“The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm He led them out of their slavery. He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Then He destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years.
After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’
And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Saviour of Israel! Before He came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But He is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be His slave and untie the sandals on His feet.’ Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us! The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the One the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned Him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute Him, but they asked Pilate to have Him killed anyway. When they had done all that the prophecies said about Him, they took Him down from the cross and placed Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead! And over a period of many days He appeared to those who had gone with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to the people of Israel.
And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father. ‘ For God had promised to raise Him from the dead, not leaving Him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give You the sacred blessings I promised to David.’
Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this Man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in Him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’ ”
Acts 13:17-41
He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
Acts 13:18
One would think Paul would say he watched out for them, he guided them safely and cared for them. Isn’t that what God promised to do. The word that Paul used here, or was it Luke, is the word [etropophoresen] he “bore” or “put up with” them”. That seems a strange thing to say as opposed to “cared for” them. Clearly someone else thought that too because some manuscripts have [etrophophoresen] which means to “bear up” or to “take up into one’s arms and nurse”. Either word fits the context well but it leaves us with an interpretative decision to make as to which was the sense Paul meant when he spoke to the gathering in synagogue in Pisidian Antioch?
[etropophoresen]
- (ABP) And about forty years time he bore with them in the wilderness.
- (BBE) And for about forty years he put up with their ways in the waste land.
- (EMTV) Now for a time of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness.
- (ERV) And he was patient with them for 40 years in the desert.
- (ESV) And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
- (GNB) and for forty years he endured them in the desert.
- (GW) and he put up with them for about forty years in the desert.
- (ISV) After he had put up with them for forty years in the wilderness,
- (JUB) And for the time of about forty years, he suffered their manners in the wilderness.
- (KJV) And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
- (LEB) And for a period of time of about forty years, he put up with them in the wilderness.
- (NAS77) “And for a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness.
- (NASB) “For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness.
- (NLT) He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
- (RV) And for about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
- (TLV) For about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness.
- (WEB) For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
- (WEBA) For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
- (Webster) And about the time of forty years he suffered their manners in the wilderness.
- (YLT) and about a period of forty years He did suffer their manners in the wilderness,
Including the two Indonesian versions I have loaded in E-Swords as well.
- (IBIS) Ia bersabar terhadap tingkah laku mereka di padang gurun empat puluh tahun lamanya.
- (ITB) Empat puluh tahun lamanya Ia sabar terhadap tingkah laku mereka di padang gurun.
And the Greek NT
(GNT) καὶ ὡς τεσσερακονταέτη χρόνον ἐτροποφόρησεν [etropophoresen] αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ,
[etrophophoresen]
- (AMP) And for about forty years like a fatherly nurse He cared for them in the wilderness and endured their behavior.
- (ASV) And for about the time of forty years as a nursing-father bare he them in the wilderness.
- (CEV) and for about forty years he took care of them in the desert.
- (LITV) And as forty years time passed, He tenderly bore them in the wilderness.
- (MKJV) And about the time of forty years He tenderly bore them in the wilderness.
- (MSG) He took good care of them for nearly forty years in that godforsaken wilderness
- (Murdock) And he fed them in the wilderness forty years.
- (WNT) For a period of about forty years, He fed them, like a nurse, in the Desert.
This is likely a reference to Deut 1:31 or Paul is thinking about that verse in Deuteronomy. Let’s see how that verse was used in the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 1:31
[etrophophoresen]
- (ABP) And in this wilderness which you beheld, how as [nurtured you the lord your God], as if any [should nurture his son] according to all the way into which you were gone, until you came unto this place.
- (AMP) And in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God bore you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.
- (ASV) and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that Jehovah thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place.
- (BBE) And in the waste land, where you have seen how the Lord was supporting you, as a man does his son, in all your journeying till you came to this place.
- (CEV) And you know that the LORD has taken care of us the whole time we’ve been in the desert, just as you might carry one of your children.”
- (ERV) You saw what happened in the desert. You saw how the LORD your God carried you like a man carries his child. He brought you safely all the way to this place.’
- (ESV) and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’
- (GNB) and in the desert. You saw how he brought you safely all the way to this place, just as a father would carry his son.’
- (GW) and in the desert.” There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as parents carry their children. He carried you wherever you went until you came to this place.
- (JPS) and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place.
- (JUB) and in the wilderness thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went until ye came into this place.
- (KJV) And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
- (LEB) and just as he did in the wilderness when you saw that Yahweh your God carried you, just as someone carries his son, all along the way that you traveled until you reached this place.’
- (LITV) and in the wilderness, where you have seen how Jehovah your God has borne you as a man bears his son, in all the way which you have gone until you have come to this place.
- (MKJV) and in the wilderness where you have seen how Jehovah your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came into this place.
- (MSG) you saw what he did in the wilderness, how GOD, your God, carried you as a father carries his child, carried you the whole way until you arrived here.
- (NASB) and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’
- (NLT) And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now He has brought you to this place.’
- (RV) and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place.
- (TLV) and in the wilderness, where you saw how Adonai your God carried you as a man carries his son, everywhere you went until you came to this place.’
- (WEB) and in the wilderness, where you have seen how that Yahweh your God bore you, as a man does bear his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”
- (WEBA) and in the wilderness, where you have seen how that Yahweh your God bore you, as a man does bear his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”
- (Webster) And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
- (YLT) and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen that Jehovah thy God hath borne thee as a man beareth his son, in all the way which ye have gone, till your coming in unto this place.
Every translation including the Septuagint (LXX) and both Indonesian translations have the same reading. This is true to the Hebrew OT reading which I didn’t bother to include as firstly it won’t mean anything to you, just squiggles on a page and secondly it gives me great difficulty to align it on the page because it reads from right to left.
(LXX) καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ, ἣν εἴδετε, ὡς ἐτροφοφόρησέν σε κύριος ὁ θεός σου, ὡς εἴ τις τροφοφορήσει ἄνθρωπος τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ὁδόν, ἣν ἐπορεύθητε, ἕως ἤλθετε εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦτον.
It is abundantly clear isn’t it that the original word and all translations coming from it in the Old Testament text is to bear up or to nurture, to carry.
But the word Paul has used in the New Testament is bear with, put up with or suffer.
Some have changed the wording to harmonise with the OT reading, but what is written in the Greek New Testament is [etropophoresen] to put-up with, suffer their short comings. Paul has twisted the reading in a way which also fits the Old Testament passage but fits even better the New Testament setting. Spend some time to take it all in before you move on.
I won’t add any more to this Gem now as it has already grown too long.
Forgiven sinners know love and show love.
Lilly Mulianah
When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.
William Arthur Ward
Parents: They didn’t leave you when you were young; so don’t leave them when they are old.
Anon
When asked how they managed to stay together for 65 years a woman said we were born in a time where if something was broken you fixed it not threw it away.
Anon
Someday, perhaps in this life, or certainly in the next, we will tally up the crud of our life and write this summation: All good!
Mona Siregar
If you bring your own sunshine, you won’t have to worry about the weather.
Anon