Acts 15:17

15:17 so that the rest of humanity ¹  may seek the Lord,

namely, ²  all the Gentiles ³  I have called to be my own,’ ⁴  says the Lord, ⁵  who makes these things

Psalms 19:1-6

Psalm 19 ⁶ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; ⁷ 

the sky displays his handiwork. ⁸ 

19:2 Day after day it speaks out; ⁹ 

night after night it reveals his greatness. ¹⁰ 

19:3 There is no actual speech or word,

nor is its ¹¹  voice literally heard.

19:4 Yet its voice ¹²  echoes ¹³  throughout the earth;

its ¹⁴  words carry ¹⁵  to the distant horizon. ¹⁶ 

In the sky ¹⁷  he has pitched a tent for the sun. ¹⁸ 

19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges ¹⁹  from its chamber; ²⁰ 

like a strong man it enjoys ²¹  running its course. ²² 

19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, ²³ 

and goes from one end of the sky to the other; ²⁴ 

nothing can escape ²⁵  its heat.

Romans 1:20

1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people ²⁶  are without excuse.

Romans 2:4

2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know ²⁷  that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

[15:17]  ¹ tn Or “so that all other people.” The use of this term follows Amos 9:11 LXX.

[15:17]  ² tn Here καί (kai) introduces an explanatory clause that explains the preceding phrase “the rest of humanity.” The clause introduced by καί (kai) could also be punctuated in English as a parenthesis.

[15:17]  ³ tn Or “all the nations” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same).

[15:17]  ⁴ tn Grk “all the Gentiles on whom my name has been called.” Based on well-attested OT usage, the passive of ἐπικαλέω (epikalew) here indicates God’s ownership (“all the Gentiles who belong to me”) or calling (“all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own”). See L&N 11.28.

[15:17]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Amos 9:11-12 LXX. James demonstrated a high degree of cultural sensitivity when he cited a version of the text (the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament) that Gentiles would use.

[19:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 19. The psalmist praises God for his self-revelation in the heavens and in the Mosaic law. The psalmist concludes with a prayer, asking the Lord to keep him from sinning and to approve of his thoughts and words.

[19:1]  ⁷ sn God’s glory refers here to his royal majesty and power.

[19:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the work of his hands the sky declares.” The participles emphasize the ongoing testimony of the heavens/sky.

[19:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4-6).

[19:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it [i.e., the sky] declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.

[19:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).

[19:4]  ¹² tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.

[19:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”

[19:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).

[19:4]  ¹⁵ tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.

[19:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to the end of the world.”

[19:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).

[19:4]  ¹⁸ sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.

[19:5]  ¹⁹ tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.

[19:5]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).

[19:5]  ²¹ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.

[19:5]  ²² tn Heb “[on] a path.”

[19:6]  ²³ tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”

[19:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”

[19:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “is hidden from.”

[1:20]  ²⁶ tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:4]  ²⁷ tn Grk “being unaware.”