Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
God raised up (o qeov anesthsen). Est hoc summum orationis (Blass). Apparently this is the first public proclamation to others than believers of the fact of the Resurrection of Jesus. "At a time it was still possible to test the statement, to examine witnesses, to expose fraud, the Apostle openly proclaimed the Resurrection as a fact, needing no evidence, but known to his hearers" (Furneaux).
The pangs of death (tav wdinav tou qanatou). Codex Bezae has "Hades" instead of death. The LXX has wdinav qanatou in Psalms 18:4, but the Hebrew original means "snares" or "traps" or "cords" of death where sheol and death are personified as hunters laying snares for prey. How Peter or Luke came to use the old Greek word wdinav (birth pangs) we do not know. Early Christian writers interpreted the Resurrection of Christ as a birth out of death. "Loosing" (lusav) suits better the notion of "snares" held a prisoner by death, but birth pangs do bring deliverance to the mother also.
Because (kaqoti). This old conjunction (kata, oti) occurs in the N.T. only in Luke's writings.
That he should be holden (krateisqai auton). Infinitive present passive with accusative of general reference and subject of hn adunaton. The figure goes with "loosed" (lusav) above.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Matthew 16:18
Matthew 24:8
Acts 2:16
Acts 2:32
Hebrews 7:26
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