◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 89:5-37 (God anoints David to be a son); Genesis 35:1-15 (God calls and blesses Jacob); Acts 10:44-48 (Through Peter God calls Gentiles to be baptized) (New English Translation)

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January 9, 2023

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 89:5-37

⁵O Lord, the heavens^[a] praise your amazing deeds,
as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.^[b]
⁶For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,^[c]
⁷a God who is honored^[d] in the great angelic assembly,^[e]
and more awesome than^[f] all who surround him?
⁸O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!^[g]
Who is strong like you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
⁹You rule over the proud sea.^[h]
When its waves surge,^[i] you calm them.
¹⁰You crushed the Proud One^[j] and killed it;^[k]
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
¹¹The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.
You made the world and all it contains.^[l]
¹²You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon^[m] rejoice in your name.
¹³Your arm is powerful,
your hand strong,
your right hand^[n] victorious.^[o]
¹⁴Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.^[p]
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.^[q]
¹⁵How blessed are the people who worship you!^[r]
O Lord, they experience your favor.^[s]
¹⁶They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated^[t] by your justice.
¹⁷For you give them splendor and strength.^[u]
By your favor we are victorious.^[v]
¹⁸For our shield^[w] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.^[x]
¹⁹Then you^[y] spoke through a vision to your faithful followers^[z] and said:
“I have placed a young hero^[aa] over a warrior;
I have raised up a young man^[ab] from the people.
²⁰I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.^[ac]
²¹My hand will support him,^[ad]
and my arm will strengthen him.
²²No enemy will be able to exact tribute^[ae] from him;^[af]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.^[ag]
²³I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
²⁴He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,^[ah]
and by my name he will win victories.^[ai]
²⁵I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.^[aj]
²⁶He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,^[ak] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’^[al]
²⁷I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,^[am]
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
²⁸I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.^[an]
²⁹I will give him an eternal dynasty,^[ao]
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.^[ap]
³⁰If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,
³¹if they break^[aq] my rules
and do not keep my commandments,
³²I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,^[ar]
their sin by inflicting them with bruises.^[as]
³³But I will not remove^[at] my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise.^[au]
³⁴I will not break^[av] my covenant
or go back on what I promised.^[aw]
³⁵Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive^[ax] David.
³⁶His dynasty will last forever.^[ay]
His throne will endure before me, like the sun;^[az]
³⁷it will remain stable, like the moon.^[ba]
His throne will endure like the skies.”^[bb] (Selah)

Footnotes

Psalm 89:5 tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.
Psalm 89:5 tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).
Psalm 89:6 tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (ʾelim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (v^ene ʾelim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.
Psalm 89:7 tn Heb “feared.”
Psalm 89:7 tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”
Psalm 89:7 tn Or perhaps “feared by.”
Psalm 89:8 tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.
Psalm 89:9 tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”
Psalm 89:9 tn Heb “rise up.”
Psalm 89:10 tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.
Psalm 89:10 tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”
Psalm 89:11 tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”
Psalm 89:12 sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.
Psalm 89:13 sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.
Psalm 89:13 tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).
Psalm 89:14 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
Psalm 89:14 tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).
Psalm 89:15 tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).
Psalm 89:15 tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 89:16 tn Heb “are lifted up.”
Psalm 89:17 tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”
Psalm 89:17 tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:18 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king” here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.
Psalm 89:18 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.
Psalm 89:19 tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.
Psalm 89:19 tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).
Psalm 89:19 tc The MT reads עֵזֶר (ʿezer, “help, strength”), thus “I have placed help on a warrior,” which might effectively mean “I have strengthened a warrior.” The BHS note suggests reading נֵזֶר (nezer, “crown”), similar to the sentiment of anointing in the next verse. HALOT suggests reading עֹזֶר (ʿozer, “hero”) based on an Ugaritic cognate which means “young man, hero, warrior” (HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר). Craigie treats it similarly, taking עזר as “lad/boy/stripling,” parallel to “young man” in the next line, and seeing either David and Saul or David and Goliath as the historical referent (P. C. Craigie, Psalms [WBC], 19:410).
Psalm 89:19 tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”
Psalm 89:20 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
Psalm 89:21 tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.
Psalm 89:22 tn The translation understands the Hiphil of נָשַׁא (nashaʾ) in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “to deceive,” “to trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to יִשָּׂא (yissaʾ), a Qal imperfect from נָאַשׂ (naʾas, “rise up”) and to translate “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 2:317).
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:25 tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).
Psalm 89:26 sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
Psalm 89:26 tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”
Psalm 89:27 sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.
Psalm 89:28 tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love and will make my covenant secure for him.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”
Psalm 89:31 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”sn Despite the harsh image of beating…with a club, the language reflects a father-son relationship (see v. 30; 2 Sam 7:14). According to Proverbs, a שֵׁבֶט (shevet, “club”) was sometimes utilized to administer corporal punishment to rebellious children (see Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15).
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “with blows their sin.”
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “break”; “make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend אָפִיר (ʾafir; the Hiphil of פָּרַר, parar, “to break”) to אָסִיר (ʾasir; the Hiphil of סוּר, sur, “to turn aside”), a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15.
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”
Psalm 89:35 tn Or “lie to.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (v^eʿed) to עוֹלָם (ʿolam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisseʾ, “throne”) and ʿd (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”)—bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested—one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, sh^ekhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

Genesis 35:1-15

The Return to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once^[a] to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”^[b] ²So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you.^[c] Purify yourselves and change your clothes.^[d] ³Let us go up at once^[e] to Bethel. Then I will make^[f] an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress^[g] and has been with me wherever I went.”^[h]

⁴So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession^[i] and the rings that were in their ears.^[j] Jacob buried them^[k] under the oak^[l] near Shechem ⁵and they started on their journey.^[m] The surrounding cities were afraid of God,^[n] and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

⁶Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.^[o] ⁷He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel^[p] because there God had revealed himself^[q] to him when he was fleeing from his brother. ⁸(Deborah,^[r] Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named^[s] Oak of Weeping.)^[t]

⁹God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. ¹⁰God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel.^[u] ¹¹Then God said to him, “I am the Sovereign God.^[v] Be fruitful and multiply! A nation—even a company of nations—will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!^[w] ¹²The land I gave^[x] to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants^[y] I will also give this land.” ¹³Then God went up from the place^[z] where he spoke with him. ¹⁴So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him.^[aa] He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it.^[ab] ¹⁵Jacob named the place^[ac] where God spoke with him Bethel.^[ad]

Footnotes

Genesis 35:1 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
Genesis 35:1 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
Genesis 35:2 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
Genesis 35:2 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.
Genesis 35:3 tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
Genesis 35:3 tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
Genesis 35:3 tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
Genesis 35:3 tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
Genesis 35:4 tn Heb “in their hand.”
Genesis 35:4 tn Or “the rings that were in the ears of the idols.” The third person plural suffix on the word בְּאָזְנֵיהֶם (b^eʾoznehem, “in their ears”) could refer to the members of Jacob’s household or the “gods” which they possessed. Most exegetes understand it to refer to the people, but Victor Hurowitz, “Who Lost an Earring? Genesis 35:4 Reconsidered,” CBQ 62 (2000): 28-32, argues that the earrings were in the ears of the idols.sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham (Genesis [WBC], 2:324) argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem. Whereas if the rings were in the ears of the idols, then getting rid of the idols while not keeping the rings (even for monetary value) emphasizes the extent of putting away the foreign gods and purifying themselves. N. Fox has suggested that ear rings in the idols related to the gods hearing prayers while ear rings in the people symbolized obedience (John Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary I, 119). If so, giving the earrings further symbolized the breaking of relationship with these false gods.
Genesis 35:4 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
Genesis 35:4 tn Or “terebinth.”
Genesis 35:5 tn Heb “and they journeyed.”
Genesis 35:5 tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).
Genesis 35:6 tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan—it is Bethel—he and all the people who were with him.”
Genesis 35:7 sn The name El Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
Genesis 35:7 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
Genesis 35:8 sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about 180 years old when she died.
Genesis 35:8 tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
Genesis 35:8 tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
Genesis 35:10 tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn The name Israel means “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). See Gen 32:28.
Genesis 35:11 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (ʾel shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “Sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
Genesis 35:11 tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”sn A nation…will descend from you. The promise is rooted in the Abrahamic promise (see Gen 17). God confirms what Isaac told Jacob (see Gen 28:3-4). Here, though, for the first time Jacob is promised kings as descendants.
Genesis 35:12 tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the Lord made it certain, but it has the sense “promised to give.”
Genesis 35:12 tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
Genesis 35:13 tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
Genesis 35:14 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
Genesis 35:14 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
Genesis 35:15 sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
Genesis 35:15 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

Acts 10:44-48

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on^[a] all those who heard the message.^[b] ⁴⁵The^[c] circumcised believers^[d] who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished^[e] that^[f] the gift of the Holy Spirit^[g] had been poured out^[h] even on the Gentiles, ⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising^[i] God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷“No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did,^[j] can he?”^[k] ⁴⁸So he gave orders to have them baptized^[l] in the name of Jesus Christ.^[m] Then they asked him to stay for several days.

Footnotes

Acts 10:44 tn Or “came down on.” God now acted to confirm the point of Peter’s speech.
Acts 10:44 tn Or “word.”
Acts 10:45 tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
Acts 10:45 tn Or “The Jewish Christians”; Grk “The believers from the circumcision.”
Acts 10:45 sn The Jewish Christians who were with Peter were greatly astonished because they thought the promise of the Spirit would be limited only to those of Israel. God’s plan was taking on fresh dimensions even as it was a reflection of what the prophets had promised.
Acts 10:45 tn Or “because.”
Acts 10:45 tn That is, the gift consisting of the Holy Spirit. Here τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumatos) is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Spirit.
Acts 10:45 sn The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out. Cf. the account in Acts 2, especially 2:33. Note also Joel 2:17-21 and Acts 11:15-18.
Acts 10:46 tn Or “extolling,” “magnifying.”
Acts 10:47 tn Grk “just as also we.” The auxiliary verb in English must be supplied. This could be either “have” (NIV, NRSV) or “did” (NASB). “Did” is preferred here because the comparison Peter is making concerns not just the fact of the present possession of the Spirit (“they received the Spirit we now possess”), but the manner in which the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house received the Spirit (“they received the Spirit in the same manner we did [on the day of Pentecost]”).
Acts 10:47 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “can he?” The question is rhetorical. Peter was saying these Gentiles should be baptized since God had confirmed they were his.
Acts 10:48 tn The Greek construction (passive infinitive with accusative subject) could be translated either “he ordered them to be baptized” or “he ordered that they be baptized,” but the implication in English in either case is that Peter was giving orders to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house, telling them to get baptized. It is much more likely in the context that Peter was ordering those Jewish Christians who accompanied him to baptize the new Gentile converts. They would doubtless have still had misgivings even after witnessing the outpouring of the Spirit and hearing the tongues. It took Peter’s apostolic authority (“ordered”) to convince them to perform the baptisms.
Acts 10:48 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Jesus’ right to judge as the provider of forgiveness is highlighted here.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Footnotes

The Return to Bethel

Footnotes

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

Footnotes