For of a truth there assembled together in this city against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel,
συνηχθησαν γαρ επ αληθειας επι τον αγιον παιδα σου ιησουν ον εχρισας ηρωδης τε και ποντιος πιλατος συν εθνεσιν και λαοις ισραηλ
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Do you see their wisdom, and how they do not murmur here? They do not recount the threats in detail, but only say that they were threatened, for the writer speaks briefly. "Whom You anointed," they say. See how even in prayer they share His suffering with Him, refer everything to Him, and call Him the cause of boldness. Do you see how they ask everything for God's sake, and nothing for their own glory or love of honor?
They explain the name of Christ, of whom it was said, "and against His Christ" (Ps 2:2). For Christ received His name from anointing, that is, from unction, according to what was said: "God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness" (Ps 44:8), that is, with the Holy Spirit.
It goes without saying that this prohibition and threat had no effect on the apostles. They returned home after experiencing the first persecution for the name of Christ. They had also seen the first instance of the Holy Spirit's help. Jesus Christ had foretold that it would not be they who spoke at trial, but the Holy Spirit. Therefore they first resolved to pray to God that He would continue His help to them, through signs and wonders, for the conversion of unbelievers. Then, having received a new sign confirming God's good pleasure, for the place where they prayed was shaken, they preached the Gospel with still greater boldness.
Peter and John related to their own people what the chief priests and elders had said to them. Here, as before, the writer of Acts does not define more closely the content of the threats with which Peter and John were released from the council chamber. But the content of the prayer shows this to us. Through it the souls of the believers responded to the news of these threats. This first public Christian prayer known to us is a prayer of supplication. The believers entreat almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, to defend them against their persecutors. They ask Him to grant them strength to remain firm and fearless confessors of Christ's name while suffering for Christ.
Because of the threats uttered by the council, their thought turns in remembrance to the prediction of the Spirit of God through the Psalmist. It foretold the rising of the earthly authorities against Jesus Christ. They see the saying of the second psalm, verses 1-2, exactly fulfilled in the history of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ. In their thought, the Psalmist's "Gentiles" are the Romans. The "peoples" are the people of Israel. Herod represents the "kings of the earth" (Lk 23:8 and following). Pontius Pilate represents the "princes" (vv. 26-27). This prophecy came to the believers' mind at that moment for two reasons. First, the designs against Christians expressed in the council's threats were like those which Christ's enemies had already carried out against Jesus Christ, in accordance with God's predetermination. Second, in the believers' thought, the persecutions of Christians continue the history of the persecutions of Christ. Further on, in verse 28, they express the view that Christ's enemies attained the fulfillment of their murderous intentions. Yet they did only what God's hand and God's counsel had predetermined to take place. Therefore they also contemplate their own sufferings for Christ's name as marked out beforehand in the plan of God's divine economy for human salvation. This, however, does not remove their need to entreat almighty God for defense against God's enemies and for the restraint of their malice. Yet this is not the only thing for which the believers pray here. In their own awareness, persecutions of Christ's confessors still must and will take place. Therefore they pray that the Lord will strengthen them by His power. They ask Him to grant them to speak His word with all boldness, and so to serve His glorification. At the same time the Lord Himself glorifies Himself by healings, signs, and wonders, accompanying the apostles' preaching with them.
"The kings of the earth stood up against Him, and the rulers," that is, Herod Antipas (Lk 23:11) and Pilate, as representatives of worldly authority. "They were gathered together" with the Gentile Romans and the representatives of the people of Israel, v. 27. They gathered "against the Lord," that is, against Jehovah, who sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world, "and against His Christ," the Lord Jesus Himself. "Whom You anointed": the Lord's anointing occurred at His baptism (cf. Acts 10:38; Lk 3:21 and following), when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him.
In explaining the relation of the psalm to Herod and Pilate, who rose up against Jesus Christ together with Gentiles and Jews, the apostles show the futility of the rebels' efforts. In doing evil, they accomplished the good which God had predetermined to do in His eternal counsel concerning the salvation of men. This predetermination, or counsel of God's will, is spoken of elsewhere in this book (see Acts 7:60; 13:36), and by other apostles (see Heb 6:17). The same must be said of the mighty hand of God, which orders all things (see Acts 4:30; 1 Pet 5:6). The enemies who rose up against Jesus Christ reached their evil aims and triumphed. But through them the Lord was attaining His own purposes in ordering salvation, by sending His Son to redeeming sufferings for mankind.
Blessed Theophylact explains this as follows: "They did not have such power in themselves. Rather, it was You, O Lord, Who grant consent for all things and bring all things to completion. You are the good and wise Craftsman, Who turn the work of enemies into the fulfillment of Your will. For they, the priests and the other Jews, gathered as enemies, but did what was pleasing to You."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 26 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS