SEV Biblia, Chapter 26:23
Que el Cristo había de padecer, que había de ser el primero de la resurreccin de los muertos, que había de anunciar luz a este pueblo y a los gentiles.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 26:23
Verse 23. That Christ should suffer] That the Christ, or Messiah, should suffer. This, though fully revealed in the prophets, the prejudices of the Jews would not permit them to receive: they expected their Messiah to be a glorious secular prince; and, to reconcile the fifty-third of Isaiah with their system, they formed the childish notion of two Messiahs-Messiah ben David, who should reign, conquer, and triumph; and Messiah ben Ephraim, who should suffer and be put to death. A distinction which has not the smallest foundation in the whole Bible. As the apostle says he preached none other things than those which Moses and the prophets said should come, therefore he understood that both Moses and the prophets spoke of the resurrection of the dead, as well as of the passion and resurrection of Christ. If this be so, the favourite system of a learned bishop cannot be true; viz. that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul was unknown to the ancient Jews.
That he should be the first that should rise from the dead] That is, that he should be the first who should rise from the dead so as to die no more; and to give, in his own person, the proof of the resurrection of the human body, no more to return under the empire of death. In no other sense can Jesus Christ be said to be the first that rose again from the dead; for Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite. A dead man, put into the sepulchre of the Prophet Elisha, was restored to life as soon as he touched the prophet's bones. Christ himself had raised the widow's son at Nain; and he had also raised Lazarus, and several others. All these died again; but the human nature of our Lord was raised from the dead, and can die no more.
Thus he was the first who rose again from the dead to return no more into the empire of death.
And should show light unto the people] Should give the true knowledge of the law and the prophets to the Jews; for these are meant by the term people, as in ver. 17. And to the Gentiles, who had no revelation, and who sat in the valley of the shadow of death: these also, through Christ, should be brought to the knowledge of the truth, and be made a glorious Church, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. That the Messiah should be the light both of the Jews and Gentiles, the prophets had clearly foretold: see Isa. lx. 1: Arise and shine, or be illuminated, for thy LIGHT is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. And again, Isa. xlix. 6: I will give thee for a LIGHT to the GENTILES, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth. With such sayings as these Agrippa was well acquainted, from his education as a Jew.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 23. That Christ should suffer , etc.] Great afflictions in soul and body, and death itself; this is recorded by Moses, ( Genesis 3:15) and is the sense of many of the types, as of the passover, brazen serpent, etc. and of all the sacrifices which from God were appointed by him, and is the constant account of all the prophets from the beginning to the end; (see Psalm 22:1,2,6,7,11-21, Isaiah 53:2-12) ( Daniel 9:26, Zechariah 9:9, 12:10, 13:6,7). The sufferer is Christ, or the Messiah, not the Father, nor the Spirit, but the Word, or Son of God, and not in his divine nature, which was incapable of suffering, but in his human nature; though sufferings may be ascribed to his whole person, both natures being united in him: and hence they became efficacious to answer the purposes for which they were endured; and which he endured, not for himself, nor for angels, but for chosen men, sinners, and ungodly persons; in order to make peace and reconciliation for them, procure the pardon of their sins, obtain eternal redemption for them, deliver them from all evil, and from all enemies, and bring them nigh to God: and what he suffered were no other than what had been foretold in the writings of the Old Testament, which all along represent the Messiah as a suffering one; and in particular that he should suffer in his character, be reproached, and accounted a worm, and no man, ( Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 22:6, 59:9) and in his soul and body, and be put to death and buried, as the above prophecies referred to show; the several circumstances leading on to, or attending his sufferings and death, are distinctly expressed; as the betraying him by one of his disciples, selling him for thirty pieces of silver, his being forsaken by all his disciples, his crucifixion between two thieves, the parting of his garments, giving him gall and vinegar to drink, and the piercing his side with a spear, ( Psalm 41:9, Zechariah 11:12,13) ( Zechariah 13:7, Isaiah 53:12, Psalm 22:18, 69:21 Zechariah 12:10). And to this agreed the doctrine of the apostle, who taught that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ that was to come, and that he had suffered all that Moses and the prophets did say should come upon him: but these were not the present sentiments of the Jews, who expected the Messiah to be a temporal Prince and Saviour, and to live in great outward prosperity, and for ever. And that he should be the first that should rise from the dead : by his own power, and to an immortal life, as Jesus did; and so is the firstborn from the dead, and the first fruits of them that slept: a type of this, in the deliverance of Isaac, is recorded by Moses in ( Genesis 22:12-14) compared with ( Hebrews 11:19) and the thing itself is foretold by many of the prophets, ( Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 26:19, Hosea 6:2). and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles : in his own person to the people of the Jews, and by his apostles to the Gentiles. In the writings of Moses he is spoken of as the great prophet God would raise up in Israel, to whom they should hearken; and as the Shiloh to whom the gathering of the people should be, ( Deuteronomy 17:15, Genesis 49:10) and that he should be a light to both Jews and Gentiles, through the ministration of the Gospel, is said by the prophets, ( Isaiah 9:2, 42:6, 49:6) and these were the things which the apostle asserted in his ministry, in perfect agreement with those writings.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-23 - Paul was made a Christian by Divine power; by a revelation of Chris both to him and in him; when in the full career of his sin. He was mad a minister by Divine authority: the same Jesus who appeared to him in that glorious light, ordered him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles A world that sits in darkness must be enlightened; those must be brought to know the things that belong to their everlasting peace, wh are yet ignorant of them. A world that lies in wickedness must be sanctified and reformed; it is not enough for them to have their eye opened, they must have their hearts renewed; not enough to be turne from darkness to light, but they must be turned from the power of Sata unto God. All who are turned from sin to God, are not only pardoned but have a grant of a rich inheritance. The forgiveness of sins make way for this. None can be happy who are not holy; and to be saints in heaven we must be first saints on earth. We are made holy, and saved by faith in Christ; by which we rely upon Christ as the Lord ou Righteousness, and give up ourselves to him as the Lord our Ruler; by this we receive the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost, an eternal life. The cross of Christ was a stumbling-block to the Jews and they were in a rage at Paul's preaching the fulfilling of the Ol Testament predictions. Christ should be the first that should rise from the dead; the Head or principal One. Also, it was foretold by the prophets, that the Gentiles should be brought to the knowledge of God by the Messiah; and what in this could the Jews justly be displease at? Thus the true convert can give a reason of his hope, and a goo account of the change manifest in him. Yet for going about and callin on men thus to repent and to be converted, vast numbers have bee blamed and persecuted.
Greek Textus Receptus
ει 1487 COND παθητος 3805 A-NSM ο 3588 T-NSM χριστος 5547 N-NSM ει 1487 COND πρωτος 4413 A-NSM εξ 1537 PREP αναστασεως 386 N-GSF νεκρων 3498 A-GPM φως 5457 N-ASN μελλει 3195 5719 V-PAI-3S καταγγελλειν 2605 5721 V-PAN τω 3588 T-DSM λαω 2992 N-DSM και 2532 CONJ τοις 3588 T-DPN εθνεσιν 1484 N-DPN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
23. That Christ should suffer (ei paqhtov o Cristov). Rather, if or whether the Messiah is liable to suffering. He expresses himself in a problematic form, because it was the point of debate among the Jews whether a suffering Messiah was to be believed in. They believed in a triumphant Messiah, and the doctrine of his sufferings was an obstacle to their receiving him as Messiah. Note the article, "the Christ," and see on Matt. i. 1.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
26:23 {How that the Christ must suffer} (ei paqetos ho cristos). Literally, "if the Messiah is subject to suffering." ei can here mean "whether" as in #Heb 7:15. this use of a verbal in -tos for capability or possibility occurs in the N.T. alone in paqetos (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 157). this word occurs in Plutarch in this sense. It is like the Latin _patibilis_ and is from _pasch"_. Here alone in N.T. Paul is speaking from the Jewish point of view. Most rabbis had not rightly understood #Isa 53. When the Baptist called Jesus "the Lamb of God" (#Joh 1:29) it was a startling idea. It is not qen "must suffer" here, but "can suffer." The Cross of Christ was a stumbling-block to the rabbis. {How that he first by the resurrection of the dead} (ei prwtos ex anastasews nekrwn). Same construction with ei (whether). this point Paul had often discussed with the Jews: "whether he (the Messiah) by a resurrection of dead people." Others had been raised from the dead, but Christ is the first (prwtos) who arose from the dead and no longer dies (#Ro 6:19) and proclaims light (fws mellei kataggellein). Paul is still speaking from the Jewish standpoint: "is about to (going to) proclaim light." See verse #18 for "light" and #Lu 2:32. {Both to the people and to the Gentiles} (twi te lawi kai tois eqnesin). See verse #17. It was at the word Gentiles (eqne) that the mob lost control of themselves in the speech from the stairs (#22:21f.). So it is here, only not because of that word, but because of the word "resurrection" (anastasis).
