Acts 15:16-18

“After these things I will return, And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen, and I will build again its ruins, and I will set it up, that the residue of men may seek after the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.”

The verse as quoted here is a declaration of God's restoration of things at the last day after the judgments of God have been poured out. The prophet sees God as here promising the restoration of the ‘tabernacle (or ‘dwellingplace') of David'. Amos is speaking to the northern kingdom of Israel. This may therefore be seen as the promise that one day, after God's threatened judgments have passed, the house of David itself will be restored as rulers over all Israel, and that once this is set up those who remain of Israel will seek after the Lord, (or alternately those who remain of mankind), accompanied by all the Gentiles on whom the Lord's name is called. In Amos' mind were the promises concerning the house of David in, for example, 2 Samuel 7:4. It is thus expressing the Messianic hope and the idea of the coming of the everlasting King. Only when He has come will all things be put right.

That it is more the restoring of the Davidic rulers that was in Amos' mind, than the place of worship, comes out in the fact that at the time of the prophecy the Temple was still standing and would hardly therefore be described in this way. It was the ruling house of David which, as far as Israel and Amos were concerned, was fallen down and in ruins. Note also how in Isaiah 16:5 ‘the tabernacle of David' again refers to the ruling house of David.

This being so, if James took it this way, it would mean that he saw in Jesus' birth, resurrection and exaltation the rebuilding and restoring of the house of David (this in full accord with Scripture, see Luke 1:32; Luke 1:69; Luke 2:11; Luke 18:38; Acts 2:34; Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 5:5; Revelation 22:16 compare Isaiah 11:10). He may possibly also have seen the resulting work of the Spirit in Acts 1-6 as the ‘residue of men (of the house of Israel) seeking after the Lord'. That being so, he says, the conversion of Gentiles must necessarily follow represented by ‘all the Gentiles on whom His name is called' (compare for this phrase ‘as many as were disposed towards eternal life believed' - Acts 13:48). This fits easily in with his ‘God did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name' (Acts 15:14).

We may see James here therefore as arguing that the days of proselytising are past, because the last days are come and the full purposes of God are now in process of fulfilment, the purposes in which through His King His light will go to the Gentiles, bringing them to the Lord in large numbers as so regularly promised in the Old Testament in one way or another (e.g. Isaiah 2:2; Isaiah 11:10; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 49:22; Isaiah 60:3; Isaiah 60:5; Isaiah 60:11; Malachi 1:11).

‘Who makes these things known from of old.” This is probably an additional comment by James emphasising that what God intends to do He prepares His people for beforehand. It was a warning not to dismiss something that God has previously revealed from of old.

Further Note on James' Quotation.

Alternately James might simply have been seeing the reference in the light of the collapse of the house of David overall. But even so the result would be the same. The house of David was now seen as having been restored as a result of Jesus succeeding to the Kingship, having been born to be king (Luke 1:31 compare Micah 5:2), having been appointed by the voice at His baptism (Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22) and transfiguration (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35) and having been finally openly installed in His resurrection and exaltation (Acts 2:30; Matthew 28:18). As we know, at His trial Jesus was accused of ‘saying that He was Christ a King' (Luke 23:2), a charge which He answered by declaring, “My kingdom is not of this world -- You say that I am a king, to this end was I born and to this end came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth' (John 18:36). Thus He admitted to being a King but declared that His Kingly Rule was to be established by witness to the truth, and His kingly presence had been there for that purpose. It was a heavenly Kingship, a Kingship with heavenly purposes, not an earthly one.

The use of the quotation as described here would be very little different from our main suggestion above except that it does not take the prophecy strictly in context. But whichever way it is seen, it all points in the same direction.

We cannot agree with those who attempt to make ‘the tent (or dwellingplace) of David' signify Israel. There are really no grounds for this at all. The parallel ‘house of David' always represents the rulers of the house of David and never Israel, while the only other use of ‘the tent (or ‘dwellingplace') of David', found in Isaiah 16:5, also refers to the ruling house of David. There reference is made to a throne being set up in the tent of David on which sits a king of the house of David, judging and seeking justice, and swift to do righteousness

For a reference to Israel we would look for reference to ‘the tent or house of Moses' or ‘the tent or house of Israel/Jacob' or something similar (compare how in Lamentations 2:4 Jerusalem was ‘the tent of the daughter of Zion' not of David, and Psalms 78:67 where reference is made to ‘the tent of Joseph', in parallel with the ‘tribe of Ephraim', signifying Israel). It will be noted that in the context in Amos separate reference is made to ‘the house of Jacob' and ‘the house of Israel' (Amos 9:8). It would be strange for them therefore so soon afterwards to be called the Tabernacle of David. Note also the fact that Israel were often urged to return to their ‘tents' even when they lived in houses so that tent and house was equivalent (e.g. 1 Kings 12:16), which means that if Amos had spoken of their restoration it would have been as the tent of Israel. Israel is never anywhere else described as the tent or house of David. The tent or house of David refers always to the kingship. Thus it is the re-establishing of God's king which is in mind here which will then result in the establishing of his rule and the remnant of men, including the Gentiles, seeking the Lord.

With regard to the differences between James' quotation and the MT it should be noticed that as regards the underlying Hebrew text they are not as great as they might at first appear. We may compare the two quotations:

James says “After these things I will return, And  I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen, and  I will build again its ruins, and I will set it up, that  the residue of  men (Hebrew 'dm) may seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, says the Lord, Who makes these things known from of old. ” (The comment ‘Who makes these things known from of old' may be made by James, although it may be an interpretation of ‘Who does this')).

MT says, “In that day  I will raise up the tabernacle of David which is fallen, and will close up its breaches, and  I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old, that they may possess  the remnant of  Edom (or ‘men' - Hebrew 'dm)  and all the nations which are called by my name, says the Lord Who does this'.

Having italicised the words which could have the same Hebrew origin (giving reasonable licence in translation) it is clear that the general gist is the same, and that they are basically saying the same thing. MT could equally have pointed 'dm in such a way as to translates as ‘men' rather than as ‘Edom' (the Hebrew consonants, that is, the original Hebrew text, are the same).

Certainly James' source has amplified it a little. ‘After these things I will return' is an interpretation of ‘in that day', for ‘that Day' is the day when God returns to deal with His people after the things that have preceded. ‘Returning' is read in but expresses the intention of MT that God will return in that Day to act. ‘The residue of men seeking after the Lord' will be the result of Israel ‘possessing the remnant of men' (Edom), for when Israel took possession of a people those of whom they took possession would seek after the Lord, (as indeed happened to Edom under John Hyrcanus, although unfortunately by force). ‘All the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called' is the equivalent of, ‘all the nations which are called by my name' (for ‘nations' = ‘Gentiles').

The only open question (which does not affect the argument in this case) is as to whether the ‘residue' originally refers to Israel as ‘men', or to ‘Edom', or to ‘all men'. This partly depends on which pointing we apply to the Hebrew text, but it does not affect the conclusion here.

The whole question of the use of ‘Scripture' in various versions in this way is a very complicated one, and a shortage of materials and evidence makes it difficult to deal with satisfactorily, but this all indicates how many ‘versions' there were about then, as we know from Qumran, just as we have many versions around today, and as with our versions, some were more free in their translation or rendering than others.

We should not be surprised that they felt happy to quote as ‘Scripture' the versions that they possessed, just as we quote our favourite versions as ‘Scripture'. As long as the sense was basically the same we cannot quibble. But we can rest content in that the most reliable Hebrew texts were kept preserved in the Temple and carefully renewed, and from them came the MT. In the end therefore, with all our versions, when in doubt we have to go back to the MT (Massoretic Text of the Old Testament).

One word we might add here is concerning the original meaning of Amos. It seems very possible that he wrote with Isaiah 16:5, the only other place where ‘the tabernacle of David' is mentioned, in mind. There a throne is set up in the tent of David on which sits a king of the house of David, judging and seeking justice, and swift to do righteousness. To this king  from Edom  appeal the remnants of Moab after their desolation by the Assyrians as they seek to escape the vengeance of Assyria. Were these the ‘remnant of Edom' that Amos had in mind, as representing all devastated and humbled people? Or alternately is this how those who pointed the MT saw it? It is otherwise an interesting coincidence. But however that might be Amos' point is that it is the restored ‘David' who will bring all this about and enable his people to take over what are, in the promises of God, their rightful possessions, including all those on whom God has set His name. Israel's problems had arisen because they had deserted the house of David, and had probably pulled down his palace(s) in the northern kingdom. Their problems could therefore now never be solved until the Kingship of David was restored in terms of the king of the last days. Only then could His people inherit the promises, which includes the Gentiles on whom God has set His name.

End of note.

As is often pointed out James makes no reference to the contribution of Barnabas and Paul (nor to the opinions of the Pharisees who had earlier spoken). But that is not really surprising when we consider the basis on which the decision was being made. While all were allowed to air their views it was not a question to James of coming to a consensus, however important that might be, but a question of finding the mind of the Lord. Thus he was seeking a divine contribution. One had certainly come in what had happened to Peter with Cornelius. What that signified had been agreed at their previous similar enquiry and was now repeated. It was therefore the divine will. Now therefore it was a question of what the Holy Spirit said, and as far as he was concerned the Holy Spirit had spoken to him, (and through him to the others), from the Scriptures. And that really decided the matter. It was not a question of coming to agreement but of knowing the divine will. And God had spoken. All else was irrelevant. Men like James do not descend directly to comparing arguments. They may listen but they then look directly to God and pronounce their view.