For David, when he had served in his generation, according to the will of God, slept: and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption.
δαυιδ μεν γαρ ιδια γενεα υπηρετησας τη του θεου βουλη εκοιμηθη και προσετεθη προς τους πατερας αυτου και ειδεν διαφθοραν
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
See with what power he speaks. Peter never said this. Then he again speaks of David, and with praise. "David," he says, "having served the will of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was added to his fathers." Likewise Peter, mentioning him, says, "Let it be permitted to speak boldly to you about the patriarch David" (Acts 2:29). He does not say that David died, but that he "was added to his fathers," which was more fitting.
Paul's preaching in the synagogue there gives us the first example of the apostle's wisdom and skill in acting upon the hearts of his hearers.
Wishing to gain their attention and trust, he first points out how God chose them as a people set apart for Himself. Then he briefly surveys all that God did for His people up to David.
From David's seed, in fulfillment of the promises, the Messiah was to come. After this preparation, the apostle turns to the chief aim of his speech.
He speaks of the manifestation of the Messiah and of what He accomplished for the salvation of the human race.
Now, Paul said, addressing the Jews and proselytes present, this preaching of salvation is appointed for you. Those whom this good tidings first reached, the Jews of Jerusalem and their rulers, would not receive it.
They did not recognize the Messiah. They did not understand the prophecies read every Sabbath in the synagogue.
Yet by condemning the Messiah to death, they could not destroy the promises. Without their own knowledge or expectation, they only served their fulfillment.
For He endured all that He had to suffer according to the predictions of the prophets, and He rose from death.
You did not see Him, but through faith in Him you can receive forgiveness of sins and justification, which the law could never provide. Having proclaimed this promise, the apostle added a threat against unbelief.
From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to the peninsula of Asia Minor and came to Perga in Pamphylia. From there John Mark returned to Jerusalem.
Paul, with his other companions, continued his journey and went deeper into the interior regions of Asia Minor. He came to Pisidian Antioch.
There the Apostle Paul's preaching about Christ made a powerful impression on the city's inhabitants. It converted many Jews and Gentiles to Christ.
Yet the majority of the Jews remained deaf to the apostles' preaching. They even stirred up a disturbance against Paul and Barnabas and drove them from the city.
Therefore the apostles went on, shaking off the dust from their feet against them, according to Christ's commandment (Mt 10:14).
"David in his own time," and so forth. The apostle explains why the psalmic saying cited refers to Christ and not to David himself, as the Apostle Peter also does in the passage indicated.
"In his own time" means more precisely, for his own generation, for his contemporaries. David was not God's servant (cf. Heb 3:5) for all times and forever, for he died and saw corruption.
He who serves the will of God for all ages, eternally, is the One who rose and did not see corruption.
"Having served the will of God" means having fulfilled what, by God's will, he had to fulfill during his life.
"He fell asleep" means he died. This is a reverent and believing designation of death, for death is like sleep until the future resurrection of all the dead.
"He was added to his fathers" is the most ancient Hebrew expression for the state of Old Testament people after death (Gen 15:15; Gen 25:8; Judg 2:10).
The soul of the departed goes to Sheol and there joins the ancestors who died before him.
"He saw corruption" refers to his body. David's body was subject to corruption (Acts 2:29 and note).
Explaining the relation of David's prophecy about the incorruption of the Holy One to Jesus Christ, the apostle also reveals David's general significance in the history of human salvation.
He says that David did in this regard what God was pleased to accomplish through him. After this, David fell asleep and underwent corruption, like his fathers (cf. Acts 2:25-32; Heb 3:5; see Gen 15:15; Judg 2:10).
"The body of the Lord and Savior Christ is called incorrupt and immortal. Clearly, it possessed the property of incorruption from the very Incarnation, since Christ was without sin.
Having risen by His own power, Christ truly shone forth as the author of incorruption. This was so that we also might rise from the graves and go out to meet Him.
This will happen when, on the day of the awaited resurrection, He comes a second time with glory upon the clouds."
"The Apostle Peter had already referred the words of Psalm 15 to Jesus Christ (see Acts 2:25-28), proving by them the reality of Jesus Christ's Resurrection.
But for the Apostle Paul the truth of the Resurrection is already beyond doubt. He only needs to show that the Messiah rose to eternal life.
Or, stated negatively, he must show that He was not subject to corruption, and that He bears in Himself the pledge of eternal life.
Hence salvation in Christ, the descendant of David, has an eternal and abiding power (see 2 Cor 1:10). The prophet Isaiah also says, 'I will make with you an everlasting covenant.'
Yet the same prophecy (Is 55:3-5), taken as a whole, points to another feature of the future messianic Kingdom of salvation.
According to the prophet, the future Kingdom of the Messiah will lose its limited, national character. It will be a worldwide and universal Kingdom.
There, with respect to salvation, there is neither Greek nor Jew (Col 3:11), but all are one in Christ Jesus.
David served only his own generation, his contemporaries. But the salvation manifested in his divine Descendant is not only eternal, but also universal.
It will have its purpose for all generations and peoples. Hence it is natural and in accord with the apostle's thought that, in his concluding words, he proclaims justification before God for everyone on the condition of faith in Christ."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS