Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 15:16 - 15:16

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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 15:16 - 15:16


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16. μετὰ ταῦτα, after these things. It will be seen on reference to the words of Amos that the quotation here given is not made from the Hebrew, which is correctly represented by the A.V. in the book of Amos. Whether St James himself spoke at the synod in Greek, or St Luke has represented in Greek what the speaker himself uttered in Aramaic, we cannot know. But the words in the text correspond very nearly with the LXX. which here (either because they read the Hebrew consonants differently or because they merely gave the sense without attempting an exact rendering) varies from the Hebrew text. Yet St Luke does not give exactly the words of the LXX. He may have quoted from memory or have modified them somewhat to adapt them to the form of his sentence. The words of the LXX. run thus, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἀναστήσω τὴν σκηνὴν Δαυὶδ τὴν πεπτωκυῖαν, καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω τὰ πεπτωκότα αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰ κατεσκαμμένα αὐτῆς ἀναστήσω, καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω αὐτὴν καθὼς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ αἰῶνος, ὅπως ἐκζητήσωσιν οἱ κατάλοιποι τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐφ' οὔς ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐπ' αὐτούς, λέγει κύριος ὁ ποιῶν πάντα ταῦτα.

ἀναστρέψω καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω, I will return and will build. This is not the form of the expression either in the Hebrew text or in the LXX., but it is a common Hebrew formula to signify ‘I will do a thing again.’ Cf. Ecc 4:1 καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ καὶ εἶδον, ‘I returned and considered’ = I considered once again. Similarly Ecc 4:7; Ecc 9:11. The occurrence of this formula favours the opinion that St James, in this specially Jewish synod, spoke in Aramaic of which St Luke has given us a literal translation.

τὴν σκηνὴν Δαυείδ, the tabernacle of David. The Hebrew word used in Amos signifies one of those booths used by the people at the Feast of Tabernacles, when they lived in frail dwellings in order to be reminded that God was their protector. This word may be applied to the estate of the Jews when the Deliverer should come, to indicate that they should be brought very low, but yet should find in Him a Saviour.