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 Psalms 77:8), a description used in part by Our Lord Himself, Matthew 17:17; Luke 9:41, and wholly by St. Paul, Philippians 2:15. The correct translation “crooked,” R.V. (which A.V. has in Luke 3:5; Philippians 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.