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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act_2:29-36
29"Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30"And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32"This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33"Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34"For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, 35Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."' 36"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."
Act_2:29-31 It is not easy for modern western readers to follow Peter's analysis of this Psalm because he is using rabbinical hermeneutical procedures (this is also true of the book of Hebrews). Peter may have heard this argument in the synagogue for the coming Messiah and now knows it refers to Jesus of Nazareth.
Act_2:29 Peter shows that Psalms 16, although in some ways referring to David (especially Act_16:10 b), cannot completely refer to David.
Act_2:30 "he was a prophet" The Jews believed that God spoke through prophets. Moses is called a prophet (cf. Deu_18:18). The OT books of Joshua, Judges, I and 2 Samuel, and I and 2 Kings were known in the Jewish canon as "the former prophets." After the death of the last prophet, Malachi, the rabbis considered revelation as ceasing. It was in this Jewish sense of the term (i.e., Scripture writer) that David is considered a prophet. Earlier in the OT God had revealed to Moses (cf. Genesis 49) that the Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah. In 2 Samuel 7 God revealed that He would be of the royal line of David. In Psalms 110 God further revealed that He would also be of the priestly line of Melchizedek (cf Act_2:34-35).
▣ "God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne" This is a summary or composite reference to 2Sa_7:11-16; Psa_89:3-4; or Psa_132:11. This shows that God's ancient intent is to be fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. His death and resurrection were not plan B, but God's pre-determined, pre-creation plan of redemption (cf. Eph_2:11 to Eph_3:13).
Act_2:31 "the Christ" This is the Greek translation of "the Messiah" or literally "the Anointed One." Not only was Jesus son of David, King of Israel, but Son of God and seated on the heavenly throne (cf. Psalms 110).
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▣ "He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay" This is not marked off as an OT quote in the 1995 NASB (updated) text. It is obviously referring to Psalms 16.
For "flesh" see Special Topic below.
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Act_2:32-33 "Jesus. . .God. . .Spirit" Although the word "trinity" is never used in the Bible, the concept of a triune God is demanded by (1) the deity of Jesus and (2) the personality of the Spirit. The Bible communicates this concept by mentioning the three persons of the Trinity in a single context (cf. Act_2:32-33; Mat_28:19; 1Co_12:4-6; 2Co_1:21-22; 2Co_13:14; Eph_4:4-6 and 1Pe_1:2).
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Act_2:32 "This Jesus God raised up again" See full note at Act_2:24.
▣ "to which we are all witnesses" This refers to those who saw the resurrected Christ. See chart of the post-resurrection appearances from Paul Barnett, Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity, p. 185, at Act_1:3 (p. 9).
Act_2:33 "to the right hand of God" This is an anthropomorphic metaphor for the place of power, authority, and intercession (cf. 1Jn_2:1), which is taken from Psa_110:1 (quoted more than any other Psalm in the NT) or Psa_118:16. God is eternal Spirit, present throughout physical and spiritual creation. Humans must use earth-bound language and concepts to speak of Him, but they are all (1) negations (2) analogies or (3) metaphors. Even the word "Father" to describe God or "Son" to describe Jesus are metaphorical. All metaphors break down at some point. They are meant to convey a central truth or concept about deity. Be careful of literalness! Surely you do not expect to see an old man, a young man on a throne and a white bird circling overhead when you get to heaven. See Special Topic following.
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▣ "the promise of the Holy Spirit" The OT promised a new day of Spirit-led righteousness, made operative by the work of the Messiah.
1. Joh_7:39, the new day has arrived
2. Gal_3:14, the blessing of Abraham (cf. Gen_12:3) is now available to the whole world
3. Eph_1:13, believers in this new age are sealed by the Spirit.
▣ "which you both see and hear" This is the continuing emphasis in this sermon on the eyewitness nature of these hearers (cc. 14,22,32,33,36). They knew what Peter said was true because they were there. Lawyers call this primary source evidence.
Act_2:34 "the Lord said to my lord" This is a quote from Psa_110:1 (YHWH...Adon). Jesus uses it in Mat_22:41-46. In the NT it shows the dual aspect of the kingdom; Jesus is already at God's right, but His enemies are not yet His footstool. See hyperlink at Act_1:3.
Act_2:36 "Let all the house of Israel" This refers to the Jewish leadership and people, the very ones Peter is addressing. He is asserting that OT prophecy is fulfilled and culminated in Jesus of Nazareth. See hyperlink at Act_1:3.
NASB "know for certain"
NKJV "know assuredly"
NRSV "know with certainty"
TEV "know for sure"
NJB "can be certain"
This reflects two Greek words, the adverb aphalôs, which means "to fasten securely" (metaphorically with certainty, cf. Act_16:23) and the present active imperative of ginôskô, "to know." These eyewitnesses of Jesus' last week, death, and resurrection could have no doubt about the truthfulness of Peter's words.
▣ "Lord and Christ" The term "lord" (kurios) can be used in a general sense or in a specific theological sense (cf. Act_2:21). It can mean "mister," "sir," "master," "owner," "husband," or "the full God-man." The OT usage of this term (adon) came from the Jews' reluctance to pronounce the covenant name for God, YHWH, from the Hebrew verb "to be" (cf. Exo_3:14). They were afraid of breaking the commandment which said, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (cf. Exo_20:7, Deu_5:11). They thought if they did not pronounce it, they could not take it in vain. So, they substituted the Hebrew wordadonai, which had a similar meaning to the Greek word, Kurios (Lord). The NT authors used this term to describe the full Deity of Christ. The phrase "Jesus is Lord" was the public confession of faith and baptismal formula of the early church (cf. Rom_10:9-13; 1Co_12:3; Php_2:11). See Special Topic: Names for Deity at Act_1:6.
"Christ" was the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term messiah, which meant "an anointed one" (cf. Act_2:31; Act_2:36; Act_3:18; Act_3:20; Act_4:26; Act_5:42; Act_8:5; Act_9:22; Act_17:3; Act_18:5; Act_18:28; Act_26:23). It implied "one called and equipped by God for a specific task." In the OT three groups of leaders: priests, kings, and prophets, were anointed. Jesus fulfilled all three of these anointed offices (cf. Heb_1:2-3). See hyperlink at Act_2:31.
By using both of these OT titles for Jesus of Nazareth, Luke asserts both His deity (cf. Php_2:6-11, see Special Topic at Act_2:32) and His Messiahship (cf. Luk_2:11). This surely sets the stage for the proclamation (kerygma) of the other sermons in Acts!
See hyperlink at Act_2:14.
▣ "this Jesus whom you crucified" Peter accused these inhabitants of Jerusalem with duplicity in Jesus' death. All fallen humans are equally involved in the guilt. See note at Act_2:23.
▣ "this Jesus" The designation "this Jesus" (cf. Act_2:23; Act_2:32; Act_2:36) links Peter's proclamation of the historical Jesus to the resurrected, exalted Christ. Both concepts are true. There is no biblical distinction between the early Jesus and the Jesus of faith!