Acts 2:31, commentary and pictures

David spoke as a prophet seeing beforehand, and foretold the resurrection of Christ and not his own. Hell means the grave or realm of the dead, where Christ's soul was not left or abandoned, and His flesh did not see corruption because God raised Jesus from the tomb before His body could decay. The words cannot describe David himself, since he died and was buried and remains resting in his sepulcher and has not ascended to heaven. Peter proclaimed this with bold, Spirit-filled witness on the day of Pentecost to the very people who had rejected and crucified Jesus, declaring Him whom God raised and exalted to His right hand to be both Lord and Christ, a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. That testimony by eyewitnesses who had seen and spoken with the risen Saviour brought conviction and repentance, baptizing about three thousand souls in one day, and was held in calm and joyful belief as a decided triumph that established Christianity by evidence that could not be controverted.

Pentecost Setting and Witness

The saying was uttered to the multitudes gathered in Jerusalem for the great religious festival when the day of Pentecost was fully come. It came after the disciples had spent several days together in Jerusalem as commanded, confessing their sins and praying and waiting for the promise of the Father. They waited until they should receive power after the Holy Ghost came upon them to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

It belongs to Peter's bold, Spirit-filled testimony to a risen Saviour, given after the descent of the Holy Spirit with the one desire for the salvation of souls. It was spoken to the very people who had rejected Jesus and demanded His crucifixion, declaring the same Jesus whom they crucified and whom the rulers killed to be both Lord and Christ. The convicted hearers were called to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins that they might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. About three thousand souls were gathered in, who continued steadfastly in doctrine and fellowship with gladness and singleness of heart, magnifying the power of a Saviour who could justify them by His righteousness in willing obedience to love one another. That Spirit-inspired witness showed Christ's suffering fulfilled what God had shown through the prophets, and showed Peter himself restored from his earlier denial.

It was proclaimed with gladness and triumph by eyewitnesses whose joy rested on having seen the risen Saviour. They had spoken with the risen Christ and witnessed His ascension, and they boldly testified before the gathered people that Christ had risen from the dead. In doing so Peter traced Christ's lineage to David and referred his hearers to David, whom they honored as a patriarch.

It belongs to the proclamation that God raised the crucified Jesus and exalted Him to His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. The apostles boldly declared His divinity and victory after His humiliation and death, explaining the mystery of the cross and of the Messiah. Its great and mighty subject after Christ's ascension was Jesus unfolded and glorified by the Spirit before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him. Preached in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power, with Jesus lifted up and exalted, it brought conviction, repentance, and baptism and converted thousands, about three thousand souls in one day. So it shows that the glorious inner beauties of Christ's work and character are not discerned with natural eyes but as the Spirit quickens.

It stands in the Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit that sent believers out to preach the Word everywhere with thousands converted in a day. Through that same Spirit-filled preaching sinners are to be converted now. It therefore calls believers to take up the self-denying life of Christ, to take the Bible from house to house and read to the people, and to wake from stupor and indifference to give the message in this judgment hour.

David's Prophecy of Resurrection

David seeing beforehand spoke as a prophet and foretold the resurrection of Christ and not his own. He spoke knowing God's oath and promise that the Messiah would come from his descendants and sit on his throne. In prophetic vision he saw Christ's rejection, trial, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

Hell in the verse means the grave or realm of the dead. Christ's soul was not left or abandoned there among the dead. Neither did His flesh see corruption, for His body did not decay. God raised Jesus from the tomb before His body saw corruption.

The words cannot describe David's own fate, since David died and was buried. He remains resting in his sepulcher and grave and has not ascended to heaven. While David died and was buried, Jesus was raised by God and did not remain in the grave or undergo bodily corruption.

The prophecy was fulfilled when God raised Jesus and exalted Him in heaven. The apostles bore witness to it. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost showed that the crucified Jesus had been made Lord and Christ to reign on David's throne in fulfillment of God's oath.

Resurrection Proved and Believed

The verse means that Christ's body did not decay in the tomb but truly rose from the dead. The empty sepulcher confirmed His resurrection, together with the testimony of the disciples that they saw Him and spoke with Him. That witness answered the claim that His body had remained dead. The resurrection was certain and met on every hand by facts.

Early in the morning of the first day of the week the sepulcher was found empty, with only the shroud wrapped about His body and the napkin about His head left behind. The risen Jesus was seen and talked with on the walk to Emmaus, where beginning at Moses He opened in all the prophets the things concerning Himself, and in the upper chamber where He revealed Himself to the eleven as one risen from the dead. The testimony of the risen saints also contradicted the lie the Roman guards were hired to report that the body had been stolen. Bearing this witness that His body had not decayed meant everything to the disciples. It was held in calm and joyful belief as a decided triumph that made the falsehood of the Jewish priests of none effect and established Christianity by evidence that could not be controverted.