Acts 3:25

25 You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, "And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'

Acts 3:25 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 3:25

Ye are the children of the prophets
Of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are called prophets, ( Psalms 105:15 ) being lineally and naturally descended from them; to them belonged the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Messiah, and the promises of him; they were heirs of them;

and of the covenant which God made with our fathers;
so the phrase (tyrb ynb) , "children of the covenant", is used by the Jews, as peculiar to themselves; (See Gill on Romans 9:8) and so (Nyyrwa rb) , "a son of the law" F14, is also used by them in a like sense; the law, the covenant, and the promises, externally belonging to them:

saying unto Abraham,
( Genesis 22:18 )

and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed;
meaning the Messiah, that sprung from him, and is called the son of Abraham; in whom, not only all Abraham's spiritual seed among the Jews, or the elect of God in that nation, and who were truly the children of Abraham, and of the promise, but even all the chosen of God among the Gentiles, in every nation, and of every kindred and family among them, are blessed in Christ, with all spiritual blessings; with peace, pardon, righteousness, redemption, and salvation: for this is not a form of blessing the Gentiles would use, when they blessed themselves, or others; saying, God bless thee, as he blessed Abraham's seed; for no one instance can be produced, when the Gentiles ever used such a form of blessing as this; but a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles by the Messiah, and of their being blessed in him; see ( Galatians 3:16 ) and though this sense is departed from by modern Jews, it was what the ancient synagogue gave into F15.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 62. 1.
F15 Sepher Chasidim, sect. 961. apud Allix, Judgment of the Jewish Church, p 57.

Acts 3:25 In-Context

23 And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.'
24 And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days.
25 You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, "And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.