2025-07-07

July 7 ¶

Reading for Today:
今日读经：

2 Chronicles 9:1–10:19
歷代志下 9:1–10:19
Psalm 80:7-13
詩篇 80:7-13
Proverbs 20:16-18
箴言 20:16-18
Acts 14:1-28
使徒行傳 14:1-28

Notes:
注解：

2 Chronicles 9:29 In later years, Solomon turned away from God; and, due to the influence of his wives, he led the nation into idolatry. This split the kingdom and sowed the seeds that led to its defeat and dispersion. The Chronicles do not record this sad end to Solomon’s life because the focus is on encouraging the returning Jews from Babylon with God’s pledge to them for a glorious future in the Davidic Covenant.
历代志下 9:29 后来，所罗门偏离神，因受妻子的影响，引领国家陷入拜偶像。这导致国度分裂，并埋下被败亡、被掳的种子。历代志没有记载所罗门的悲惨结局，因为作者旨在借着大卫之约中神对以色列的应许，鼓励归回巴比伦的犹太人，盼望他们拥有荣耀的未来。

Psalm 80:8 vine out of Egypt. The vine is a metaphor for Israel, whom God delivered out of Egypt and nurtured into a powerful nation (Is. 5:1–7; 27:2–6; Matt. 21:33–40).
诗篇 80:8 从埃及移出葡萄树。 葡萄树是以色列的象征，神将以色列从埃及领出，又精心养育，使其成为强盛的国度（参赛5:1-7；27:2-6；太21:33-40）。

Proverbs 20:16 Garments were common security for a loan but they always had to be returned by sundown (Ex. 22:26, 27; Deut. 24:10–13). “Seductress” is more likely “foreigner.” Anyone who foolishly has taken on the responsibility for the debt of a stranger or an immoral woman will likely never be paid back, so he will never pay his creditor unless his own garment is taken as security.
箴言 20:16 外衣常被用作借贷的抵押，但按律法天黑前须归还（出22:26-27；申24:10-13）。“淫妇”更可能指“外人”。若有人愚昧地为陌生人或不道德女子作保，极有可能收不回欠款，除非以自己的衣服作抵押才能偿还债务。

Acts 14:4 apostles. Barnabas was not an apostle in the same sense as Paul and the 12 since he was not an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ nor had he been called by Him. It is best to translate “apostles” here as “messengers” (2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25).The verb means “to send.” The 12 and Paul were “apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13; 1 Thess. 2:6), while Barnabas and others were “apostles of the churches” (2 Cor. 8:23).
使徒行传 14:4 使徒们。 巴拿巴并非像保罗和十二使徒那样的“使徒”，因为他既不是复活基督的目击者，也未直接被主呼召。因此，这里的“使徒”更合适译作“差派的使者”（参林后8:23；腓2:25）。这个词的原意是“被差遣者”。十二使徒与保罗是“基督的使徒”（林后11:13；帖前2:6），而巴拿巴和其他人则是“教会的使者”（林后8:23）。

Acts 14:15–17 Because the crowd at Lystra was pagan and had no knowledge of the Old Testament, Paul adjusted his message to fit the audience. Instead of proclaiming the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he appealed to the universal and rational knowledge of the One who created the world (17:22–26; Jon. 1:9).
使徒行传 14:15–17 路司得众人是外邦人，不熟悉旧约，所以保罗传讲的信息随着听众作出调整。他没有直接宣讲亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神，而是诉诸普世理性——那位创造世界的主（17:22-26；拿1:9）。

Acts 14:17 did not leave Himself without witness. God’s providence and His creative power testify to man’s reason of His existence (Rom. 1:18–20), as does man’s own conscience, which contains His moral law (Rom. 2:13–15).
使徒行传 14:17 未曾不为自己留下见证。 神的护理和创造之工，为祂的存在作见证（罗1:18-20）；人的良心，也存有神的道德律，为祂的真实作证（罗2:13-15）。

DAY 7: How does Acts 14 demonstrate the varied reactions for preaching the gospel of Christ?
第七天：使徒行传第十四章如何展现了人们对基督福音传讲的不同反应？

The city of Iconium was a cultural melting pot of native Phrygians, Greeks, Jews, and Roman colonists. A great multitude came to faith as Paul and Barnabas spoke “boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands” (v. 3). Acts of such divine power confirmed that Paul and Barnabas spoke for God. Nevertheless, the gospel message divided the city and a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them (v. 5). This proves that their Jewish opponents were the instigators, since stoning was a Jewish form of execution, usually for blasphemy.
以哥念是一个多元文化的城市，有本地弗吕家人、希腊人、犹太人和罗马殖民者。保罗和巴拿巴“在主里面放胆讲道，主借他们的手行神迹奇事，为主恩道作见证”，于是有许多人信主（3节）。这些神的大能作为，证实了保罗和巴拿巴是奉神差遣。然而，福音信息却使全城分裂，外邦人与犹太人及他们的官长联手，企图凌辱、用石头打他们（5节）。可见这些犹太反对者是幕后主使，因为用石头打人正是犹太人因亵渎罪而执行的死刑方式。

Fleeing Iconium, they went to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia (v. 6). Lycaonia was a district in the Roman province of Galatia.Lystra was about 18 miles from Iconium and was the home of Lois, Eunice, and Timothy (16:1; 2 Tim. 1:5).The strange reaction by the people of Lystra to the healing of the cripple, who had never walked (v. 8), had its roots in local folklore. According to tradition, the gods Zeus and Hermes visited Lystra incognito, asking for food and lodging. All turned them away except for a peasant named Philemon and his wife, Baucis. The gods took vengeance by drowning everyone in a flood. But they turned the lowly cottage of Philemon and Baucis into a temple, where they were to serve as priest and priestess. Not wanting to repeat their ancestors’ mistake, the people of Lystra believed Barnabas to be Zeus and Paul to be Hermes.
他们逃离以哥念，前往路司得和特庇，是吕高尼的两座城（6节）。吕高尼属加拉太省，路司得距以哥念约十八英里，是罗以、友尼基和提摩太的故乡（16:1；提后1:5）。路司得人在见到瘸子得医治后反应异常（8节），源于当地的传说，以为神明降临。据说，宙斯和赫尔墨斯曾乔装到路司得求食宿，只有农夫腓利孟和其妻拔喀利斯接待了他们，其余人全被洪水淹没。神把夫妇俩的茅舍变为庙宇，使他们作祭司和祭司女。当地人不愿重蹈祖先覆辙，遂认为巴拿巴是宙斯，保罗是赫尔墨斯。

“Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there…they stoned Paul…supposing him to be dead” (v. 19). Paul did not die from the stoning as some claim, who link it to his third-heaven experience in 2 Corinthians 12. “Supposing” usually means “to suppose something that is not true.” The main New Testament use of this word argues that the crowd’s supposition was incorrect and that Paul was not dead. Another argument in favor of this position is that if Paul was resurrected, why didn’t Luke mention it? Also, the dates of Paul’s third-heaven experience and the time of the stoning do not reconcile.
“但有些犹太人从安提阿、以哥念来，诱惑众人，就用石头打保罗，以为他死了，便把他拖到城外。”（19节）有观点认为保罗实在被打死，与林后十二章提到保罗三层天的经历有关，其实没有证据。这里“以为”一般指“不真实的以为”，新约语境证明众人的判断是错误的，保罗实际并未死。此外，若真有复活之事，路加理当记载；且保罗三层天的经历时间和被打石头的时间并不相符。

Additional Resources

2025-07-07

July 7¶

July 7 ¶