, who all hold that ἐδόξασε refers to the power of the Risen Jesus, shown in the healing of the lame man, which Peter thus expressly emphasises. But the glorification was not, of course, confined to this miracle: “auxit gloria hoc quoque miraculo” (Blass). τὸν παῖδα : “his Servant,” R.V. (margin, “Child”). Vulgate has filium , which all other English versions (except A.V., “Child”) seem to have followed. But the rendering “Servant” is undoubtedly most appropriate, cf. Act 3:26 , and Act 4:27 ; Act 4:30 (employed in the Messianic sense of Isa 42:1 ; Isa 52:13 ; Isa 53:11 ), where the LXX has παῖς , Hebrew עֶבֶד . In Mat 12:18 the Evangelist sees the fulfilment of the first passage in Jesus as the Christ, the Servant of Jehovah. Wendt rightly emphasises the fact that no Apostle ever bears the name παῖς θεοῦ , but δοῦλος ; cf. Act 4:29 . In the LXX Moses is called both παῖς and δοῦλος . The rendering of R.V. is generally adopted, and by critics of very varying schools, e.g. , Overbeck, Nösgen, Holtzmann, Felten, Hilgenfeld. Zöckler, whilst he adopts the rendering “Servant,” still maintains that Luther’s translation, Kind Gottes , cannot be regarded as incorrect ( cf. the double meaning of the word in classical literature). Certainly he seems justified in maintaining that in the numerous parallels in the sub-apostolic writings the conception of the Servant by no means always excludes that of the Son, e.g., Epist. ad Diogn. , viii., 11 and 9, where of God’s great scheme it is said ἀνεκοινώσατο μόνῳ τῷ παιδί (to His Son alone), called in 11 τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ παιδός ; cf. Martyr. Polyc. , xiv., 3, where the same phrase occurs, reminding us of Mat 3:17 (Col 1:13 , Eph 1:6 ) and Act 14:1 , where God is spoken of as ὁ πατήρ of the well-beloved Son παιδός . In Clem. Rom., Cor [141] 59:2 4, the word is used three times of Jesus Christ, and twice with τοῦ ἠγαπημένου ( παιδός ), and if there is nothing in the context to determine the exact sense of the word, in the previous chapter St. Clement had written ζῇ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ζῇ ὁ Κυριος Ἰῃσοῦς Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον κ . τ . λ .; cf. also Barnabas, Epist. (3, 6), 6, 1; Apost. Const. , viii., 5, 14, 39, 40, 41; and Didache 1 , ix., 2, 3; x., 2, 3, where, however, at the first introduction of the word, David and Jesus are both called by it in the same sentence. In the Didache 1 the title is found altogether five times, once as above, and four times as applied to Jesus alone. But these passages all occur in the Euctiaristic Prayers of the Didache 1 (placed by Resch as early as 80 90 A.D.), and in them we find not only the title “Lord” used absolutely of Jesus, Act 9:5 , but He is associated with the Father in glory and power, Act 9:4 . Knowledge, faith, and immortality are made known by Him, spiritual food and drink, and eternal life are imparted by Him, Act 10:2-3 . Zöckler, Apostelgeschichte, in loco ; Lock, Expositor , p. 183 ff. (1891), “Christology of the Earlier Chapters of the Acts”; Schmid, Biblische Theologie , p. 405. But further: if we bear in mind all that the “Servant of the Lord” must have meant for a Jew, and for a Jew so well versed in the O.T. Prophets as St. Peter, it becomes a marvellous fact that he should have seen in Jesus of Nazareth the realisation of a character and of a work so unique ( cf. Isa 42:1 ff., Isa 49:1-3 ; Isa 49:5 ; Isa 49:8 ; Isa 50:4-9 , Isa 52:13 to Isa 53:12 ). For if we admit that the word “Servant” may be used, and is sometimes used, of the nation of Israel ( cf. Isa 41:8 ; Isa 45:4 ), and if we admit that some of the traits in the portrait of Jehovah’s “Servant” may have been suggested by the sufferings of individuals, and were applicable to individual sufferers, yet the portrait as a whole was one which transcended all experience, and the figure of the ideal Servant anticipated a work and a mission more enduring and comprehensive than that of Israel, and a holiness and innocency of life which the best of her sons had never attained (Driver, Isaiah , pp. 175 180). But not only in His miraculous working, but in His Resurrection and Ascension St. Peter recognised how God had glorified His Servant Jesus; and whilst it was natural that the word “Servant” should rise to his lips, as he recalls the submission to betrayal and death, whilst he never forgets the example of lowliness and obedience which Christ had given, and commends to poor Christian slaves the patience and humility of Him Who was “the first Servant in the world” (1Pe 2:18-25 ), he sees what prophets and wise men had failed to see, how the suffering “Servant” is also “the Prince of Life,” cf. chap. Act 5:15 , and Act 5:31 . ὑμεῖς μὲν : there is no regular answering δὲ in the text ( cf. Act 1:1 ), but the words in Act 3:15 ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν express the antithesis (Blass, Wendt, Holtzmann). In dwelling upon the action of Pilate and the guilt of the Jews, the Apostle loses the direct grammatical construction; he emphasises the denial ( ἠρνήσασθε twice) and its baseness; but nothing in reality was more natural, more like St. Peter’s impetuosity. κατὰ πρόσωπον , coram, cf. Luk 2:31 , 2Co 10:1 the expression need not be explained as a Hebraism, it is found several times in Polybius; see Dalman, Die Worte Jesu , p. 23. In the LXX it is frequent in various senses, and sometimes simply in the sense of before, in the presence of, a person, 1Sa 17:8 , 1Ki 1:23 , 1Ch 17:25 , Sir 45:3 , Jer 52:12 ; Jer 52:33 , Jdt 10:23 ; Jdt 11:5 , etc. Rendall takes the words as usually denoting open encounter with an opposite party face to face, cf. Act 25:16 , Gal 2:11 , and so here; the Jews met Pilate’s proposal to free the prisoner with a point-blank denial. 13 b is referred by Hilgenfeld to the revising hand of “the author to Theophilus,” and he sees in its introduction a proof of the anti-Judaism of the reviser, whilst Jüngst prefers to regard the first part of Act 3:14 as an insertion, but this Hilgenfeld will not accept, as thus the antithesis in Act 3:15 is not marked. κρίναντος : “when he had determined,” R.V., not a purpose only, but a decision, Luk 23:16 . ἐκείνου , not αὐτοῦ , emphasising the antithesis between what Pilate had determined and what they had done: ὑμεῖς ἐκείνου θελήσαντος οὐκ ἠθελήσατε (Chrys.).

[141] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

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

The God of Abraham, &c.--(See on Act 2:22; Act 2:36).

hath glorified his Son Jesus--rather, "his Servant Jesus," as the same word is rendered in Mat 12:18, but in that high sense in which Isaiah applies it always to Messiah (Isa 42:1; Isa 49:6; Isa 52:13; Isa 53:11). When "Son" is intended a different word is used.

whom ye delivered up, &c.--With what heroic courage does Peter here charge his auditors with the heaviest of all conceivable crimes, and with what terrific strength of language are these charges clothed!

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 13. The God of Abraham, c.] This was wisely introduced, to show them that HE whom they called their God had acknowledged Jesus Christ for his Son, and wrought this miracle in his name and, by thus honouring Jesus whom they slew, he had charged home the guilt of that murder upon them.

Denied him in the presence of Pilate] ηρνησασθε, Ye have renounced him as your king, and denounced him to death as a malefactor, when Pilate, convinced of his perfect innocence, was determined, κριναντος, judged it proper and just, to let him go. Pilate wished to act according to justice; you acted contrary to justice and equity in all their forms.

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

13, 14. The God of Abraham. He addeth a remedy now in calling them back unto Christ. And the sum is this, That this is God’s purpose in those miracles which he worketh by the apostles to set forth the glory of his Christ; whereupon it followeth that all those do deal disorderly who set up Peter, or any other, whatsoever he be, forasmuch as all men must decrease, and Christ alone must be excellent, (John 3:30.) Here appeareth a manifest difference between Christ and the apostles. First of all, he is the author, they are only the ministers; secondly, this is the lawful end, that he alone may have the glory; and as for them there is no respect to be had of them as concerning glory; for certainly they which do glorify any in miracles besides Christ, they set themselves flatly against the counsel of God.

He maketh mention of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the end he may declare unto the people that he meaneth nothing less than to lead them away from the old and ancient worship of the true God, which they had received of the fathers. Furthermore, God hath given himself this title, that he might (dissever and) distinguish himself by some mark from idols; for we do not comprehend God in his essence, which cannot be seen, and which is infinite; therefore, he useth such means as agree best with us, to bring us to the knowledge of him. The Turks do boast that they do worship God, which is the creator of heaven and earth; but before they come at heaven they vanish away. Therefore, to the end God might keep his people from vain and erroneous inventions, he kept them in his covenant; therefore, when he calleth himself the God of Abraham, he did briefly teach that which Moses declareth more at large, (Deuteronomy 30:12,)

“Say not, Who shall ascend into heaven? Who shall go down into the depth? Or who shall sail over the seas? The word is nigh,” etc.

Furthermore, as amongst the Jews the name of the holy fathers was in high estimation, so Peter doth closely tell them, that they were no better than other men, without the only begotten Son of God. And at this day God will be known by a more evident mark yet, when as he calleth himself the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us now return unto Peter; he saith that he bringeth in no new religion, that. he may draw away the people from the law and the prophets; for if he should attempt this, God had forbidden them to hear him, (Deuteronomy 13:3.) Like as Paul teacheth, that we must retain one foundation in the spiritual building, (1 Corinthians 3:11,) because, so soon as we depart even but a little from Christ, there can nothing ensue but ruin. And hereby also we may easily discern in what sense he calleth God the God of the fathers; for neither doth he take this for a general maxim, that what manner of worship soever the fathers had, we must continue the same, as the Papists do foolishly vaunt that they do follow the manner of worshipping which was used amongst the fathers; for Peter doth expressly reckon up Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from whom true religion did proceed, and by whom it was divinely delivered; whereby he doth signify unto us, that we must not follow all fathers, whereof many did grow out of kind, and became altogether unlike to the first fathers; that this honor is due to the children of God alone, and that others are to be refused; which thing the prophets do also beat in everywhere:

“Walk not in the ways of your fathers,” etc., (Ezekiel 20:18.)

Whom ye have delivered He mingleth with doctrine a most sharp chiding, according as the matter did require; for it was impossible to bring them truly unto God, unless they were first brought to the knowledge of their sins; neither doth he only lightly touch them, but he doth very gravely show them the horribleness of that offense which they had committed. To this end tendeth that comparison, that they delivered him to be put to death, whom Pilate would have loosed; and again, that, pardoning a murderer, they put the Prince of life to death; that they did reject the just and holy. Men must be so stricken, that being brought to know their guiltiness, they may earnestly fly unto the remedy of pardon. Such vehemence and earnestness did Peter also use in his first sermon; he saith afterward that God raised him up, whereby they ought to know that, in putting Christ to death, they did strive against God; although Peter had respect unto an higher thing, to wit, that their cruelty did no whit impair the glory of Christ, because God had nevertheless restored him to life. When as he saith, that he and his fellows in office were witnesses of the resurrection, his meaning is, that they saw it with their eyes, (Luke 24:48.) Therefore, this is referred not only unto the apostolical function, but because they saw Christ with their eyes after that he was risen from the dead; although I do also grant that this second thing is comprehended under these words, because it is likely that Peter doth make mention of that function which was committed unto him, to the end he may purchase the greater authority.

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.

(13) The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.—Here again we have an echo of our Lord’s teaching. That Name had been uttered in the precincts of the Temple, not improbably in the self-same portico, as part of our Lord’s constructive proof of the resurrection of the dead (Mat_22:32). Now it was heard again in connection with the witness borne by the Apostles that He Himself had risen. (See also Note on Act_7:32.)

Hath glorified his Son Jesus.—Better, Servant. The word is that used throughout the later chanters of Isaiah for “the servant of Jehovah” (Isa_42:1; Isa_48:20; Isa_52:13; Isa_53:11). It meets us again in Act_3:26; Act_4:27; Act_4:30, and as applied to Christ, is peculiar to the Acts, with the exception of the citation from Isaiah in Mat_12:18. It is, therefore, more distinctive than “Son” would have been, and implies the general Messianic interpretation of the prophetic language in which it is so prominent.

When he was determined.—Better, when he had decided; the word implying, not a purpose only, but a formal act, as in Luk_23:16.

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

13. hath glorified his Son Jesus] The Greek is not υἱός but παῖς, and should be rendered Servant, and this would carry the mind back, as St Peter no doubt intended, to Isa_42:1, “Behold my servant whom I uphold,” a passage which St Matthew (Mat_12:18) applies to Jesus.

denied him in the presence of Pilate] alluding to Pilate’s question (Joh_19:15), “Shall I crucify your king?” to which they answered, “We have no king but Cæsar.”

when he was determined, &c.] Rather, when he had given sentence to release him. For Pilate had pronounced Jesus innocent (Joh_19:4).

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 Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob,.... These titles and epithets of God, which are used in the Old Testament, Exo 3:6 the apostle chooses to retain, partly to distinguish him from the gods of the Gentiles, and partly to show his regard to the God of Israel, the one, only true, and living God; and that, though he and his fellow apostles were preachers of Christ, yet they were not setters forth of another, or a strange God, but believed in the same God their forefathers did, and to whom they ascribe the glory of this miracle:

the God hath glorified his Son Jesus; by raising him from the dead, setting him at his own right hand, and giving him the gifts of the Spirit for men; which he having bestowed on the apostles, by virtue of this they wrought this miracle, which was a means of setting forth the glory of Christ, and of putting men upon glorifying him, or ascribing honour and glory to him. And in order to awaken their minds, to convict them of their sin, ingratitude, and folly, the apostle adds,

whom ye delivered up; to Pilate, the Roman governor; having first seized him as a thief, bound him as a malefactor, and arraigned, and condemned him to death in the high priest's palace as a blasphemer:

and denied him in the presence of Pilate; or "to", or "against the face of Pilate"; contrary to his sense of things, who more than once called him the King of the Jews, and wrote this as the superscription over him, when they denied him to be their King Messiah, and the Son of God, saying, they had no king but Caesar:

when he was determined to let him go; or release him; that is, "when he judged it right that he should be released", as the Syriac version renders it; for he never came to a point, to a resolution to let him go; though he thought it was but just and equitable that he should be dismissed, being, in his apprehension, an innocent man; and therefore pressed it on the people to agree to release him, to which he was himself strongly inclined.

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

13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Ver. 13. Denied him] Crying out, We have no king but Caesar, Joh 19:15;

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 Abraham - He is called the God of Abraham because Abraham acknowledged him as his God, and because God showed himself to be his friend. Compare Mat 22:32; Exo 3:6, Exo 3:15; Gen 28:13; Gen 26:24. It was important to show that it was the same God who had done this that had been acknowledged by their fathers, and that they were not about to introduce the worship of any other God. And it was especially important, because the promise had been made to Abraham that in his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed, Gen 12:3. Compare Gal 3:16.

Hath glorified - Has honored. You denied, despised, and murdered him, but God has exalted and honored him. This miracle was done in the “name” of Jesus, Act 3:6. It was the “power of God” that had restored the man; and by putting forth this power, God had shown that he approved the work of his Son, and was disposed to honor him in the view of people. Compare Joh 17:1; Eph 1:20-22; Phi 2:9-11; Heb 2:9; Rev 1:5-18.

Ye delivered up - That is, you delivered him to the omans to be put to death. See the notes on Act 2:23.

And denied him in the presence of Pilate - Denied that he was the Messiah. Were unwilling to own him as your long-expected King, Joh 19:15.

When he was determined ... - Mat 27:17-25; Luk 23:16-23. Pilate was satisfied of his innocence; but he was weak, timid, and irresolute, and he yielded to their wishes. The fact that Pilate regarded him as innocent was a strong aggravation of their crime. They should have regarded him as innocent; but they urged on his condemnation against the deliberate judgment of him before whom they had arraigned him, and thus showed how obstinately they were resolved on his death.

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

Who does not admire, in this second discourse of St. Peter, as well as in his first, the prudence and discretion, with which he blames the Jews? He reproaches them, but with such mildness, as not to offend them, and dispenses to them truths in proportion to their capacity to bear them; after the example of his master and Saviour, he sweetens the bitterness of the truth, by furnishing them with an excuse. They sinned through ignorance. (Calmet)

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).

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob; he mentions them, because the promise of the Messiah was made to them,

Hath glorified his Son Jesus; or his servant, for so also he is called, Isa 53:11; and that he might redeem us, he took upon him the form of a servant, and was obedient to the death of the cross, and did that great work of redemption which God sent him into the world to do.

Whom ye delivered up; the rulers, at whose command our blessed Saviour was apprehended, bound, and delivered unto Pilate, Mat 27:1,2.

And denied him; this is charged upon the common sort of people also, who were earnest in crying, Mat 27:25, His blood be on us, and on our children. Their sin is here ripped up, and their sore searched to the quick, that they might entertain the word of salvation with the greater attention and desire.

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

13. The God of Abraham—This is no foreign false miracle opposed to Jehovah and condemned by Moses; on the contrary it is in the Abrahamic line, under the sanction of God, and by the true Messiah. Peter presents next a striking series of contrasts, which at once honour Jesus and condemn his Jewish hearers. God glorified Jesus; they surrendered him. Pilate would have freed him, and they denied him. They rejected the Holy One, and preferred a murderer. They destroyed the life of the Prince of Life. They killed, but God raised to life.

His Son. Rather, παιδα, servant, the Septuagint epithet of the Messiah in Isaiah 40:65, and therefore a claim of Messiahship for Jesus.

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

Servant for Son, A.V.; before the face for in the presence, A.V.; had for was, A.V.; release him for let him go, A.V. The God of Abraham, etc. The continuity of the New Testament with the Old Testament stands out remarkably in St. Peter"s address. He speaks to the "men of Israel," and he connects the present miracle with all that God had (lone to their fathers in days gone by. He does not seem conscious of any break or transition, or of any change of posture or position. Only a new incident, long since promised by the prophets, has been added. "tie thrusts himself upon the fathers of old, lest he should appear to be introducing a new doctrine" (Chrysostom). God... hath glorified his Servant Jesus. Servant is manifestly right (so St. Chrysostom). It is the constant meaning of paiv in the LXX; son is always uiJov (see ver. 26; Act_4:27, 30 Mat_12:18) the A.V. has "servant.". (For the Old Testament usage, see Isa_42:1 Isa_52:13 Isa_53:11) Delivered up; paredwkate, different from the ekdoton of Act_2:23. (where see note) The word is applied to the action of Judas in delivering up Jesus into the hands of the chief priests, (Joh_19:11) and to the action of Pilate in sending Jesus to execution (Luk_23:25; Joh_19:16) Here it is spoken of the whole action of the Jews in procuring the death of Jesus. Denied before the face of Pilate. The reference is exact to Luk_23:13-23. To release him. There is a verbal agreement with Luk_23:16, Luk_23:17, Luk_23:20.

Vers. 13-15. The apostolic witness to Christ.

Our Lord distinctly appointed the apostles as his witnesses. (Act_1:8) In these their early sermons or addresses, we may find the points which they considered were specially entrusted to them to declare. They would be sure to give first the basis or foundation facts on which the Christian system rested, and then gradually unfold the various doctrines which were embodied in those facts. Their central, foundation fact was their Lord"s resurrection. It even seems that, at first, the Resurrection stood out more prominently before the apostles" minds than the sacrifical death. The precise proportions and relations of the Christian truths became matters of later adjustment; and, indeed, we are still trying to get them complete and satisfactory. Very many of the modern doctrinal controversies and sectarian disputes are occasioned by a failing sense of the proportions and relations in the whole of truth; some things are exaggerated and some underestimated; men fight hard for pieces of truth, as if they were the whole. The true work, worthy to engage all our thought and heart, is the fair estimate of all the various pieces, and the skilful setting of each in its fitting place. In the early preaching of the apostles may also be noticed how they seem to stand aside, so that Christ, their Lord and Master, only may be seen and honored. In this following the example of that Master, for he seemed ever to be stepping aside in order that men may fully see the Father. And in this also showing to us what is the essential spirit of all Christian preaching. The preacher"s self must never be prominent; we may only set forth "Christ Jesus the Lord." The scene in "Solomon"s porch," or portico, may be described. It was on the eastern side of the temple, and "consisted of a double row of Corinthian columns, about thirty-seven feet high. It was, like the porticoes of all Greek cities, a favorite place of resort, especially as facing the morning sun in winter". (Joh_10:23) In this same portico Jesus himself had taught. The prominent points concerning the Lord Jesus presented by St. Peter are

I JEHOVAH SENT AND ACKNOWLEDGED HIM. (Ver. 13.) The word Son would be better Servant, and then the passage, (Isa_42:1) "Behold my Servant, whom I uphold," is at once brought to mind. In addressing the Jews, it was necessary to show that no claim was made for Jesus Christ as a new and independent God; the teaching of his divinity was consistent with both the teaching of the Divine Unity, which was the Jews" great truth, and the teaching of the Divine Trinity, which is the great Christian truth. To the Jew a new God must be a false God, for Jehovah is one. Messengers of Jehovah they could receive. Manifestations of Jehovah they could accept. The conception of the "Son of God" was not to them an impossible one. And therefore our Lord so earnestly pressed that the Father God had sent him; and the apostles urge that Jehovah"s seal of acceptance rested on him and on his work. This truth is needed still. We cannot rest in the salvation wrought by Christ unless we can fully see that it is God"s salvation. (see Joh_3:16)

II MEN DENIED HIS MISSION, AND CRUCIFIED HIM. (Ver. 13.) St. Peter gives the fact-Jesus was "delivered up;" and the aggravation of the fact the clamors of malice actually overcame the natural sense of justice in the Roman governor. In reminding the people of this, St. Peter declares the Moral character of their act; and charges home upon the people the guilt of the judicial murder of no less a person than the national Messiah. For the actual denial of Christ, see Joh_19:15; and for the purpose of Pilate to release Christ, Joh_19:4. The fact of the denial ismade the basis of the appeal for repentance. The fact of the crucifixion is urged as the guarantee of his actual death. Such enemies as they were would never leave their work imperfect.

III HE WAS FREE FROM CRIME, AND JUST BEFORE MEN AND GOD. (Ver. 14.) The personal innocence of Jesus aggravates the iniquity of those who secured his death; but it also bears directly upon the work of redemption that he wrought. Had he to bear the true burden of penalty for his own sins, he could not be the efficient Burden-bearer for others. Had he spot, stain, or blemish, he could not be the acceptable sacrifice for humanity, which must he the "Lamb without blemish." Show how much is made, in the Epistles, of the personal innocence and perfect virtue of the Savior. "Holy, harmless, undefiled," etc.

IV HE WAS THE PRINCE AND AUTHOR OF SALVATION AND LIFE. (Ver. 15.) For the term "Prince of life," see Act_5:31; Heb_2:10 Heb_12:2. It means, "He who is the source whence life and salvation flow." The chief thought in St. Peter"s mind is that of the Resurrection. He who conquered death is "Prince of life," and has power to give life. St. John also says, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." Our Lord himself said," I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; I am come that they might have life;" "I give unto them eternal life." The worthy apprehension of what Christ is, and can do, makes the Jewish denial and crucifixion of him seem a most hateful crime; and our long neglect of him our unspeakable shame. (Heb_2:3, Heb_2:4)

V HIS MESSIAHSHIP, HIS MISSION, AND HIS POWER TO SAVE, ARE, ONCE FOR ALL, AND SUFFICIENTLY, DECLARED IN HIS RESURRECTION. (Ver. 15.) If that resurrection be a fact and to it all the apostles and disciples give witness, and on the literal truth of it St. Paul is even willing to stake the Christian system then there are important inferences to be drawn from the fact, and especially this one: Jesus is the Christ. Therefore to him every knee should bow, and to him every sin-burdened heart should seek. So it is seen that the apostles were true preachers, model preachers; they set Jesus forth, and bid all eyes look to him. R.T.

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 of our fathers - This was wisely introduced in the beginning of his discourse, that it might appear they taught no new religion, inconsistent with that of Moses, and were far from having the least design to divert their regards from the God of Israel. Hath glorified his Son - By this miracle, whom ye delivered up - When God had given him to you, and when ye ought to have received him as a most precious treasure, and to have preserved him with all your power.

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

Observe her, 1. How St. Peter lays hold upon this opportunity, (when the people are gathered together to gaze upon this lame beggar) to preach a second awakening sermon to the Jews; in which he rebukes them sharply for their cursed contempt of Christ, and the horrible indignities offered to him.

1. They denied him although he was an holy and Just One.

2. They delivered him up to Pilate when he was inclined to let him go.

3. They preferred Barabbas, the worst of men, and a murtherer, before Jesus, the best of men, and a Saviour.

4. They murthered the Messias, called the Prince of life, because he came to bring life into the world.

Where note, that though probably none of the Jews then and there present, did actually nail Christ unto his cross, yet they having given their consent unto it, they are charged with killing the Lord of life. A plenary and full consent to the sins of others, makes us deeply guilty of others’ sins: Ye delivered up and denied the Holy One; ye have crucified the Lord of life. Act 3:15

Observe, 2. How St. Peter ascribes the whole of his miracle to the power of faith; Through faith in his name, and the faith which is by him, hath given this man perfect soundness in the presence of you all Act 3:16.

Faith is twice named in this one verse, because of the apostle’s faith in working the miracle, and the cripple’s faith in receiving of it, says Dr. Lightfoot: But questionless, it was chiefly the apostle’s faith; for the lame man shewed no faith in Christ before he was healed; he expected an alms, but little thought of receiving the use of his limbs; but the apostle’s firmly relying on the power and promise of Christ for healing, did believe that Christ could and would help and heal him.

Learn hence, That as it is the property and preogative of God to do great things, it is the duty and property of faith to expect great things from God; great expectations from God honour the greatness of God: We dishonour God as much or more, when we believe little, as when we do little.

A great God and a small faith suit not well together; accordingly St. Peter here, knowing the all-sufficiency of Christ’s power, exerts strength of faith, and through faith in the name of Christ, makes this man whole.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13. Here Peter boldly certifies to the multitude that the same Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, had so miraculously restored the notable cripple at the Beautiful Gate.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 11

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.

13. The God of Abraham. The God of the patriarchs whom they all worshiped hath glorified his Son Jesus. They delivered him to Pilate, and denied him when Pilate would release him, but demanded a murderer, instead of the Holy One, and slew him. This One God had raised and glorified. A wonderful contrast; a terrible arraignment.

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.

Connecting Statement:

Peter continues his speech to the Jews that he began in Acts 3:12.

rejected before the face of Pilate

Here the phrase "before the face of" means "in the presence of." AT: "rejected in Pilate's presence" (See: Idiom)

when he had decided to release him

"when Pilate had decided to release Jesus"

for a murderer to be released to you

This can be stated in active form. AT: "for Pilate to release a murderer" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

ancestor

glory

servant

Jesus

deliver

face

Pilate

righteous

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

13. Omit αὐτὸν after ἠρνήσασθε with אABC and many cursives. Vulg. ‘et negastis ante faciem Pilati.’

13. ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ κ.τ.λ. The crowd of listening Jews must have been sorely troubled to be told that they had been guilty of such rebellion against the God of their fathers.

παῖδα αὐτοῦ, His servant. The use of this word would carry the minds of the hearers back, as St Peter no doubt intended, to Isa 42:1, ‘Behold my servant whom I uphold,’ a passage which St Matthew (Mat 12:18) applies to Jesus.

ἠρνήσασθε. When to Pilate’s question (Joh 19:15), ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ they had answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ Dodo

κατὰ πρόσωπον. This is a rendering of a Hebrew form לפני, and is common m the LXX. Cf. 1Sa 14:13; 1Sa 16:8; 1Ki 1:23.

κρίναντος. Render, when he had given sentence to release Him. For Pilate had pronounced Jesus innocent (Joh 19:4).

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.

13. ὁ θ. Ἀβρ. κ.τ.λ.] ‘Appellatio frequens in Actis, præ cæteris libris N. T., et illi periodo temporum conveniens.’ Bengel. ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸν (τὸν θεὸν) εἰσωθεῖ συνεχῶς εἰς τοὺς προγόνους· ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ καινόν τι εἰσάγειν δόγμα· καὶ ἐκεῖ (ch. 2) τοῦ πατριάρχου Δαβὶδ ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ … (Chrys.).

ἐδόξασεν] not, as E. V., ‘hath glorified,’ implying, by thus honouring His Name: it is the historic aor., glorified, viz. by His exaltation through death—see Joh 12:23; Joh 17:10.

παῖδα] not ‘Son,’ but Servant: servant, however, in that distinct and Messianic sense which the same expression bears in Isa. 40-66 in the LXX.

υἱός is the word always used to desiguate Jesus as the Son of God. The above meaning is adopted by all the best modern Commentators, Pisc., Bengel, Olsh., Meyer, De W., Stier, some of whom refer to a paper of Nitzsch’s in the Stud. u. Krit. for 1828, Heft 2, p. 331 ff. Olsh. says, ‘After N.’s remarks on the subject, no one hereafter can suppose this expression equivalent to υἱὸς τ. θ.’ “In the next age,” says Wordsw., “the term παῖς θεοῦ was applied to Christ as a Son. See Polycarp, § 14, p. 1040 (Migne); and S. Hippolyt. Philosoph. x. 33 (in Migne’s Origen, tom. vi. p. 540), and contra Noëtum, § 5, 7, 11, pp. 809 ff. (Migne), and the note of Fabricius, ii. p. 10.”

κατὰ πρόσωπον Π. as E. V., ‘in the presence of P.,’ or better perhaps, to the face of Pilate. The expression is no Hebraism. Polybius often uses it. κατὰ πρόσωπον λεγομένων τῶν λόγων, 25:5. 2: κ. πρ. ἀπαντᾷν τοῖς πολεμίοις, 17:3. 3, &c. See Schweigh., Lexicon Polybianum.

κρίναντος ἐκ. ἀπολ., see Luk 23:20; Joh 19:4, Joh 19:12.

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

His son [παιδα] . Rightly, servant, as Rev. See on Luk 1:54. The A. V. renders, in Mt 12:18, servant, quoting from Isa 42:1; but elsewhere, where applied to Jesus, son or child, which Rev. in every case has changed to servant. The word is continually used, like the Latin puer, in the sense of servant, and in the Septuagint as the servant of God. See 2Sa 7:5, 8, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26. Compare Luk 1:69. The term servant of Jehovah, or servant of the Lord, is applied in the Old Testament (1) to a worshipper of God, Neh 1:10; Dan 6:21; so to Abraham, Psa 105:6, 42; to Joshua, Jos 24:29; to Job, Job 1:8.

(2) To a minister or ambassador of God called to any service, Isa 49:6; of Nebuchadnezzar, Jer 27:6; of the prophets, Amo 3:7; of Moses, Deu 34:5.

(3) Peculiarly of the Messiah, Isa 42:1; Isa 52:13; as God 's chosen servant for accomplishing the work of redemption. "Unless we render servant in the passages where the phrase paiv Qeouoccurs in the New Testament, there will be no allusion throughout it all to that group of prophecies which designate the Messiah as the servant of Jehovah, who learned obedience by the things which he suffered" (Trench, " On the Authorized Version of the New Testament ").

When he. He is ejkeivou the pronoun of more definite and emphatic reference, the latter, Pilate, "in order to make the contrast felt between what Pilate judged and what they did." This is further emphasized in the next verse.

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