Acts 2:40

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(40) With many other words.—The report breaks off, as if St. Luke’s informant had followed closely up to this point and then lost count of the sequence of thought and words.

Did he testify—i.e., continued to testify.

Save yourselves.—Literally, in the passive, Be ye saved. They were invited to submit to God’s way of salvation, to accept Jesus as their Saviour.

From this untoward generation.—Literally, from this crooked generation, as the word is rendered in Luke 3:5; Philippians 2:15.

Benson Commentary

Acts 2:40. And with many other words — To the same purpose; did he testify — Gospel truths; and exhort — To gospel duties. In such an accepted time, when the power of the word is felt, and good impressions appear to be made on men’s minds, we should add line upon line, and extend our discourses to a greater length than usual, in order that, if possible, they may be not only almost, but altogether persuaded to be Christians. Saying, Save yourselves — Greek, σωθητε, be ye saved, namely, by complying with the exhortation given; from this untoward — Greek, της σκολιας ταυτης, this perverse, generation — Many of whom were probably mocking still. Observe, reader, those that repent of their sins, and give themselves up to Jesus Christ, must evidence their sincerity by breaking off all intimate society with the carnal and wicked. Depart from me, ye evil doers, must be the language of every one that determines to keep the commandments of his God, Psalm 119:115. To separate ourselves from such, is the only way to save ourselves from them.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:37-41 From the first delivery of that Divine message, it appeared that there was Divine power going with it; and thousands were brought to the obedience of faith. But neither Peter's words, nor the miracle they witnessed, could have produced such effects, had not the Holy Spirit been given. Sinners, when their eyes are opened, cannot but be pricked to the heart for sin, cannot but feel an inward uneasiness. The apostle exhorted them to repent of their sins, and openly to avow their belief in Jesus as the Messiah, by being baptized in his name. Thus professing their faith in Him, they would receive remission of their sins, and partake of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. To separate from wicked people, is the only way to save ourselves from them. Those who repent of their sins, and give up themselves to Jesus Christ, must prove their sincerity by breaking off from the wicked. We must save ourselves from them; which denotes avoiding them with dread and holy fear. By God's grace three thousand persons accepted the gospel invitation. There can be no doubt that the gift of the Holy Ghost, which they all received, and from which no true believer has ever been shut out, was that Spirit of adoption, that converting, guiding, sanctifying grace, which is bestowed upon all the members of the family of our heavenly Father. Repentance and remission of sins are still preached to the chief of sinners, in the Redeemer's name; still the Holy Spirit seals the blessing on the believer's heart; still the encouraging promises are to us and our children; and still the blessings are offered to all that are afar off.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Many other words - This discourse, though one of the longest in the New Testament, is but an outline. It contains, however, the substance of the plan of salvation, and is admirably arranged to attain its object.

Testify - Bear witness to. He bore witness to the promises of Christianity; to the truths pertaining to the danger of sinners; and to the truth respecting the character of that generation.

Exhort - He entreated them by arguments and promises.

Save yourselves - This expression here denotes, preserve yourselves from the influence, opinions, and fate of this generation. It implies that they were to use diligence and effort to deliver themselves. God deals with people as free agents. He calls upon them to put forth their own power and effort to be saved. Unless they put forth their own strength, they will never be saved. When they are saved, they will ascribe to God the praise for having inclined them to seek him, and for the grace whereby they are saved.

This generation - This age or race of people; the Jews then living. They were not to apprehend danger from them from which they were to deliver themselves; but they were to apprehend danger from being with them, united in their plans; designs, and feelings. From the influence of their opinions, etc., they were to escape. That generation was signally corrupt and wicked. See Matthew 23; Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4; Mark 8:38. They had crucified the Messiah; and they were, for their sins, soon to be destroyed.

Order? this untoward generation? - Untoward: "Perverse, refractory, not easily guided or taught" (Webster). The same character our Saviour had given of that generation in Matthew 11:16-19. This character they had shown uniformly. They were smooth, cunning, plausible; but they were corrupt in principle, and wicked in conduct. The Pharisees had a vast hold on the people. To break away from them was to set at defiance all their power and doctrines; to alienate themselves from their teachers and friends; to brave the authority of those in office, and those who had long claimed the right of teaching and guiding the nation. The chief danger of those who were now awakened was from that generation; that they would deride, or denounce, or persecute them, and induce them to abandon their seriousness, and turn back to their sins. And hence, Peter exhorted them at once to break off from them, and give themselves to Christ. We may hence learn:

(1) That if sinners will be saved they must make an effort. There is no promise to any unless they will exert themselves.

(2) the principal danger which besets those who are awakened arises from their former companions. They are often wicked, cunning, rich, mighty. They may be their kindred, and will seek to drive off their serious impressions by derision, or argument, or persecution. They have a powerful hold on the affections, and they will seek to use it to prevent those who are awakened from becoming Christians.

(3) those who are awakened should resolve at once to break off from their evil companions, and unite themselves to Christ and his people. There may be no other way in which this can be done than by resolving to forsake altogether the society of those who are infidels, and scoffers, and profane. They should forsake the world, and give themselves up to God, and resolve to have only so much contact with the world, in any respect, as may be required by duty, and as may be consistent with a supreme purpose to live to the honor of God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

40. with many other words did he testify and exhort—Thus we have here but a summary of Peter's discourse; though from the next words it would seem that only the more practical parts, the home appeals, are omitted.

Save yourselves from this untoward generation—as if Peter already foresaw the hopeless impenitence of the nation at large, and would have his hearers hasten in for themselves and secure their own salvation.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Many other words: the sermons of the apostles, or of our Saviour, are not all set down by the holy writers; but only so much as God saw necessary for his church to know and believe.

Testify and exhort; using God’s name and authority, and calling him as it were to witness.

Save yourselves: no less than the salvation of our souls depends upon our forsaking wicked and profane persons in their ungodly courses.

From this untoward generation; the whole world lies in wickedness; but especially the scribes and Pharisees, and other such declared enemies of Christ Jesus.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And with many other words did he testify and exhort,.... For Luke does not give the sermons of the apostles at length, but a compendium, or specimen of them, and some of the more remarkable things in them; and which, it seems, lay partly in testifying concerning Christ, his person, office, grace, righteousness, and salvation; and against sins and errors, and false doctrine; and in "exhorting" to the exercise of grace, and the discharge of duty; or in comforting distressed minds: for the word used signifies to comfort as well as to exhort; though it seems to have the latter sense here, since it follows:

saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation: meaning, the chief priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, and elders of the people, chiefly, who were a perverse generation of men; and upon whom, for their impenitence and unbelief, for their rejection of the Messiah, and their evil treatment of him, wrath and ruin would come upon them, to the uttermost, very quickly; wherefore the apostle exhorts to separate from them, and not partake of their sins, lest they should also of their plagues; but come out from among them, and so, in a temporal sense, save themselves from the destruction that would quickly come on their nation, city, and temple; and so the Arabic version renders it, "escape from this rough generation".

Geneva Study Bible

{9} And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

(9) He is truly joined to the Church who separates himself from the wicked.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 2:40. Observe the change of the aorist διεμαρτύρατο (see the critical notes) and imperfect παρεκάλει: he adjured them (1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:14; 2 Timothy 4:1, often also in classical writers), after which followed the continued exhortation, the contents of which was: Become saved from this (the now living) perverse generation away, in separating yourselves from them by the μετάνοια and baptism.

σκολιός] crooked, in a moral sense =ἀδικός. Comp. on Php 2:15.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 2:40. ἑτέροις τε λόγοις πλείοσιν τε (not δὲ), as so frequent in Acts; “inducit quæ similia cognataque sunt, δέ diversa,” Blass, in loco, and Grammatik des N. G., p. 258.—διεμαρτύρατο: the translation “testified,” both in A. and R.V., hardly gives the full form of the word. Its frequent use in the LXX in the sense of protesting solemnly, cf. Deuteronomy 4:26; Deuteronomy 8:19, 1 Samuel 8:9, Zechariah 3:7 (6), seems more in accordance with St. Peter’s words, who here as elsewhere (Acts 10:42, Acts 13:5, Acts 20:21) was not simply acting as a witness μαρτυρεῖν, but was also protesting against the false views of those he was addressing. It must not, however, be forgotten that in other passages in the LXX the verb may mean to bear witness (see Hatch and Redpath, sub v.). In the N.T., as Wendt notes, it is used by St. Paul in the former sense of protesting solemnly in 1 Timothy 5:21, 2 Timothy 2:14; 2 Timothy 4:1. With this Mr. Page rightly compares its use in Acts 20:23 (cf. also Acts 5:20, μαρτύρομαι), and Luke 16:28. So too in classical writers.—παρεκάλει: the imperfect suggests the continuous exhortation which followed upon the Apostles’ solemn protest (Weiss, in loco).—τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς σκολιᾶς ταύτης: the adjective is used to describe the rebellious Israelites in the wilderness, LXX, Deuteronomy 32:5 (and Psalm 77:8), a description used in part by Our Lord Himself, Matthew 17:17, Luke 9:41, and wholly by St. Paul, Php 2:15. The correct translation “crooked,” R.V. (which A.V. has in Luke 3:5, Php 2:15), signifies perversity in turning oft from the truth, whilst the A.V. “untoward” (so Tyndale) signifies rather backwardness in coming to the truth (Humphry, Commentary on R. V.), Hort, Judaistic Christianity, pp. 41, 42.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

40. And with many other words did he testify, &c.] Hence we learn that there is no attempt made by the writer of the Acts to produce more than the substance and character of what was here said. And we may be sure that he uses the same rule always, and we need not therefore be startled if we find an address followed by mighty results, even though St Luke’s abstract of it may only extend over a few verses.

testify] The same word is translated charge in 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:14; 2 Timothy 4:1, and would be well rendered here by the same word. Here the address of Peter was not a bearing witness, but a direction what they were to do.

untoward generation] Lit. crooked. The word is so translated Php 2:15 and might be here. The words “crooked generation” are not strange to the A. V. (Deuteronomy 32:5), and the figure is made stronger by the literal rendering.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 2:40. Πλείοσι, with many more) The truth must be pressed on men, until the desired result is effected.—διεμαρτύρατο, he testified) This refers to what goes before.—παρεκάλει, he exhorted) This refers to what follows.—σώθητε, be saved) depart in a state of salvation, without, delay. This is deduced from Acts 2:21, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved,” and is repeated in Acts 2:47, “Such as should be saved.” These words are conjugates to the name Jesus [=God-Saviour]. The beginning of salvation is in conversion, and does not merely take place first at death. Ephesians 2:5.—τῆς σκολιᾶς ταύτης) this crooked, untoward generation; as to which see Acts 2:13. An apt epithet to apply to the Jews: some of whom were persevering in ‘mocking.’

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 40. - He testified, and exhorted for did he testify and exhort, A.V.; crooked for untoward, A.V. Save yourselves, etc. The idea is that the crooked generation which denied and crucified the Lord is hurrying on to their destruction. Those who would not perish with them must come out from amongst them and be separate from them (2 Corinthians 6:19), and seek safely in the ark of Christ's Church (1 Peter 3:21), as Noah did in the ark, and as Lot did in Zoar. So the jailer at Philippi, seeking to be saved, was baptized straightway (Acts 16:30-33). This was the drift and end of all St. Peter's exhortations. Acts 2:40

Vincent's Word Studies

Other (ἑτέροις)

And various.

Did he testify (διεμαρτύρετο)

The preposition διά gives the force of solemnly, earnestly.

Save yourselves (σώθητε)

More strictly, be ye saved.

Untoward (σκολιᾶς)

Lit., crooked. Toward in earlier English meant docile, apt. The opposite is froward (froward). So Shakespeare:

"'Tis a good hearing when children are toward,

But a harsh hearing when women are froward."

Taming of the Shrew, v., 2.

"Spoken like a toward prince."

3 Henry VI., ii., 2.

Untoward, therefore, meant intractable, perverse. So Shakespeare:

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