Gevurot 14:17

17 "And yet Hashem did not leave himself without an eidus (witness) in doing hatovim to you, giving geshem from Shomayim and seasons of bearing p’ri, filling you with okhel and your levavot with simcha." [Dt 11:14; Job 5:10; Ps 65:10; 4:7; 147:20]

Gevurot 14:17 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 14:17

Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness
Of his kindness and goodness to them, during this long interval and period of time; for they had not the written law, yet they were not destitute of the law of nature; and had, besides, many instances of providential goodness, by which they might have known God: and should have been thankful to him, and glorified him as God, and not have worshipped the idols of their own hands; the goodness of God should have led them to repentance, and not have been abused to so many wicked purposes as it had been:

in that he did good;
in a providential way, to persons very undeserving of it, of which some particular instances follow:

and gave us rain from heaven,
which none of the gods of the Gentiles could, do, ( Jeremiah 14:22 ) . So (Mymvg xtpm) , "the key of rains", is by the Jews F1 said to be one of the keys which God has in his own hands, and which he does not commit to any other: and a wonderful blessing is this to mankind, and which God gives to the just and to the unjust, and did give to the ignorant and idolatrous Gentiles. Beza's most ancient copy, and four other ancient copies of his, and some others, read "you", instead of "us"; which reading seems most agreeable:

and fruitful seasons;
spring, summer, harvest, and autumn, at which several times, different fruits of the earth appear:

filling our hearts with food and gladness;
giving a sufficiency of food, and even an abundance of it, and that for pleasure and delight, as well as for support and refreshment: the Syriac version reads, "their hearts"; some copies read, "your hearts".


FOOTNOTES:

F1 Targum Jerus. in Gen. xxx. 22. & Jon. in Deut. xxviii. 12.

Gevurot 14:17 In-Context

15 "Anashim, why are you doing these things? We also are of the same nature as you, mere men, preaching to you to turn in teshuva from these worthless things to the Elohim Chayyim who made HASHOMAYIM V’ES HAARETZ V’ES HAYAM and all the things in them; [1Sm 12:21; Gn 1:1; Ps 146:6; Ex 20:11]
16 "In the dorot having passed, Hashem allowed all the Goyim to go their own way. [Ps 81:12; Mic 4:5]
17 "And yet Hashem did not leave himself without an eidus (witness) in doing hatovim to you, giving geshem from Shomayim and seasons of bearing p’ri, filling you with okhel and your levavot with simcha." [Dt 11:14; Job 5:10; Ps 65:10; 4:7; 147:20]
18 And even saying these things, it was with difficulty that Moshiach’s Shlichim restrained the multitudes from offering pagan korbanot to them. [AMOS 9:11 TARGUM HASHIVIM; YIRMEYAH 12:15; YESHAYAH 45:21]
19 Then [disobedient] Yehudim came from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium and, having won over the crowds and having stoned Rav Sha’ul, they were dragging him outside the city, thinking he was dead.
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