Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 7:42 - 7:42

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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 7:42 - 7:42


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

42. ἔστρεψεν δὲ ὁ θεός, but God turned, i.e. changed His treatment of the people. Cf. Isa 63:10, ‘but they rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit, therefore He was turned (ἐστράφη) to be their enemy.’ The word is not often found in this sense.

λατρέυειν τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, to serve the host of heaven. God had previously warned them against this kind of idolatry (Deu 4:19), but we learn from the records of their historians (2Ki 17:16) and their prophets (Jer 19:13; Zep 1:5) that the warning was given in vain.

ἡ στρατιὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ is a Hebrew notion, and the expression is often found in the LXX. Jer 7:18; Jer 8:2; 2Ch 33:3; Zep 1:5.

ἐν βίβλῳ τῶν προφητῶν. The Hebrews divided their Scriptures into three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa (called the Psalms, Luk 24:44), and each of these parts is looked upon as a special and separate book. The Law comprised the five books of Moses. The earlier prophets were the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings: the later prophets were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the twelve which we now call Minor Prophets. The Hagiographa consisted of the following books in the order here given: Psalms (and the expression of Luk 24:44 will be understood because the Psalms stand first in this section), Proverbs, Job, the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther (these five last mentioned were called the five rolls, being written on separate rolls for use at special festival services), Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

μὴ σφάγια κ.τ.λ. Render, did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? The whole passage to the end of Act 7:43 is a quotation from Amos (Act 5:25-27). The question in this verse is to be answered in the negative, for in their hearts, though they were sacrificing to Jehovah, they had turned back into Egypt, and such service God counts as no service at all.