Acts 3:23

23 And every soul who does not give attention to that prophet, will be cut off from among the people.

Acts 3:23 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 3:23

And it shall come to pass, that every soul
Every person, man or woman: which will not hear that prophet;
neither believe what he says, nor do what he commands; or as it is in ( Deuteronomy 18:19 ) "will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name": for he that hears not him, hearkens not to God, in whose name he speaks, and whose word he delivers, shall be destroyed from among the people;
in the Hebrew text it is, "I will require it of him"; the Hebrew word, (wmem) , there used, by having different points, may be rendered "of him", or "from his people", which seems to be the reason of this difference: and requiring often intends punishment, or a cutting off; or as Aben Ezra explains it here,

``death by the hand of heaven;''

that is, immediate destruction from God; and so Maimonides says ^F11, he that transgresses the words of that prophet, is guilty of death by the hand of heaven; and which was remarkably fulfilled in the Jewish nation, for their rejection of Jesus as the true Messiah, and that prophet.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Yesod Hattora, c. 9. sect. 4.

Acts 3:23 In-Context

21 Who is to be kept in heaven till the time when all things are put right, of which God has given word by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been from the earliest times.

22 For Moses said, The Lord will give you a prophet from among your people, like me; you will give ear to everything which he will say to you.

23 And every soul who does not give attention to that prophet, will be cut off from among the people.

24 And all the prophets from Samuel and those who came after, every one of them, gave word of these days.

25 You are the sons of the prophets, and of the agreement which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, Through your seed a blessing will come on all the families of the earth.