Acts 15:16 kjv
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
Acts 15:16 nkjv
'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up;
Acts 15:16 niv
"?'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
Acts 15:16 esv
"'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,
Acts 15:16 nlt
'Afterward I will return
and restore the fallen house of David.
I will rebuild its ruins
and restore it,
Acts 15 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Amos 9:11 | "In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen... and I will rebuild what is broken down, and I will restore its ruins..." | Original prophecy of restoration |
| 2 Sam 7:12 | "I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body... and I will establish his kingdom." | God's promise of an eternal Davidic kingdom |
| Ps 89:3-4 | "I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David My servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.'" | God's oath to establish David's dynasty eternally |
| Isa 9:6-7 | "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David..." | Messianic prophecy of Christ's eternal Davidic reign |
| Jer 23:5-6 | "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch... He shall reign as king and deal wisely..." | Prophecy of the Messiah, the righteous Davidic King |
| Lk 1:32-33 | "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign..." | Announcement of Christ's Davidic kingship |
| Rev 5:5 | "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals." | Christ as the victorious Davidic Messiah |
| Acts 2:29 | "Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day." | Peter connects David's lineage to Christ |
| Gen 12:3 | "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | Early promise of Gentile blessing through Israel |
| Isa 2:2-4 | "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest... and all the nations shall stream to it." | Nations included in God's worship |
| Isa 49:6 | "It is too small a thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will make You as a light for the nations..." | God's Servant (Messiah) brings salvation to Gentiles |
| Isa 56:7 | "...for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." | The Temple intended for all nations' worship |
| Zech 8:20-23 | "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities... saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD...'" | Gentiles seeking the Lord |
| Ro 15:9-12 | "that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy... ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people’... ‘The Root of Jesse will come... in Him will the Gentiles hope.'" | Paul affirms Gentile inclusion with OT citations |
| Eph 2:14-16 | "For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility... that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two..." | Jews and Gentiles united in Christ's body |
| Gal 3:28 | "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." | Unity and equality in Christ regardless of ethnicity |
| Col 3:11 | "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." | Christ unifying all believers |
| Rev 7:9-10 | "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages..." | Diverse global worshipers of God's kingdom |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" | Believers as God's spiritual dwelling place |
| Eph 2:20-22 | "...built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord..." | The church as a spiritual temple for God |
| 1 Pet 2:4-5 | "As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house..." | Believers forming a spiritual house |
| Jer 31:31-34 | "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah..." | Prophecy of the New Covenant |
| Acts 3:21 | "whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago." | Christ's return linked to universal restoration |
Acts 15 verses
Acts 15 16 Meaning
Acts 15:16 is a quotation by James, sourced from Amos 9:11, delivered during the Jerusalem Council. It declares God's plan to spiritually restore the "tabernacle of David" after a period of divine action and the Gentile ingathering. This restoration signifies the expansion and establishment of God's spiritual kingdom through Christ, including both Jewish and Gentile believers, thereby building a unified spiritual dwelling for God. It validates the inclusion of Gentiles into the church without requiring adherence to Mosaic Law, confirming it as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Acts 15 16 Context
Acts 15 records the first major church council in Jerusalem, convened to address a crucial theological dispute: whether Gentile converts to Christianity needed to be circumcised and adhere to the Law of Moses to be saved. Certain Pharisees who had become believers were insisting on these requirements, causing great contention (Acts 15:1, 5). Peter had previously recounted his experience with Cornelius, demonstrating God's gift of the Holy Spirit to uncircumcised Gentiles (Acts 15:7-11). Paul and Barnabas then testified about God's signs and wonders among the Gentiles through their missionary journeys (Acts 15:12). Following these testimonies, James, as the respected leader of the Jerusalem church, delivers the authoritative judgment. He argues that God’s prior work among the Gentiles is consistent with prophecy, citing Amos 9:11-12. This quotation (Acts 15:16-17) forms the scriptural basis for the Council's decision to affirm Gentile inclusion without legalistic requirements, emphasizing God’s plan to "rebuild the tabernacle of David" as the ingathering of nations under Christ.
Acts 15 16 Word analysis
- "After this" (Greek: meta tauta, μετὰ ταῦτα): Signifies a specific timing or sequence within God's redemptive plan. It refers to the completion of God's prior work in the sending of Christ and the establishment of the church through Pentecost, indicating that the events of salvation history (Messiah's death, resurrection, the calling out of the Gentiles) set the stage for this divine restoration.
- "I will return" (Greek: anastrepso, ἀναστρέψω): Expresses God's personal initiative and active presence in this restoration. It points to a decisive divine action to fulfill ancient promises. In Amos, it is YHWH who acts.
- "and will build again" (Greek: anoikodomēsō, ἀνοικοδομήσω): This verb appears twice, emphasizing the divine act of rebuilding. It means to build up again, restore, or reconstruct something that has fallen into disrepair or ruin. It points to comprehensive restoration by God.
- "the tabernacle of David" (Greek: tēn skēnēn Dauid, τὴν σκηνὴν Δαυίδ):
- "Tabernacle" (skēnē): Not referring to the portable tent of Mosaic worship or Solomon's physical Temple, but to a "booth" or "dwelling." In the context of Amos 9:11, it refers metaphorically to the dynasty, kingdom, or house of David which had fallen into decline and disrepute. For James, it signifies the spiritual kingdom and Davidic line culminating in Jesus.
- "of David" (Dauid): Represents the divinely established lineage and kingship from which the Messiah would come (2 Sam 7). Its "fall" refers to the spiritual and political degradation of Israel, and the temporary setting aside of the Davidic line from an earthly throne, after which the Messiah's spiritual kingdom emerges.
- "which is fallen down" (Greek: tēn peptōkuian, τὴν πεπτωκυῖαν): Denotes a state of collapse, ruin, or severe disrepair. It depicts the seemingly desperate condition of the Davidic lineage or the people of Israel relative to God’s covenant promises.
- "and I will build again the ruins thereof" (Greek: kai ta kateskammia autēs anoikodomēsō, καὶ τὰ κατεσκαμμένα αὐτῆς ἀνοικοδομήσω): Reiteration of the building imagery, specifically from the ruins or desolation. This emphasizes a thorough and complete reconstruction from a state of wreckage.
- "and I will set it up" (Greek: kai anorthōsō autēn, καὶ ἀνορθώσω αὐτήν): Means to set upright, make straight, or raise up. This denotes restoration to stability, strength, and permanence. It speaks of the full establishment and upholding of the restored structure or kingdom by divine power.
Words-group by Words-group analysis:
- "After this I will return, and will build again": This opening phrase signals a decisive, divinely ordained action following the pivotal events of Christ's first coming. It indicates a new phase of God's covenant working where He actively steps in to fulfill His prophecies in an unexpected way to the Jews (Gentile inclusion).
- "the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down": This critical phrase defines the subject of divine restoration. The "tabernacle of David" points to David's enduring spiritual lineage and kingdom, fulfilled in Christ. Its "fallen" state represents the spiritual decline and fragmentation of God's covenant people, and the apparent eclipse of the Davidic monarchy, prior to the Messiah's coming. James's application emphasizes that the "fall" does not negate the promise but sets the stage for God's redemptive work.
- "and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up": These phrases amplify the depth and completeness of the divine restoration. It emphasizes not just partial repair, but a rebuilding from desolation, signifying God's sovereign power to establish something truly new and permanent, specifically the worldwide spiritual kingdom of God under Christ, drawing both Jew and Gentile into one unified body.
Acts 15 16 Bonus section
- Septuagint vs. Masoretic Text: James's quote aligns more closely with the Greek Septuagint (LXX) version of Amos 9:11-12, which directly supports Gentile inclusion in the subsequent verse (Amos 9:12 LXX says "that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name," whereas the Masoretic Text (MT) has "that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name"). James's use of the LXX was highly significant as it provided clear scriptural support for the Council's decision to include Gentiles into God's new spiritual house without demanding circumcision.
- Messianic Fulfillment: The "tabernacle of David" being "built again" finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the "Root of David" (Rev 5:5), through whom God's kingdom is established. The "building" refers to the gathering of the redeemed (both Jews and Gentiles) into the Church, which is the spiritual body of Christ, a new spiritual "temple" where God dwells through His Spirit (Eph 2:20-22).
- Nature of Restoration: This prophecy is not about rebuilding a physical Jewish Temple or establishing a renewed political Jewish state, but rather a spiritual and ecclesial restoration—the broadening of God’s covenant family to include Gentiles, effectively fulfilling God’s promises to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his seed (Gen 12:3). This redefinition of the Davidic "house" or "kingdom" was crucial for the multi-ethnic development of early Christianity.
Acts 15 16 Commentary
Acts 15:16 is the scriptural lynchpin of James's argument at the Jerusalem Council, decisively demonstrating that the inclusion of Gentiles into the Christian faith, without Mosaic legal requirements, is not an innovative departure but a divinely prophesied fulfillment. The "tabernacle of David" refers to the spiritual kingdom and line of Christ that was prophesied to endure forever (2 Sam 7). Its "fallen" state highlights the perceived decay of this kingdom, but God's promise is to rebuild and set it up firmly. James, drawing on the Septuagint version of Amos 9:11-12, understood this rebuilding not as the literal restoration of a political Jewish kingdom, but as the expansion of the spiritual rule of Jesus, the greater Son of David, encompassing a people from all nations. This prophetic fulfillment provides the theological foundation for the early church's outreach to Gentiles, signifying that God’s plan of salvation was always intended for all humanity through the Messiah. This verse powerfully reaffirms the continuity of God's plan across Old and New Covenants and the breaking down of ethnic barriers in the body of Christ.