The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus -
q.d., 'Think not that we bring you any new religion when we preach to you Jesus of Nazareth; His claims are in no wise hostile to the God of our fathers; nay, it is just the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that hath glorified Him whom ye despised and rejected; the new covenant lay all along in the bosom of the old, and Jesus of Nazareth is the life of both; in Him all the revelations of God from the beginning have their object and end.' The word here rendered "Son" х pais (G3816)] signifies any youth, whether son or servant. In the sense of 'servant' it is used of Israel (Luke 1:54), of David (Luke 1:69), and even of Christ (Matthew 12:18) by our translators themselves. That "Son" is the real sense here is not at all likely-both because the usual and proper word for that х huios (G5207)] is not that here used, and also because the apostle seems studiously to avoid the use of that word, keeping himself strictly to the Jewish point of view and the familiar phraseology of the Old Testament.
Now, in the latter half of Isaiah's prophecies, containing the sublimest Messianic strains, the name by which the Messiah is most frequently held forth is 'THE SERVANT OF THE LORD' х `ebed (H5650) Yahweh (H3068)], who should fulfill all His pleasure; and this word "Servant" the Septuagint, in every case but one, render by the word here used х pais (G3816)]. Thus, in Isaiah 42:1, "Behold my servant х `abdiy (H5650), ho (G3588) pais (G3816) mou (G3450)], whom I uphold; mine Elect, in whom my soul delighteth," etc.-quoted of Jesus in Matthew 12:18; Isaiah 49:6, "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant х liy (H3807) `ebed (H5650), paida (G3816) mou (G3450)], to raise up the tribes of Jacob ... I will also give thee for a Light to the Gentiles that thou shouldest be my Salvation unto the ends of the earth;" Isaiah 52:13, "Behold, my servant х `abdiy (H5650), ho (G3588) pais (G3816) mou (G3450)] shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high;" Isaiah 53:11, "By His knowledge shall my righteous servant х tsadiyq (H6662) `abdiy (H5650), to which the Septuagint does not correspond] justify many." Compare Zechariah 3:8, "Behold, I will bring forth my servant" х `abdiy (H5650), in this one case rendered by the Septuagint: ton (G3588) doulon (G1400) mou (G3450)]; and Philippians 2:7-8, "Took upon Him the form of a servant ... and became obedient (as a servant) unto death;" John 17:4, "I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. In this high sense of the term, then, the word х pais (G3816)] should here, without doubt, be rendered, 'hath glorified His servant Jesus'-with reference to His mediatorial work, while "Son" х huios (G5207)] is used with reference to His Personal relation to the Father; and so all the best critics now view the former phrase.
Whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate. The denial here referred to seems to be that scandalous answer which they gave to Pilate's question - "Shall I crucify your King?" - "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15); thus repudiating all that constituted the hope and glory of the chosen nation. This conduct of theirs toward Jesus was the more aggravated, says the apostle, as it was displayed before Pilate,
When he was determined to let him go, х krinantos (G2919) ekeinou (G1565) apoluein (G630)] - or when he had decided to dismiss Him.