[40] [Paul speaking], “Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: [41] ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.’” [42] So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. [43] Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. [44] On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. [45] But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.1
שְׁמַע יִשׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד [šemaʿ yiśrāʾēl Yahweh ʾělōhênû Yahweh eḥāḏ] (Deu. 6:4)
בָרוּךְ שֵׁם כָּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד [ḇārûk šēm kāḇôḏ malḵûṯô leʿôlām wāʿeḏ] (Ps. 72:19 with additions)7
Hear, O’ Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Blessed [be His] glorious name. [May] His Kingdom be forever and ever.
One of the most difficult and contested passages in the Bible . . . these fifteen verses have attracted an enormous amount of attention from ancient, medieval, and modern scholars. In particular the identity of the servant is vigorously debated. Many argue that the servant symbolizes the entire Jewish people. The passage, then, describes the nation’s unjust tribulations at the hands of the Babylonians . . . as well as the nation’s salvific role for the world at large. Others maintain that the passage describes a pious minority within the Jewish people; this minority suffers as a result of the sins committed by the nation at large. . . . Other scholars argue that the servant in this passage is a specific individual [we are getting warmer] . . . Targum and various midrashim identify the servant as the Messiah [bingo!], but this suggestion is unlikely since nowhere does . . . Isaiah refer to the Messiah, and absence in belief in an individual Messiah is one of the hallmarks of . . . Isaiah’s outlook . . .9
Endnotes:
1. | Acts 13:40-45, NKJV |
2. | Ref-0618, #9449 |
3. | Ref-0617, #2970 |
4. | Ref-0617, #2513 |
5. | New Oxford American Dictionary, 3rd ed. |
6. | Ref-0185, s.v. Grace |
7. | Originally the verse was simply Baruch shem k’vodo l’olam, “Blessed be His glorious name [forever]” (Psalm 72:19), but in time two words, malchuto and va’ed, were added. — http://www.oztorah.com/2011/10/baruch-shem-the-2nd-line-of-the-shema-ask-the-rabbi/ |
8. | For additional background, see Q219 : Rabbinical Avoidance of Jesusd. |
9. | Ref-0934, 890-891 |
10. | Ref-0126, 166 |
11. | “They assembled and planned their assault on the church, putting themselves at the disposal of the devil to carry out his will. They may have claimed to be the assembly of the Lord . . . , but in heaven’s eyes these people were not true Jews, but emissaries of the prime adversary of God and His people, the devil or Satan.”10 |
Sources:
Acts 13:40-45 | Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture references are from the New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
Ref-0126 | Robert L. Thomas, Revelation_1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1992). ISBN:0-8024-9265-7e. |
Ref-0185 | Merrill F. Unger, R. K. Harrison and Howard Frederic Vos, New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1988). |
Ref-0617 | James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). |
Ref-0618 | James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). |
Ref-0934 | Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004). ISBN:0-19-529751-2f. |