Isa 8:14, Act 4:11, 1Pe 2:7-8 | JFB | STEP | 12-16. The words of Jehovah. confederacy-- rather, a conspiracy; an appropriate term for the unnatural combination of Israel with Syrian foreigners against Judea and the theocracy, to which the former was bound by ties of blood and hereditary religion [Maurer]. to all ... say-- rather, of all which this people calleth a conspiracy [G. V. Smith]. their fear-- namely, object of fear: the hostile conspiracy. be afraid-- rather [Maurer], "nor make others to be afraid."

‏ Isaiah 8:14

12-16. The words of Jehovah.

confederacy--rather, a conspiracy; an appropriate term for the unnatural combination of Israel with Syrian foreigners against Judea and the theocracy, to which the former was bound by ties of blood and hereditary religion [Maurer].

to all ... say--rather, of all which this people calleth a conspiracy [G. V. Smith].

their fear--namely, object of fear: the hostile conspiracy.

be afraid--rather [Maurer], "nor make others to be afraid."

‏ Acts 4:11

CHAPTER 4 Ac 4:1-13. Peter and John before the Sanhedrin.

1-12. the captain--of the Levitical guard.

of the temple--annoyed at the disturbance created around it.

and the Sadducees--who "say that there is no resurrection" (Ac 23:8), irritated at the apostles "preaching through (rather, 'in') Jesus the resurrection from the dead"; for the resurrection of Christ, if a fact, effectually overthrew the Sadducean doctrine.

‏ 1 Peter 2:7-8

7. Application of the Scripture just quoted first to the believer, then to the unbeliever. On the opposite effects of the same Gospel on different classes, compare Joh 9:39; 2Co 2:15, 16.

precious--Greek, "THE preciousness" (1Pe 2:6). To you believers belongs the preciousness of Christ just mentioned.

disobedient--to the faith, and so disobedient in practice.

the stone which ... head of ... corner--(Psa 118:22). Those who rejected the STONE were all the while in spite of themselves unconsciously contributing to its becoming Head of the corner. The same magnet has two poles, the one repulsive, the other attractive; so the Gospel has opposite effects on believers and unbelievers respectively.

8. stone of stumbling, &c.--quoted from Is 8:14. Not merely they stumbled, in that their prejudices were offended; but their stumbling implies the judicial punishment of their reception of Messiah; they hurt themselves in stumbling over the corner-stone, as "stumble" means in Jr 13:16; Da 11:19.

at the word--rather, join "being disobedient to the word"; so 1Pe 3:1; 4:17.

whereunto--to penal stumbling; to the judicial punishment of their unbelief. See above.

also--an additional thought; God's ordination; not that God ordains or appoints them to sin, but they are given up to "the fruit of their own ways" according to the eternal counsel of God. The moral ordering of the world is altogether of God. God appoints the ungodly to be given up unto sin, and a reprobate mind, and its necessary penalty. "Were appointed," Greek, "set," answers to "I lay," Greek, "set," 1Pe 2:6. God, in the active, is said to appoint Christ and the elect (directly). Unbelievers, in the passive, are said to be appointed (God acting less directly in the appointment of the sinner's awful course) [Bengel]. God ordains the wicked to punishment, not to crime [J. Cappel]. "Appointed" or "set" (not here "FORE-ordained") refers, not to the eternal counsel so directly, as to the penal justice of God. Through the same Christ whom sinners rejected, they shall be rejected; unlike believers, they are by God appointed unto wrath as FITTED for it. The lost shall lay all the blame of their ruin on their own sinful perversity, not on God's decree; the saved shall ascribe all the merit of their salvation to God's electing love and grace.