58. Messiah. Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going out of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of affliction.
Dan 9:26 And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the ruler who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end of it shall be with the flood, and ruins are determined, until the end shall be war.
Joh 1:41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being translated, the Christ).
In the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) a messiah (or mashiach) is a king or High Priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil.[1] However, messiahs were not exclusively Jewish, as the Hebrew Bible refers to Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, as a messiah[2] for his decree to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple. The Jewish messiah is a leader anointed by God, physically descended from the Davidic line, who will rule the united tribes of Israel[3] and herald the Messianic Age[4] of global peace also known as the World to Come.
The translation of the Hebrew word Mašíaḥ as Χριστός (Khristós) in the GreekSeptuagint[5] became the accepted Christian designation and title of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe that prophecies in the Hebrew Bible (especially Isaiah) refer to a spiritual savior and believe Jesus to be that Messiah (Christ). Wikipedia
Messiah H4899 Hebrew משׁיח mâshı̂yach BDB Definition:
1) anointed, anointed one 1a) of the Messiah, Messianic prince
1b) of the king of Israel 1c) of the high priest of Israel
58. The mighty God - Syriac, ‘The mighty God of ages.’ This is one, and but one out of many, of the instances in which the name God is applied to the Messiah; compare Joh_1:1; Rom_9:5; 1Jo_5:20; Joh_20:28; 1Ti_3:16; Heb_1:8. The name ‘mighty God,’ is unquestionably attributed to the true God in Isa_10:21. Much controversy has arisen in relation to this expression; and attempts have been made to show that the word translated “God,” אל 'ĕl, may refer to a hero, a king, a conqueror. Thus Gesenius renders, it ‘Mighty hero;’ and supposes that the name ‘God’ is used here in accordance with the custom of the Orientals, who ascribe divine attributes to kings. In like manner Pluschke (see Hengstenberg) says, ‘In my opinion this name is altogether symbolical. The Messiah shall be called strength of God, or strong God, divine hero, in order by this name to remind the people of the strength of God.’ But after all such controversy, it still remains certain that the natural and obvious meaning of the expression is to denote a divine nature. So it was evidently understood by the ancient versions; and the fact that the name God is so often applied to Christ in the New Testament proves that it is to be understood in its natural and obvious signification.
That word, “mighty” in the original Hebrew text was,“El Gibor,” which means, “strong one.” Jesus as God had and has infinite might. When we rely on Jesus, we are relying on God Himself!
C.H. Spurgeon says “The term here used for God, El, is taken from a Hebrew or root, which, as I take it, signifies strength; and perhaps a literal translation even of that title might be, "The Strong one," the strong God. But there is added to this an adjective in the Hebrew, expressive of mightiness, and the two taken together express the omnipotence of Christ, his real deity and his omnipotence, as standing first and foremost among the attributes which the prophet beheld. "The mighty God." I do not propose this morning to enter into any argument in proof of the divinity of Christ, because my text does not seem to demand it of me. It does not say that Christ shall be "the mighty God,"—that is affirmed in many other places of Sacred writ; but here it says, "He shall be called Wonderful," called "Counsellor," called, "The mighty God;" and I think that therefore I may be excused from entering into any proof of the fact, if I am at least able to establish the truth of that which is here foretold, inasmuch as Christ is indeed called at this day, and shall be called to the end of the world, "the mighty God."
First, this morning, I shall speak for a moment on the folly of those who profess to be his followers, but who do not call him "the mighty God." In the second place I shall try to show how the true believer practically calls Christ "the mighty God," in many of the acts which concern his salvation; and then I shall close by noticing how Jesus Christ has proved himself to be indeed "the mighty God " to us, and in the experience of his church.” <spurgeon.org>
59. The Minister Heb. 8:2 “a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
Minister leitourgos Thayer Definition:
1) a public minister, a servant of the state
2) a minister, servant 2a) so of military labourers 2b) of the temple 2b1) of one busied with holy things 2b2) of a priest 2c) of the servants of a king
Heb 8:2 [of theG3588 3holiesG39 1a minister],G3011 )ABP+) The connection seems to require us to understand it of the “most holy place,” and not of holy things. The idea is, that the Lord Jesus the Great High Priest, has entered into the Holy of Holies in heaven, of which that in the tabernacle was an emblem. For a description of the Most Holy place in the temple, see the notes on Mat_21:12. barnes
The Apostle Paul describes himself as a Minister of Jesus Christ among the gentiles.Rom 15:16 that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles, doing priestly duties in connexion with God's Good News so that the sacrifice--namely the Gentiles--may be acceptable to Him, being (as it is) an offering which the Holy Spirit has made holy.
Matthew Henry comments on Verses 1& 2 of Hebrews 8
Here is, I. A summary recital of what had been said before concerning the excellency of Christ's priesthood, showing what we have in Christ, where he now resides, and what sanctuary he is the minister of, Heb_8:1, Heb_8:2. Observe,
1. What we have in Christ; we have a high priest, and such a high priest as no other people ever had, no age of the world, or of the church, ever produced; all others were but types and shadows of this high priest. He is adequately fitted and absolutely sufficient to all the intents and purposes of a high priest, both with respect to the honour of God and the happiness of men and himself; the great honour of all those who have an interest in him.
2. Where he now resides: He sits on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high, that is, of the glorious God of heaven. There the Mediator is placed, and he is possessed of all authority and power both in heaven and upon earth. This is the reward of his humiliation. This authority he exercises for the glory of his Father, for his own honour, and for the happiness of all who belong to him; and he will by his almighty power bring every one of them in their own order to the right hand of God in heaven, as members of his mystical body, that where he is they may be also. 3. What is that sanctuary of which he is a minister: Of the true tabernacle, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man, Heb_8:2. The tabernacle which was pitched by man, according to the appointment of God. There was an outer part, in which was the altar where they were to offer their sacrifices, which typified Christ dying; and there was an interior part within the veil, which typified Christ interceding for the people in heaven.
Now this tabernacle Christ never entered into; but, having finished the work of satisfaction in the true tabernacle of his own body, he is now a minister of the sanctuary, the holy of holies, the true tabernacle in heaven, there taking care of his people's affairs, interceding with God for them, that their sins may be pardoned and their persons and services accepted, through the merit of his sacrifice.
 |
| Our Lord Jesus Christ, ministering in the Heavenly Holy of Holies |
60. The Nazarene Mar 1:24 "What have you to do with us, Jesus the Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--God's Holy One."
Nazarene is a title applied to Jesus, who, according to the New Testament, grew up inNazareth,[1] a town in Galilee, now in northern Israel. The word is used to translate two related terms that appear in the Greek New Testament: Nazarēne (Nazarene) andNazōraios (Nazorean). The phrases traditionally rendered as "Jesus of Nazareth" can also be translated as "Jesus the Nazarene" or "Jesus the Nazorean",[2] and the title "Nazarene" may have a religious significance instead of denoting a place of origin. Both Nazarene and Nazorean are irregular in Greek and the additional vowel in Nazoreancomplicates any derivation from Nazareth.[3]
The Gospel of Matthew explains that the title Nazarene is derived from the prophecy "He will be called a Nazorean",[4] but this has no obvious Old Testament source. Some scholars argue that it refers to a passage in the Book of Isaiah,[5] with "Nazarene" a Greek reading of the Hebrew ne·tser (branch), understood as a messianic title.[6] Others point to a passage in the Book of Judges which refers to Samson as a Nazirite, a word that is just one letter off from Nazarene in Greek.[7]
The Greek New Testament uses "Nazarene" six times, while "Nazorean" is used 13 times. In the Book of Acts, "Nazorean" is used to refer to a follower of Jesus, i.e. a Christian, rather than an inhabitant of a town.[8] "Notzrim" is the modern Hebrew word for Christians (No·tsri, נוֹצְרִי) and one of two words commonly used to mean "Christian" in Syriac (Nasrani) and Arabic (Naṣrānī, نصراني). WKIPEDIA. | ||
61. The Only Begotten Son Joh 1:18 No human eye has ever seen God: the only Son, who is in the Father's bosom--He has made Him known. WNT
Joh 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, He who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. EMTV
The only begotten Son. The glory as of the only-begotten of the Father - The dignity which was appropriate to the only-begotten Son of God; such glory or splendor as could belong to no other. and as properly expressed his rank and character. This glory was seen eminently on the mount of transfiguration. It was also seen in his miracles, his doctrine, his resurrection, his ascension; all of which were such as to illustrate the perfections, and manifest the glory that belongs only to the Son of God.
Only-begotten - This term is never applied by John to any but Jesus Christ. It is applied by him five times to the Saviour, Joh_1:14, Joh_1:18; Joh_3:16, Joh_3:18; 1Jo_4:9. It means literally an only child. Then, as an only child is especially dear to a parent, it means one that is especially beloved. Compare Gen_22:2, Gen_22:12, Gen_22:16; Jer_6:26; Zec_12:10. On both these accounts it is bestowed on the Saviour.
1. As he was eminently the Son of God, sustaining a special relation to Him in His divine nature, exalted above all human beings and angels, and thus worthy to be called, by way of eminence, His only Son. Saints are called His “sons” or children, because they are born of His Spirit, or are like Him; but the Lord Jesus is exalted far above all, and deserves eminently to be called His only-begotten Son.
2. He was especially dear to God, and therefore this appellation, implying tender affection, is bestowed upon him. Barnes Notes
The Only Begotten Son by H. Morris ICR.com
But why was it important for the Holy Spirit who inspired these five great verses to stress that the Lord Jesus was the incarnate only begotten Son of God? Many modern English translations of the New Testament apparently do not consider it important, for they render the phrase merely as "only son." It is so rendered in the Living Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the God's Word translation, the Twentieth Century New Testament, the New Living Translation, the Moffatt, Goodspeed, and Williams translations, and many others. The New International Version renders it "one and only son." There are still a few, however--the best-known being the New American Standard and the New King James--that render it correctly (as in the King James Version) as "only begotten Son."
The Greek word for "only begotten" is monogenes, the very form of which clearly denotes "only generated." As monotheism connotes only one God and monosyllable means a word of only one syllable, so monogenes means only one genesis or only one generated--or, more simply, only begotten. It does not mean "one," or even "one and only." It is worth noting that, although Christ is called the Son, or Son of God, frequently in the New Testament, He is never (in the Greek original) called the "only" son of God.
The fact is, that to call Him the only Son of God would make the Bible contradict itself, for He is not the only Son of God, and certainly not the "one and only" Son of God. Angels are several times called the sons of God (e.g., Job 38:7) since they had no fathers, being directly created by God. Likewise, Adam was called the son of God (Luke 3:38), because he was directly created. The same applies even to fallen angels (Genesis 6:2), and even to Satan (Job 1:6), because they also were created beings. The term is also used in a spiritual sense, of course, for those who have become "new creations" in Christ Jesus by faith (II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; etc.). In this sense, we also are "sons of God" (e.g., I John 3:2) by special creation?not physically but spiritually.
But it is never applied in this sense to Christ, for He is not a created son of God (as the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cultists teach), but a begotten Son of God--in fact, theonly begotten Son of God. He never had a beginning, for He was there in the beginning (John 1:1). In His prayer to the Father in the upper room, He spoke of "the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5).
In that wonderful Old Testament Christmas prophecy about His coming human birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), we are told that His "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." His human body was, indeed, "brought forth" from "she which travaileth" (Micah 5:3). But long before that, He had been everlastingly going forth from "the bosom of the Father." As noted in John 1:18, He was still "in the bosom of the Father," even while He was on Earth manifesting the Father.
These truths are beyond our full comprehension, of course, for they are all part of the great mystery of the Tri-une Godhead. Christ is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15), for as He said: "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30).
Question: "What does it mean that Jesus is God's only begotten son?"
Answer:The phrase “only begotten Son” occurs inJohn 3:16, which reads in the King James Version as, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The phrase "only begotten" translates the Greek wordmonogenes. This word is variously translated into English as "only," "one and only," and "only begotten."
It's this last phrase ("only begotten" used in the KJV, NASB and the NKJV) that causes problems. False teachers have latched onto this phrase to try to prove their false teaching that Jesus Christ isn't God; i.e., that Jesus isn't equal in essence to God as the Second Person of the Trinity. They see the word "begotten" and say that Jesus is a created being because only someone who had a beginning in time can be "begotten." What this fails to note is that "begotten" is an English translation of a Greek word. As such, we have to look at the original meaning of the Greek word, not transfer English meanings into the text.
So what doesmonogenesmean? According to theGreek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature(BAGD, 3rd Edition),monogeneshas two primary definitions. The first definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship." This is its meaning inHebrews 11:17when the writer refers to Isaac as Abraham's "only begotten son" (KJV). Abraham had more than one son, but Isaac was the only son he had by Sarah and the only son of the covenant. Therefore, it is the uniqueness of Isaac among the other sons that allows for the use ofmonogenesin that context.
The second definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind." This is the meaning that is implied inJohn 3:16(see alsoJohn 1:14,18;3:18;1 John 4:9). John was primarily concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31), and he usesmonogenesto highlight Jesus as uniquely God's Son—sharing the same divine nature as God—as opposed to believers who are God's sons and daughters by adoption (Ephesians 1:5). Jesus is God’s “one and only” Son.
The bottom line is that terms such as "Father" and "Son," descriptive of God and Jesus, are human terms that help us understand the relationship between the different Persons of the Trinity. If you can understand the relationship between a human father and a human son, then you can understand, in part, the relationship between the First and Second Persons of the Trinity. The analogy breaks down if you try to take it too far and teach, as some Christian cults (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses), that Jesus was literally "begotten" as in “produced” or “created” by God the Father.
62.Our Passover 1Co 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. MKJV
1Co 5:7 Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be dough of a new kind; for in fact you *are* free from corruption. For our Passover Lamb has already been offered in sacrifice--even Christ.
WNT
Purge out therefore ... - Put away; free yourselves from.
The old leaven - The apostle here takes occasion, from the mention of leaven, to exhort the Corinthians to put away vice and sin. The figure is derived from the custom of the Jews in putting away leaven at the celebration of the passover. By the OLD leaven he means vice and sin; and also here the person who had committed the sin in their church. As the Jews, at the celebration of the passover, gave all diligence in removing leaven from their houses - searching every part of their dwellings with candles, that they might remove every particle of leavened bread from their habitations - so the apostle exhorts them to use all diligence to search out and remove all sin.
That ye may be a new lump - That you may be like a new mass of flour, or dough, before the leaven is put into it. That you may be pure, and free from the corrupting principle.
As ye are unleavened - That is, as ye are bound by your Christian profession to be unleavened, or to be pure. Your very profession implies this, and you ought, therefore, to remove all impurity, and to become holy. Let there be no impurity, and no mixture inconsistent with that holiness which the gospel teaches and requires. The apostle here does not refer merely to the case of the incestuous person, but he takes occasion to exhort them to put away all sin. Not only to remove this occasion of offence, but to remove all impurity, that they might become entirely and only holy. The doctrine is, that Christians are by their profession holy, and that therefore they ought to give all diligence to remove everything that is impure.
For even Christ ... - As the Jews, when their paschal lamb was slain, gave great diligence to put away all leaven from their dwellings, so we Christians, since our passover is slain, ought to give the like diligence to remove all that is impure and corrupting from our hearts - There can be no doubt here that the paschal lamb was a type of the Messiah; and as little that the leaven was understood to be emblematic of impurity and sin, and that their being required to put it away was intended to be an emblematic action designed to denote that all sin was to be removed and forsaken.
Our passover - Our “paschal lamb,” for so the word πάσχα pascha usually signifies. The sense is, “We Christians have a paschal lamb; and that lamb is the Messiah. And as the Jews, when their paschal lamb was slain, were required to put away all leaven from their dwellings, so we, when our paschal lamb is slain, should put away all sin from our hearts and from our churches.” This passage proves that Paul meant to teach that Christ had “taken the place” of the paschal lamb - that that lamb was designed to adumbrate or typify him - and that consequently when he was offered, the paschal offering was designed to cease. Christ is often in the Scriptures compared to a lamb. See Isa_53:7; Joh_1:29; 1Pe_1:19; Rev_5:6, Rev_5:12.
Is sacrificed for us - Margin, Or “slain” (ἐτυθη etuthē). The word θύω thuō may mean simply to slay or kill; but it is also used often in the sense of making a sacrifice as an expiation for sin; Act_14:13, Act_14:18; 1Co_10:20; compare Gen_31:54; Gen_45:1; Exo_3:18; Exo_5:3, Exo_5:8,Exo_5:17; Exo_8:8, Exo_8:25-29; Exo_13:15; Exo_20:24; 2Ch_15:16, where it is used as the translation of the word זבח zaabach, “to sacrifice.” It is used as the translation of this word no less than 98 times in the Old Testament, and perhaps always in the sense of a “sacrifice,” or bloody offering. It is also used as the translation of the Hebrew word טבח Taabach, and שׁחט shaachat, to slay, to kill, etc. in Exo_12:21; 1Ki_11:19; 2Ki_25:7; 2Ch_29:22, etc.; in all in eleven places in the Old Testament. It is used in a similar sense in the New Testament, in Mat_22:4; Luk_15:23, Luk_15:27, Luk_15:30; Joh_10:10; Act_10:13; Act_11:7. It occurs no where else in the New Testament than in the places which have been specified - The true sense of the word here is, therefore, to be found in the doctrine respecting the passover. That that was intended to be a sacrifice for sin is proved by the nature of the offering, and by the account which is everywhere given of it in the Old Testament. The paschal lamb was slain as a sacrifice. It was slain in the temple; its blood was poured out as an offering; it was sprinkled and offered by the priests in the same way as other sacrifices; see Exo_23:18; Exo_34:25; 2Ch_30:15-16. And if so, then this passage means that Christ was offered “as a sacrifice for sin” - in accordance with the numerous passages of the New Testament, which speak of his death in this manner (see the note at Rom_3:25); and that his offering was designed to take the place of the paschal sacrifice, under the ancient economy.
For us - For us who are Christians. He died in our stead; and as the Jews, when celebrating their paschal feast, put away all leaven, so we, as Christians, should put away all evil from our hearts, since that sacrifice has now been made once for all. Barnes Notes
63. Physician Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard, He said to them, The ones who are whole do not need a physician, but the ones who are sick.
They that be whole need not a physician - A common proverb, which none could either misunderstand or misapply. Of it the reader may make the following use: -
1. Jesus Christ represents himself here as the sovereign Physician of souls.
2. That all stand in need of his healing power.
3. That men must acknowledge their spiritual maladies, and the need they have of his mercy, in order to be healed by him.
4. That it is the most inveterate and dangerous disease the soul can be afflicted with to imagine itself whole, when the sting of death, which is sin, has pierced it through in every part, infusing its poison every where.A.C.
64. Potentate 1Ti 6:15 For He in His own time will reveal who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
Who is the blessed and only Potentate - God, who is the ruler over all. The word used here - δυνάστης dunastēs - means one who is “mighty” Luk_1:22, then a prince or ruler; compare Act_8:27. It is applied here to God as the mighty ruler over the universe.
65.The Prince of Life .Act 3:15 And you killed the Prince of Life, whom God has raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.Act 5:31 Him God has exalted to His right hand as Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Prince archēgos Thayer Definition:1) the chief leader, prince 1a) of Christ
2) one that takes the lead in anything and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer
3) the author
Acts 3:15 NIV. You killed the Author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
The Prince of life (ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς)
The Greek brings out by the position of these words what Bengel calls "the magnificent antithesis" between a murderer and the Prince of life. "Ye demanded a murderer, but the Prince of life ye killed." This is the only place where the phrase occurs. Ἀρχηγός, though sometimes rendered prince, means, primarily, beginning, and thence originator, author. Better here as Rev., in margin, author, and so by Rev. at Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 12:2.VWS
And killed the Prince of life - The word rendered “prince” denotes properly “a military leader or commander.” Hence, in Heb_2:10, it is translated “captain:” “It became him ...to make the “Captain of their salvation” perfect through sufferings.” As a captain or commander leads on to victory and is said to obtain it, so the word comes to denote one who is the “cause,” the “author,” the “procurer,” etc. In this sense it is used, Act_5:31, “Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel,” etc. In Heb_12:2 it is properly rendered author, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” The word “author,” or “giver,” would express the meaning of the word here. It also implies that he has dominion over life; an idea, indeed, which is essentially connected with that of his being the author of it. The word “life” here is used in a large sense, as denoting “all manner of life.” In this sense it is used in reference to Christ in Joh_1:4, “In him was life.” Compare Joh_5:26; 1Jo_5:11; 1Co_15:45. Jesus is here called the Prince of life in contrast with him whom the Jews demanded in his place, Barabbas. He was a murderer Luk_23:19; Mar_15:7, one who had destroyed life, and yet they demanded that he whose character it was to destroy life should be released, and the Author of life be put to death.Barnes
66.Prophet Act 3:22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, "The Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet to like unto our brothers, One like me. You shall hear Him in all things, whatever He may say to you. MKJV
Muslims try to say that this verse refers to Mohamoud.This cannot be true because he is not a Son of David , from Israel. M. did not foretell the future as only Jehovah knows the future.
Christ is the Prophet foretold in the Old Testament.
a prophet ... like unto me — particularly in intimacy of communication with God (Num_12:6-8), and as the mediatorial Head of a new order of things (Heb_3:2-6). Peter takes it for granted that, in the light of all he had just said, it would be seen at once that One only had any claim to be that Prophet.
him shall ye hear in all things, etc. — This part of the prediction is emphatically added, in order to shut up the audience to the obedience of faith, on pain of being finally “cut off” from the congregation of the righteous (Psa_1:1).JFB
prophētēs Greek
Thayer Definition: 2) one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation
All others saying they are the Prophet are impostors.
67.Propitiation 1Jn 2:2 And He is the propitiation concerning our sins, and not concerning ours only, but also concerning the sins of all the world. 1Jn 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation concerning our sins.
Propitiation hilasmos Thayer Definition:
1) an appeasing, propitiating
2) the means of appeasing, a propitiation
And he is our propitiation — Greek, “And Himself.” He is our all-prevailing Advocate, because He is Himself “the propitiation”; abstract, as in 1Co_1:30 : He is to us all that is needed for propitiation “in behalf of our sins”; the propitiatory sacrifice, provided by the Father’s love, removing the estrangement, and appeasing the righteous wrath, on God’s part, against the sinner. “There is no incongruity that a father should be offended with that son whom he loveth, and at that time offended with him when he loveth him” [Bishop Pearson]. The only other place in the New Testament where Greek “propitiation” occurs, is 1Jo_4:10; it answers in the Septuagint to Hebrew, “caphar,” to effect an atonement or reconciliation with God; and in Eze_44:29, to the sin offering. In Rom_3:25, Greek, it is “propitiatory,” that is, the mercy seat, or lid of the ark whereon God, represented by the Shekinah glory above it, met His people, represented by the high priest who sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on it.
68. The Power of God.1Co 1:24 But to them, the called-out ones, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.
He is "the power of God"; this is opposed to the Jews who stumbled at his weakness, his sufferings and death, even the death of the cross; and is to be understood of him, not as God, in which sense he is Mighty, yea, the Almighty, and which appears by his works of creation and providence; but as Mediator, and of him in his low and mean estate, and even when he was crucified through weakness; in respect to that very thing in which he was weakness, and so stumbling, to others, he is to them that are called the power of God; as is clear by his bearing all the sins of his people in his own body, on the tree, the cross whereon he was crucified, and all the punishment due thereunto; and yet he failed not, nor was he discouraged, nor did he give out, till he had satisfied law and justice perfectly, and made a full end of sin, and an entire reconciliation for iniquity;
as also by destroying, by his death, the devil, who had the power of death, and spoiling all his principalities and powers, triumphing over them on his cross; by redeeming his people from all their sins, and the curse of the law, and from him that was stronger than they; by abolishing death, and at last raising himself from the dead; all which show him, even when and "though" crucified, to be the power of God, or to be possessed of Almighty power; for these are things which a mere creature could never have done: and he is "the wisdom of God", also, in the account of these persons; and which likewise is to be understood, it being opposed to the opinions the Greeks had of him, not of him as the essential wisdom of God, as he is the wise Creator and Governor of the universe; but of him as Mediator, and in respect to that for which the Greeks accounted him foolishness: for in redemption and salvation by a crucified Christ, he is the Power and Wisdom of God.J.Gill
69.The Purifier Mal 3:3 And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may be offerers of a food offering in righteousness to Jehovah.
Purifier H2891 טהר ṭâhêr
BDB Definition: 1) to be clean, be pure 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be clean (physically - of disease)
1a2) to be clean ceremonially 1a3) to purify, be clean morally, make clean
1b) (Piel) 1b1) to cleanse, purify 1b1a) physically 1b1b) ceremonially 1b1c) morally
1b2) to pronounce clean 1b3) to perform the ceremony of cleansing
1c) (Pual) to be cleansed, be pronounced clean
1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to purify oneself 1d1a) ceremonially 1d1b) morally 1d2) to present oneself for purification
And he shall sit as a refiner, and purifier of silver,.... Kimchi interprets this, as he does the latter part of the preceding verse Mal_3:2, of the day, and not of the Lord, which he compares to a judge that sits and separates the guilty from the innocent; see 1Co_3:13 but it is to be understood of the Lord himself, and expresses his diligence in sitting and separating good men and principles from bad ones, just as silver is purified and refined from dross.
as a refiner sits and observes his metal while it is melting, and waits the proper time to pour it out and separate the dross from it; so Christ is here represented as sitting, while his people are purifying and refining by the various ways and means he makes use of: it denotes the continued care of Christ over them; his eye is upon them, that nothing be lost but their dross and corruption; and his patience in waiting to be gracious to them, and do them good; and his diligent attention to the proper season of doing it; designing by all that he does, not their hurt and damage, but their real good, for he saves them, though it be by fire; and indeed every trial and affliction is for the purifying of their souls, and the brightening of their graces, and increasing their spiritual experience, light, and knowledge. J.Gill
70.Refuge Isa 25:4 For You are a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the fearful ones is like a storm against the wall.
A refuge - A place of safety; a retreat; a protection. God is often spoken of as such a refuge; Deu_33:27 : ‘The eternal God is thy refuge.’ 2Sa_22:3; Psa_9:9; Psa_14:6; Psa_46:1, Psa_46:7, Psa_46:11; Psa_57:1; Psa_59:16)
From the storm - This word (זרם zerem) usually denotes a tempest of wind and rain. Here it is put for calamity and affliction. The figure is common in all languages.
2Sa 22:3 The God who is my Rock, in Him will I trust. He is my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower, and my Refuge, my Savior. You save me from violence.
71. Our Righteousness Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is His name by which He shall be called, JEHOVAH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jer 33:16 In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this is the name with which she shall be called, JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
the LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS - Messiah is here called:
(1) Yahweh, and
(2) our righteousness, because He justifies us by His merits.
Some render, He by whom Yahweh works righteousness. Righteousness is in that case personal holiness, which is the work of the Spirit after justification.
Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on Jer_23:6 exhibits the welfare which the "branch" will, by His wise and just rule, secure for the people. Judah shall be blessed with welfare (נֹושַׁע), and Israel dwell safely; that blessing will come into fulfilment which Moses set before the people's view in Deu_33:28. יְהוּדָה as the totality of the inhabitants is construed as feminine, as in Jer_3:7; Jer_14:2, etc. Israel denotes the ten tribes. Under the just sceptre of the Messiah, all Israel will reach the destiny designed for it by the Lord, will, as God's people, attain to full dignity and glory.
This is the name by which they shall call Him, the branch of David: Jahveh our Righteousness. The suffix in יִקְרְאֹו refers to "righteous branch." Instead of the 3 pers. sing. יִקְרָא with the suffix ו, some codd. have the plur. יִקְרְאוּ. This some polemical authors, such as Raim., Martini, Galatin, hold to be the true reading; and they affirmed the other had proceeded from the Jews, with the design of explaining away the deity of the Messiah. The Jews translated, they said: This is the name whereby Jahveh will call him: Our Righteousness; which is indeed the rendering of R. Saad. Gaon apud Aben Ezra, and of Menasse ben Israel. But this rendering is rejected by most Jewish comm. as being at variance with the accents, so that the impugned reading could not well have been invented by the Jews for polemical purposes. יִקְרְאֹו is attested by most codd., and is rendered by the lxx, so that the sense can be none other than: they will call the righteous branch of David "Jahveh our Righteousness."
72. Our Rock Deu 32:15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. You grew fat, thick, and satisfied. Then he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
The Rock of his salvation - He ceased to depend on the fountain whence his salvation issued; and thinking highly of himself, he lightly esteemed his God; and having ceased to depend on him, his fall became inevitable. The figure is admirably well supported through the whole verse. We see, first, a miserable, lean steed, taken under the care and into the keeping of a master who provides him with an abundance of provender. We see, secondly, this horse waxing fat under this keeping. We see him, thirdly, breaking away from his master, leaving his rich pasturage, and running to the wilderness, unwilling to bear the yoke or harness, or to make any returns for his master’s care and attention. We see, fourthly, whence this conduct proceeds - from a want of consciousness that his strength depends upon his master’s care and keeping; and a lack of consideration that leanness and wretchedness must be the consequence of his leaving his master’s service, and running off from his master’s pasturage. How easy to apply all these points to the case of the Israelites! and how illustrative of their former and latter state! And how powerfully do they apply to the case of many called Christians, who, having increased in riches, forget that God from whose hand alone those mercies flowed! A.Clark
73.The Rod [shoot] Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
The Shoot out of the Stump of Jesse.
J. Gill Comments And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,.... By which is meant, not Hezekiah, as R. Moses (o) the priest, and others, since he was now born, and must be at least ten or twelve years of age; but the Messiah, as both the text and context show, and as is owned by many Jewish writers (p), ancient and modern: and he is called a "rod", either because of his unpromising appearance, arising "out of the stem of Jesse"; from him, in the line of David, when that family was like a tree cut down, and its stump only left in the ground, which was the case when Jesus was born of it: Jesse's family was at first but a mean and obscure one; it became very illustrious in David's time, and in some following reigns; from the Babylonish captivity, till the time of Christ, it was very low; and at the birth of Christ was low indeed, his supposed father being a carpenter, and his real mother Mary a poor virgin, dwelling at Nazareth; and it seemed very unlikely, under these circumstances, that he should be the King Messiah, and be so great as was foretold he should; and have that power, authority, and wisdom he had; and do such mighty works as he did; and especially be the author of eternal salvation; and bring forth such fruits, and be the cause of such blessings of grace, as he was: or else because of his kingly power and majesty, the rod or branch being put for a sceptre, and so a symbol of that; to which the Targum agrees, paraphrasing the words thus,
"and a King shall come forth from the sons of Jesse:''
K&D Commentary :This is the fate of the imperial power of the world. When the axe is laid to it, it falls without hope. But in Israel spring is returning. “And there cometh forth a twig out of the stump of Jesse, and a shoot from its roots bringeth forth fruit.” The world-power resembles the cedar-forest of Lebanon; the house of David, on the other hand, because of its apostasy, is like the stump of a felled tree (geza‛, truncus, from gâza‛, truncare), like a root without stem, branches, or crown. The world-kingdom, at the height of its power, presents the most striking contrast to Israel and the house of David in the uttermost depth announced in Isa_6:1-13 fin., mutilated and reduced to the lowliness of its Bethlehemitish origin. But whereas the Lebanon of the imperial power is thrown down, to remain prostrate; the house of David renews its youth. And whilst the former has no sooner reached the summit of its glory, than it is suddenly cast down; the latter, having been reduced to the utmost danger of destruction, is suddenly exalted. Out of the stump of Jesse, i.e., out of the remnant of the chosen royal family which has sunk down to the insignificance of the house from which it sprang, there comes forth a twig (choter), which promises to supply the place of the trunk and crown; and down below, in the roots covered with earth, and only rising a little above it, there shows itself a nētzer, i.e., a fresh green shoot (from nâtzēr, to shine or blossom). In the historical account of the fulfilment, even the ring of the words of the prophecy is noticed: the nētzer, at first so humble and insignificant, was a poor despised Nazarene (Mat_2:23). But the expression yiphreh shows at once that it will not stop at this lowliness of origin. The shoot will bring forth fruit (pârâh, different in meaning, and possibly
. Nevertheless peri and perach bear the same relation to one another, in the ordinary usage of the language, as fruit and blossom: the former is so called, as that which has broken through (cf., pĕtĕr); the latter, as that which has broken up, or budded.)
also in root, from pârach, to blossom and bud). In the humble beginning there lies a power which will carry it up to a great height by a steady and certain process (Eze_17:22-23). The twig which is shooting up on the ground will become a tree, and this tree will have a crown laden with fruit. Consequently the state of humiliation will be followed by one of exaltation and perfection.
Barnes Notes A rod - (חטר choṭı̂r). This word occurs in but one other place; Pro_14:3 : ‘In the mouth of the foolish is a “rod” of pride.’ Here it means, evidently, a branch, a twig, a shoot, such as starts up from the roots of a decayed tree, and is synonymous with the word rendered “branch” (צמח tsemach) in Isa_4:2; see the Note on that place.
Out of the stem - (מגזע mı̂geza‛). This word occurs but three times in the Old Testament; see Job_14:8; where it is rendered “stock:” Though the root thereof wax old in the earth,And the stock thereof die in the ground;
And in Isa_40:24 : ‘Yea, their “stock” shall not take root in the earth.’ It means, therefore, the stock or stump of a tree that has been cut down - a stock, however, which may not be quite dead, but where it may send up a branch or shoot from its roots. It is beautifully applied to an ancient family that is fallen into decay, yet where there may be a descendant that shall rise and flourish; as a tree may fall and decay, but still there may be vitality in the root, and it shall send up a tender germ or sprout.
Of Jesse - The father of David. It means, that he who is here spoken of should be of the family of Jesse, or David. Though Jesse had died, and though the ancient family of David would fall into decay, yet there would arise from that family an illustrious descendant. The beauty of this description is apparent, if we bear in recollection that, when the Messiah was born, the ancient and much honored family of David had fallen into decay; that the mother of Jesus, though pertaining to that family, was poor, obscure, and unknown; and that, to all appearance, the glory of the family had departed. Yet from that, as from a long-decayed root in the ground, he should spring who would restore the family to more than its ancient glory, and shed additional luster on the honored name of Jesse.
And a branch - (נצר nêtser). A twig, branch, or shoot; a slip, scion, or young sucker of a tree, that is selected for transplanting, and that requires to be watched with special care. The word occurs but four times; Isa_60:21 : ‘They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting;’ Isa_14:19 : ‘But thou art cast out of thy grave as an abominable branch;’ Dan_11:7. The word rendered branch in Jer_23:5; Jer_33:15, is a different word in the original (צמח tsemach), though meaning substantially the same thing. The word “branch” is also used by our translators, in rendering several other Hebrew words; “see” Taylor’s “Concordance.” Here the word is synonymous with that which is rendered “rod” in the previous part of the verse - a shoot, or twig, from the root of a decayed tree.
Out of his roots - As a shoot starts up from the roots of a decayed tree. The Septuagint renders this, ‘And a flower (ἄνθος anthos) shall arise from the root.’ The Chaldee, ‘And a king shall proceed from the sons of Jesse, and the Messiah from his sons’ sons shall arise;’ showing conclusively that the ancient Jews referred this to Messiah.
74. The Root of David
Rev 22:16 I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify these things to you over the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star.
I am the root - Not the root in the sense that David sprang from him, as a tree does from a root, but in the sense that he was the “root-shoot” of David, or that he himself sprang from him, as a sprout starts up from a decayed and fallen tree - as of the oak, the willow, the chestnut, etc. See this explained in the notes on Isa_11:1. The meaning then is, not that he was the ancestor of David, or that David sprang from him, but that he was the offspring of David, according to the promise in the Scripture, that the Messiah should be descended from him. No argument, then, can be derived from this passage in proof of the pre-existence, or the divinity of Christ.
And the offspring - The descendant; the progeny of David; “the seed of David according to the flesh.” See the notes on Rom_1:3. It is not unusual to employ two words in close connection to express the same idea with some slight shade of difference. Barnes Notes
Adam Clark says, “I am the root and the offspring of David - Christ is the root of David as to his Divine nature; for from that all the human race sprang, for he is the Creator of all things, and without him was nothing made which is made. And he is the offspring of David as to his human nature; for that he took of the stock of David, becoming thereby heir to the Jewish throne, and the only heir which then existed; and it is remarkable that the whole regal family terminated in Christ: and as He liveth for ever, he is the alone true David and everlasting King.
75. The Rose of Sharon
 
Well.... this interesting and colorful plant has a storied background and some common mis-interpretations about its name and origin. The name Hibiscus syriacus as named by Linnaeus suggests that it is a native of Syria, not so. The plant is actually a native of eastern Asia, and is the national flower of South Korea, the name in Korean actually means immortal flower. As to the biblical connotations for this plant there seems to be a bit of name switching, the actual biblical "Rose of Sharon" the plant and not the personage of Jesus is a type of crocus that grows on the coastal plain of Sharon, some also believe that it could be a type of Tulipa..a bright red flower (tulip type) that grows prolifically on the hills of Sharon........................Well...... that is how stores are made, either way the Rose of Sharon, Althea, or Hibiscus syriacus, has been a staple in Texas and American gardens for generations, try one, it will add a bit of color and a lot of interesting history to your garden......
<www.garden.org>
Son 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
JFB Commentary says rose — if applied to Jesus Christ, it, with the white lily (lowly, 2Co_8:9), answers to “white and ruddy” (Son_5:10). But it is rather the meadow-saffron: the Hebrew means radically a plant with a pungent bulb, inapplicable to the rose. So Syriac. It is of a white and violet color [Maurer, Gesenius, and Weiss]. The bride thus speaks of herself as lowly though lovely, in contrast with the lordly “apple” or citron tree, the bridegroom (Son_2:3); so the “lily” is applied to her (Son_2:2),
Sharon — (Isa_35:1, Isa_35:2). In North Palestine, between Mount Tabor and Lake Tiberias (1Ch_5:16). Septuagint and Vulgate translate it, “a plain”; though they err in this, the Hebrew Bible not elsewhere favoring it, yet the parallelism to valleys shows that, in the proper name Sharon, there is here a tacit reference to its meaning of lowliness. Beauty, delicacy, and lowliness, are to be in her, as they were in Him (Mat_11:29).
 
76. Sacrifice Eph 5:2 And live and act lovingly, as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up to death on our behalf as an offering and sacrifice to God, yielding a fragrant odour. WNT
Eph 5:2 and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell. RV.
The Sacrifice of Jesus
Christians understand Christ's death on the cross to be a necessary atonement for the sins of humankind. In the first generation after Jesus' death, the apostle Paul wrote: For I delivered to you first of all, what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day. . . I Corinthians 15: 3-4. Christ 's death was the final sacrifice, which superseded the need for animal sacrifices offered in the past by the high priest: Having therefore a great high priest who has passed into the heavens, Jesus Son of God. . . because he continues forever, he has an everlasting priesthood. (Hebrews 4: 14, 7:24). Christ was both priest and sacrificial victim.
Christianity often refers to Jesus’ Passion as the "ultimate" or "perfect" sacrifice. The Christian church believed that Christ’s death occurred as the ultimate expiation of sins and that it annulled the need for sacrifices named by the Old Testament. Christians turned from the notion of animal sacrifice to self-sacrifice. The methods by which Christians presented themselves as purified of sin, then, could be understood as a form of sacrifice. Baptism, the Lords Supper (the Eucharist), and martyrdom are major traditions of Christian sacrifice. All of these acts are necessary for redemption. Using Jesus as an exemplar, Christians believed that one could only gain redemption through sacrifice. These beliefs and traditions illustrate the importance of blood in Christian spiritual cleansing.
The Sacrifice of Martyrdom
This idea of a living sacrifice was bound to the Christian tradition by blood. Baptism and martyrdom were efforts to cleanse and redeem oneself from earthly, mortal evil. When a person was baptized, he or she confessed his/her belief in Jesus as the Christ thereby admitting that Christ’s blood, shed on the cross, was Jesus’ self-sacrifice for the forgiveness of all sins. The proclamation of this belief in the "perfect sacrifice" provided one with redemption. http://www2.kenyon.edu
Christ Died for the Ungodly.
Ever since the Garden of Eden, Sacrifice has been shown to be the acceptable means for covering of man’s sin. God clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac but God provided a substitute, a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. This is a picture of what Christ did for us. All through the OT there were continual sacrifices. Christ came to fulfill those sacrifices as the perfect final sacrifice for sin. He is our PROPITIATION by His sacrifice. That is, God is satisified and we are reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of His Son. Romans 5:6-8; and Hebrews chapters 8-10
Do you believe and accept the Sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour as sufficient to deal with your sin; undoneness; and brokenness? Just accept Him today and He will cleanse you by His blood from all wickedness. 1 Jn 1:7-9
77. The Only SAVIOUR.
He was Called Saviour by His Mother.
Luk 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Luk 1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luk 1:48 For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
In God my Saviour - God is called “Saviour,” as he saves people from sin and death. He was “Mary’s” Saviour, as he had redeemed her soul and given her a title to eternal life; and she rejoiced for that, and especially for his mercy in honoring her by her being made the mother of the Messiah.Barnes
Saviour σωτήρ sōtēr Greek Thayer Definition:
1) saviour, deliverer, preserver
He was called Saviour by the Angels on the Day of His Birth
Luk 2:11 For a Saviour who is the Anointed Lord is born to you to-day, in the town of David.
He was called Saviour by the men of Samaria
Joh 4:42 and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe in Him simply because of your statements; for we have now heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world."
78.The Second Man. 1Co 15:45 In the same way also it is written, "THE FIRST MAN ADAM BECAME A LIVING ANIMAL"; the last Adam is a life-giving Spirit.
1Co 15:46 Nevertheless, it is not what is spiritual that came first, but what is animal; what is spiritual came afterwards.
1Co 15:47 The first man is a man of earth, earthy; the second man is from Heaven.
The second man from heaven (ho deuteros anthrōpos ex ouranou). Christ had a human (psuchikon) body, of course, but Paul makes the contrast between the first man in his natural body and the Second Man in his risen body. Paul saw Jesus after his resurrection and he appeared to him “from heaven.” He will come again from heaven. RWP
<icr.com> Henry Morris comments There is no need to speculate. The Bible solves the problem when it speaks of "the first man Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45) and says that Eve "was the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20). There were no "pre-Adamite men" (as even some Christians have alleged, hoping thereby to accommodate evolutionary speculations).
Adam alone was "the first man," and he had been formed directly by God "of the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7)--that is, out of the same basic elements as those in the earth (carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, etc.). He was "earthy," like the materials of the earth. But then, how can Jesus Christ, who is "the Lord from heaven," be the "second man?" Adam had millions of male descendants before Jesus was born.
The answer can only be that He was "the second man" in the same way that Adam was "the first man." That is, His human body, like that of Adam, was directly made by God, from earth's elements--not produced by reproduction, like all other men. He was "made flesh" (John 1:14), but only made "in the likeness of sinful flesh," for He must not inherit the sinful flesh of His human parents, if He is to "|condemn| sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). "A body hast thou prepared me," He said (Hebrews 10:5), and as the angel told Mary: "that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). HMM
79. The Seed of Abraham Gal 3:16 (Now the promises were given to Abraham and to his seed. God did not say "and to seeds," as if speaking of many, but "and to your seed," since He spoke of only one--and this is Christ.)
Gal 3:19 Why then was the Law given? It was imposed later on for the sake of defining sin, until the seed should come to whom God had made the promise; and its details were laid down by a mediator with the help of angels.
v.16 He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one ... - He does not use the plural term, as if the promise extended to many persons, but he speaks in the singular number, as if only one was intended; and that one must be the Messiah. Such is Paul’s interpretation; such is evidently the sentiment which he intends to convey, and the argument which he intends to urge. He designs evidently to be understood as affirming that in the use of the singular number σπέρμα sperma (seed), instead of the plural σπέρματα spermata (seeds), there is a fair ground of argument to demonstrate that the promise related to Christ or the Messiah, and to him primarily if not exclusively. Now no one probably ever read this passage without feeling a difficulty, and without asking himself whether this argument is sound, and is worthy a man of candour, and especially of an inspired man. Some of the difficulties in the passage are these:
(1) The promise referred to in Genesis seems to have related to the posterity of Abraham at large, without any particular reference to an individual. It is to his seed; his descendants; to all his seed or posterity. Such would be the fair and natural interpretation should it be read by hundreds or thousands of persons who had never heard of the interpretation here put upon it by Paul.
(2) the argument of the apostle seems to proceed on the supposition that the word “seed” σπέρμα sperma, that is, posterity, here cannot refer to more than one person. If it had, says he, it would be in the plural number. But the fact is, that the word is often used to denote posterity at large; to refer to descendants without limitation, just as the word posterity is with us; and it is a fact, moreover, that the word is not used in the plural at all to denote a posterity, the singular form being constantly employed for that purpose.
Anyone who will open Tromm’s Concordance to the Septuagint, or Schmids’ Concordance on the New Testament will see the most ample confirmation of this remark. Indeed the plural form of the word is never used except in this place in Galatians. The difficulty, therefore, is, that the remark here of Paul appears to be a trick of argument, or a quibble more worthy of a trifling Jewish Rabbi, than of a serious reasoner or an inspired man. I have stated this difficulty freely, just as I suppose it has struck hundreds of minds, because I do not wish to shrink from any real difficulty in examining the Bible, but to see whether it can be fairly met. In meeting it, expositors have resorted to various explanations, most of them, as it seems to me, unsatisfactory, and it is not necessary to detail them. Dr. Burner, Doddridge, and some others suppose that the apostle means to say that the promises made to Abraham were not only appropriated to one class of his descendants, that is, to those by Isaac, but that they centred in one illustrious person, through whom all the rest are made partakers of the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. Gen_13:15 or Gen_17:7. Barnes Notes
80. The Seed of David. 2Ti 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel,
Rom 1:3 about His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh,
J. Gill’s comment “Christ being of the seed of David, according to the flesh, or human nature, is expressive of his incarnation; shows that he was really come in the flesh, and was truly man; and that he assumed human nature with all its frailties and infirmities, excepting sin, and was, like David, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with griefs; and it includes his whole life, and his righteousness, and obedience to the law of works, and points him out as the true Messiah, who was well known to the Jews by the name of the son of David.”
Barnes Notes “Of the seed of David - Of the posterity or lineage of David. He was a descendant of David. David was perhaps the most illustrious of the kings of Israel. The promise to him was that there should not fail a man to sit on this throne; 1Ki_2:4; 1Ki_8:25; 1Ki_9:5; 2Ch_6:16. This ancient promise was understood as referring to the Messiah, and hence, in the New Testament he is called the descendant of David, and so much pains is taken to show that he was of his line; Luk_1:27; Mat_9:27; Mat_15:22; Mat_12:23; Mat_21:9, Mat_21:15; Mat_22:42, Mat_22:45; Joh_7:42; 2Ti_2:8. As the Jews universally believed that the Messiah would be descended from David Joh_7:42, it was of great importance for the sacred writers to make it out clearly that Jesus of Nazareth was of that line and family.
Hence, it happened, that though our Saviour was humble, and poor, and obscure, yet he had that on which no small part of the world have been accustomed so much to pride themselves, an illustrious ancestry. To a Jew there could be scarcely any honour so high as to be descended from the best of their kings; and it shows how little the Lord Jesus esteemed the honours of this world, that he could always evince his deep humility in circumstances where people are usually proud; and that when he spoke of the honours of this world, and told how little they were worth, he was not denouncing what was not within his reach.
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