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Act 13:48. Ἀκούοντα) hearing this, that light is vouchsafed to them, and that this was foretold long before.-ἔχαιρον, were glad) with most grateful piety. [A mark of the best disposition.-V. g.]-ὄσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, as many as were ordained to eternal life) To the Jews, who were judging themselves unworthy of eternal life, there are openly put in antithesis those of the Gentiles, who having been ordained to the same life, take up (receive) faith: for so a man’s own destruction is wont to be ascribed by Scripture to himself; but his salvation, to GOD: Rom 9:22, note. Therefore GOD is meant, who ordained the Gentiles to everlasting life. For a man cannot ordain himself (if we may be allowed so to speak) to everlasting life, except by believing. But here the ordination is mentioned prior to faith; therefore the ordination is the act of God. However Luke is not speaking of eternal predestination: for truly, no doubt, whom God hath foreknown, them He also predestinated; and whom He predestinated, them He also called: and therefore faith follows the Divine foreknowledge, and it is from the former that the latter is known: Rom 8:29-30; 1Th 1:4. But Luke simply says here, As many as were ordained, although the Vulgate has prærdinatos, “preordained:” and being an inspired writer no doubt, but at the same time also an historian, in assigning the causes of events connected with men’s salvation, he is wont nowhere to mention the election made from eternity, but the present operation of grace by the Gospel (which operation no doubt flows from election). Therefore the correlatives are these, Salvation is offered; the word is received: ch. Act 2:40-41, “Save yourselves,-they-received his word.” The Lord adds many who believe, Act 2:47 to Act 5:14, “Believers were added to the Lord.” The hand of the Lord is with them that preach; many believe: ch. Act 11:21. The Lord appoints Paul His minister; Paul obeys: ch. Act 26:16; Act 26:19. “God sends; the Gentiles hear:” ch. Act 28:28 : comp. Mat 21:43; Eph 2:8; Php 2:13; Php 2:12, etc. Therefore Luke describes such an ordaining, as took place at the very time of hearing; and, as Aretius observes, in this assembly they believed who were τεταγμένοι, that is, they on whom the gift of God was bestowed at that hour, enabling them to believe. It is all the same as if Luke said, They believed whomsoever the Father drew at that time and gave to the Son: Joh 6:44; Joh 6:37. Those WHOSE HEART the LORD hath touched and OPENED: as Luke expresses himself in a passage altogether similar, describing the same τάξιν, ordaining, Act 16:14-15. With this comp. 1Sa 10:26 : upon whom the Lord bestowed faith, Php 1:29. Comp. the full and striking note of Raphelius in ‘Herodotea.’ The verb, τάττω, I ordain, itself is nowhere used of eternal predestination, which is otherwise expressed by such a variety of phrases; but it is very often said (for the Hebr. שות and שום) concerning those things which GOD ordains in time:τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα, Jer 3:19; τάξω αὐτὴν ὠς γῆν ἄνυδρον, Hos 2:5; τἁξει αὐτοὺς (Luther renders und wird sie zurichten) ὡς ἵππον εὐπρεπῆ Zec 10:3 : Add Eze 16:14, “The beauty which I, ἔταξα, appointed,” or “put upon thee;” Hab 1:12, “Thou hast ordained it (τέταχας αὐτὸ) for judgment;” ch. Act 3:19, τάξει τοὺς πόδας μου; Mal 1:3, ἔταξα τὰ ὄρια εἰς ἀφανισμον, “I appointed his mountains to be laid waste;” Job 14:13. Nor is the Preterite in this passage opposed to this view, ἦσαν τεταγμένοι: for this form of speaking does not always look far backwards: Joh 13:5, “The towel wherewith He, ἦν διεζωσμένος, was (not had been) girded.” They were ordained, not had been: nor was the ordaining itself completed in one single moment: comp. Act 13:44; Act 13:43; Act 13:42, and Joh 4:39; Joh 4:35; Joh 4:30. Moreover the ὅσοι, as many, admirably expresses the power of the Divine ordaining, and the readiness and multitude of the hearers answering to it. All these, and these alone, believed, who were ordained: GOD was not unwilling that the rest should believe: 1Ti 2:4. For it is not GOD that judges bad men, but it is bad men themselves who judge themselves unworthy of eternal life: nor were those persons who believed absolutely forced to entertain faith; but grace afforded itself at that time in especial abundance; and hence the hearers afforded (lent) themselves obediently, so as not to repel it (with this comp. Act 13:46), but to receive it gladly (with this comp. ch. Act 17:11), and that too in such large numbers, that the apostles, when they subsequently returned, had none in that town to make disciples of, but had only to ‘confirm’ those already made: ch. Act 14:21-22. For this reason it was that this passage especially demanded a magnificent and peculiar mode of expression to suit this particular point of time, wherein the Gentiles, as contrasted with the contumacious Jews, were being brought to the faith: and this was the beginning and a specimen of their further conversion. For Scripture is wont with peculiar emphasis to ascribe great successes, such as lie beyond the hope and ability of men, even of those who are saints, to Divine grace: Mat 24:24; 2Th 2:13; Rev 13:8. But such success is here denoted by Luke. This ordaining to eternal life includes two things: 1) The gate of faith being opened, so that a much richer opportunity of entering, than before, might be given to all; as also a ripeness of souls towards entertaining faith, of the kind that is described, Joh 4:35. It is in this way that in Zosimus those who have any injunction laid on them, or business given them, are called οἱ εἰς τοῦτο τεταγμένοι. 2) A most really present (immediate) and effectual operation of Divine grace, which conferred faith on the hearers. The former flowed from the antecedent will (of God): the latter, from the consequent will. If regard is had to the former, the antithesis is to the Jews, in this manner: The Jews had been ordained to eternal life: Mat 22:8; but they did not believe, but repelled the word of GOD, and judged themselves not worthy of eternal life: then the Gentiles were ordained, and these believed. If regard is had to the latter, the antithesis is to the same Jews, who were not ordained. That both is expressed by the verb τεταγμένοι, ordained, is to be inferred from the ὅσοι, as many. If regard were had only to the former, the ὅσοι, as many, seems to be comprehensive [for it would include the Jews who, though ordained, did not believe]: if regard were had only to the latter, the ὄσοι, as many, appears too narrow; for [it would include the believing Gentiles alone, whereas] by this very expression a multitude is meant, not in a restricted, but in a comprehensive sense. Τεταγμένοι, ordained, is construed with the preposition εἰς, to: for this participle is not to be taken absolutely. Let all cease to obscure by a gloomy and suspicious interpretation the joyous and florid Epiphonema (subjoined exclamation. See Append.) of Luke.