Psalm 110:1 – Another Clear Testimony to Christ’s Deity Pt. 1

Sam Shamoun

Muslim apologist Sami Zaatari has jumped on the so-called “Christian” unitarian bandwagon by rehashing the same old worn out arguments and objections of these heretics against the true historic Christian faith which is based on the accurate interpretation of the Holy Bible.

In one of his articles, Zaatari appeals to the unitarian interpretation of Psalm 110:1 to prove that Jesus is nothing more than a mere man whom God has exalted (*).

Here is the verse in question:

“A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord (neum YHWH l’adoni): Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’”

In this psalm we have king David addressing the Messiah as his Lord, which in Hebrew is Adoni. Zaatari parrots the argument of his unitarian mentors by claiming that the Hebrew Bible never employs this specific term for Yahweh, and therefore proves that the Messiah cannot be God (or so he thinks).

Zaatari writes that,

The first thing that everyone should notice are the clear distinctions, the verse says that Jehovah said to my adoni (lord). If David really believed that the Messiah was God then he could've made it even more clear by saying "and Jehovah said unto my Jehovah". If the Messiah was Jehovah, then the Messiah would have been called Jehovah, yet a distinction is made between Jehovah, and the Messiah, called adoni.

Now comes the major problem for the missionary, and basically the refutation to their argument. The word adoni in the Hebrew Bible is never used in reference to God; rather the word adoni is always used when referring to men. More specifically, adoni is always used when referring to leaders and judges amongst the men.

-David calls the Messiah adoni

-The Hebrew word Adoni is never used when referring to God

-The Hebrew word adoni is always used when referring to men

We have decided to address Zaatari’s claims in order to show him that it is not a wise thing for a Muslim apologist to starting aping the claims of unitarian heretics since this will end up backfiring against him/her, as we are about to see. 

David’s theology proves that Muhammad was a false prophet

In the first place, no one in the Holy Bible ever speaks of Yahweh or Jehovah as “our Yahweh” or “my Yahweh” since Yahweh is a proper name, and the inspired Scriptures do not attach singular or plural suffixes to proper names.(1) As such, it was actually more appropriate for the prophet David to refer to the Messiah as his Lord, especially since a key and crucial theme of this Psalm is to highlight the Messiah’s preeminence over David, i.e. that the coming Anointed King is far greater than his human ancestor.  

However, this raises a problem for Zaatari since the Quran denies that Allah would ever permit anyone to worship prophets as their lords:

He would never order you to take the angels and the Prophets as Lords; what, would He order you to disbelieve, after you have surrendered? S. 3:80 Arberry

And yet according to the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit moved David to worship and honor Christ as his exalted Lord!

“And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, ‘How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself said in the Holy Spirit, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’ David himself calls Him “Lord”; so in what sense is He his son?’ And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.” Mark 12:35-37

This means that the Quran is wrong, which makes Muhammad a false prophet, since God has commanded his followers to worship one specific prophet, namely the Christ, as their sovereign Lord. The reason God would do so is because Christ is more than a mere prophet, since he is the unique Son of God whom the Father loves and delights in,

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’” Mark 1:9-11

“And Jesus was saying to them, ‘Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.’ Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them,and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!’” Mark 9:1-7

And who therefore demands that everyone honor his beloved Son in the same way that they honor him:

“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son EVEN AS they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” John 5:22-23

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

This, too, is a fact which Muhammad denied!(2)

The Jews say, 'Ezra is the Son of God'; the Christians say, 'The Messiah is the Son of God.' That is the utterance of their mouths, conforming with the unbelievers before them.God assail them! How they are perverted! S. 9:30 Arberry

As such, Muhammad stands condemned as a false apostle by the message of God’s true emissaries.

Is Adoni never used of Yahweh?

The second problem that Zaatari faces is that it is simply not true that Adoni is never applied to Yahweh, since it is definitely used in reference to him in what is typically referred to astheophoric names (Gr. theoforētos, "bearing a deity”), e.g. proper names which contain or embed a name and/or characteristic of the deity worshiped by a particular individual.

In the Hebrew Bible there are certain theophoric names which identify Yahweh as Adoni, i.e. as the God whom the person bearing that specific name confesses and worships (or is supposed to confess and worship) as his/her Lord. These include the following:

Adonijah (adoniyah) = “My Lord (Adoni) is Yahweh".

“Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron.” 2 Samuel 3:2-5

“Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,” Nehemiah 10:16

Tobadonijah (tob adoniyah) = “My Lord (Adoni) Yahweh is good”.

“and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.” 2 Chronicles 17:8

Adoniram = “My Lord (Adoni) is exalted”.

“Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada wasover the army; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan wasover the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s friend; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.” 1 Kings 4:1-6

“Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men. He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the forced laborers.” 1 Kings 5:13-14

Adonikam = “My Lord (Adoni) arose”.

“Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households and the genealogical enrollment of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes… and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names, Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and 60 males with them;” Ezra 8:1, 13 – cf. 2:13; Nehemiah 7:18

Therefore, it is simply not true that Yahweh is never called Adoni since he definitely is, just as the foregoing examples clearly demonstrate. Besides, Adoni simply means “my Lord,” and if Yahweh isn’t a believer’s Lord than nobody is!

We are not through yet since we have a lot more to say in the next part of our rebuttal.

Endnotes

(1) It is interesting to note that according to the late great Bible expositor, Adam Clarke, a Hebrew manuscript actually exists where Psalm 110:1 has Yahweh speaking to Yahweh!

Psa 110:1 Said unto my Lord. Instead of לאדני ladoni, "my Lord," one MS. seems to have read ליהוה layhovah, "Jehovah said unto Jehovah, 'Sit thou on my right hand,'" etc. See De Rossi. (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible; *)

If Clarke wasn’t mistaken then this indicates that there was at least one scribe or group of scribes who realized that David must have been speaking of Yahweh as his Lord since there was no one greater than him in rank and honor besides Yahweh. This in turn suggests that the scribe or scribes responsible for this reading were aware that the God is a multi-Personal Being. For more on this topic of none being greater than David besides Yahweh God, which therefore proves that the Messiah must be God in order for him to be David’s Lord, please consult the following article:

Examining Psalm 110:1 — A look at Its Implications on God being a Multi-Personal Being and upon the Deity of Christ

(2) To make matters worse for Zaatari, the Hebrew Scriptures also proclaim that a day is coming when Yahweh will require everyone to serve the Messiah in the same way that they serve their God!

“‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. But they shall SERVE the Lord their God AND DAVID THEIR KING (wa'abadu 'et YHWH elohim wa'et Dawid malkam), whom I will raise up for them… Their leader shall be one of them, And their ruler shall come forth from their midst; And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me; For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 30:8-9, 21

As the context itself shows, David here doesn’t refer to the historical king who had long been dead but to one of his descendants whom the prophet prefigured. In other words, the term David is a reference to the Messiah whom the deceased king foreshadowed.

This is brought out more clearly by what Jeremiah states elsewhere: 

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely;And this is His name by which He will be called, “The Lord our righteousness (YHWH tsidqenu).”’” Jeremiah 23:5-6 – cf. 33:15-16

According to this passage, it is not David whom God will raise up for Israel, but a branch or descendant from David’s line who shall reign wisely and bring salvation to the people of God.

What makes this a rather remarkable prophecy is that the name of this Davidic King is said to be Yahweh our righteousness, a name which implies that this Ruler shall be more than a mere human descendant of David. This One who shall come from the household of David is actually Yahweh God Almighty coming to fulfill the Davidic promises!

Lest we be accused of reading too much into the text, or of wrongly applying it to the Messiah, note how the following rabbinic sources interpreted this specific passage:

Midrash Tehilim 21:12

“God will call the King Messiah after His own name, for it is said of the King MessiahThis is his name whereby he shall be called: the Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). Jerusalem also shall be called after the Lord’s name, for it is said of Jerusalem The name of the city from that day shall be the Lord…” (Douglas Pyle, What The Rabbonim Say About Moshiach [N. P., Third edition, paperback, published in 2010], p. 23)

Rabbi Joseph Albo:

“In the same way the Bible calls the name of the Messiah, ‘The Lord our righteousness’(Jeremiah 23:5, 6), because he is the medium through whom we obtain justice from God. For this reason he is called by the name of God. Similarly Jerusalem is called, ‘The Lord is there.’ Because it is a place where the glory of the Lord was revealed more constantly than anywhere else.” (Ibid.)

Rav Saadia Gaon:

“‘And behold with the clouds of heaven, one like a man was coming.’ This is Messiah our righteousness.” (Ibid., p. 24)

Yemenite Midrash:

“In the future, the Holy one, blessed be He, will seat Messiah in the supernal Yeshiva [House of Study], and they will call him ‘Lord,’ just as they call the Creator [Jeremiah 23:6]…

“And the Messiah will sit in the Yeshivah, and all those who walk on the earth will come and sit before him to hear a new Tora and new commandments and the deep wisdom which he teaches Israel…” (Ibid., pp. 32-33)

The foregoing helps us understand why God would permit – in fact, command – his people to serve the Messiah in the same way that they serve Yahweh their God, even though the Law expressly forbids serving and worshiping anyone other than the true God:

“Then God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them orserve them (ta'abadem); for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,’” Exodus 20:1-5

“You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him (ta'abod), and shall take oaths in His name.” Deuteronomy 6:13 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Messiah is not simply a man from the line of David, but is actually God Almighty who will (and has) become a flesh and blood human being in order to perfectly realize and fulfill all of God’s promises to his servant David.

All of this causes additional problems for Zaatari since the Quran denies that the Messiah is divine or shares in the worship and service due to God alone. In fact, the Quran expressly says that Allah will never permit anyone from serving someone besides him:

It was not to a human that God gives him The Book and the judgment/rule and the prophethood then he says to the people: "Be/become worshippers/slaves ('ibadan) to me, from other than God". And but: "Be knowledgeable Lord worshippers with what you were teaching The Book and with what you were studying ". S. 3:79 Muhammad Ahmed – Samira

Zaatari must therefore face the music and come to terms with the fact that the Holy Bible, God’s inspired Word, condemns Muhammad as a false prophet.

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zaatari/psalm110_1_1.html

IHS

The God Who Reigns Forever!

Sam Shamoun

The late Ahmad Deedat had published a little pamphlet titled “The God That Never Was”where he posted a series of Biblical quotations which focused on the humanity of Jesus (something which no informed Christian denies but wholeheartedly affirms) in order to try to show how absurd it is to believe that Christ is God.

For a response to this blatant distortion of biblical teaching we recommend this written reply by the noted South African Christian apologist John Gilchrist.

What we would like to do here is address the following section from the booklet:

The Kingdom of "God": And he (Jesus) shall reign over THE HOUSE OF JACOB forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke, 1:33)

The Titles of "God": "The king of the Jews" (Matthew, 2:2), "The king of Israel" (John, 1:49; 12:13) (Ibid., p. 5)

The point of quoting these texts which focus on Christ being the King of Israel and of the Jews is to show how absurd it is to assume that Jesus is God since God is not a tribal deity who only reigns over a particular people. God is the sovereign Lord and Sustainer of all creation, a fact which all Christians would agree with.

Suffice it to say, this argument is nothing more than a gross distortion of the biblical teaching concerning the Person and work of the Lord Jesus, and simply illustrates the fact that Muslim apologists are not interested in hearing what Christians have to say. They are only interested in perverting the message of the inspired Scriptures for the purpose of scoring cheap debate points with their fan base.

In the first place, the same inspired writings, which the booklet selectively cites from, affirm that Christ is the sovereign Lord of creation who sits enthroned at God’s right hand as King of kings and Lord of lords:

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” Matthew 28:18

“and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5

“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Revelation 17:14 – cf. 19:11-16

The Quran, on the other hand, proclaims that Allah is the only one who possesses absolute sovereignty over the heavens and the earth, and doesn’t allow anyone to share in his rulership over creation:

To God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and God hath power over all things. S. 3:189 Y. Ali

Say: "Praise be to God, who begets no son, and has no partner in (His) dominion: Nor (needs) He any to protect Him from humiliation: yea, magnify Him for His greatness and glory!" S. 17:111 Y. Ali

Moreover, the ahadith teach that Allah hates for someone to be called King of kings since he is the only king or master of the kingdom:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The most awful name in Allah's sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be (that of) a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (the king of kings)." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 224)

In fact, the title “master of the kingdom” happens to be one of the divine names which cannot be ascribed to any creature:

Say: O Allah, Master of the Kingdom! Thou givest the kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and takest away the kingdom from whomsoever Thou pleasest, and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest in Thine hand is the good; surety, Thou hast power over all things. S. 3:26 Shakir

Mâlik al-Mulk: The Master of the Kingdom

Owner or Possessor of the Kingdom, who grants sovereignty to whomever He will.

Malik al-Mulk is one of the Ninety-Nine Names. (Aisha Bewley, Divine Names)

Thus, the only way that Jesus could be the King of kings and Lord of lords is if he happens to be God Almighty (even though he is not the Father or the Holy Spirit)!

Therefore, Jesus isn’t merely the King of the Jews, but the King of all creation. It just so happens that he reigns over the world from a particular place and a specific people. More on this point a little later.

This leads me to my second point. The Holy Bible, specifically the writings of the Old Testament, teach that Yahweh himself rules over the world as the King of Israel, his chosen people:

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones. Let Israel be glad in his Maker; Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King. Let them praise His name with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” Psalm 149:1-3

“‘Present your case,’ the Lord says. ‘Bring forward your strong arguments,’ The King of Jacob says.” Isaiah 41:21

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.’” Isaiah 44:6

Astonishingly, the Lord Jesus applies to himself this very title of “the first and the last” in the book of Revelation:

“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen… When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; AND I WAS DEAD, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.’” Revelation 1:5-7, 17-18

The Quran itself acknowledges that is a title that belongs to God alone:

He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things. S. 57:3 Y. Ali

Thus, by ascribing this divine name to his own Person, the Lord Jesus was(is) basically claiming to be the eternal God!

Returning to the OT witness, the Scriptures proclaim that Yahweh’s rule wasn’t limited to Israel since he reigned as King over the entire creation:

“For the kingdom is the Lord’s And He rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:28

“O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy. For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth… Sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm. God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.” Psalm 47:1-2, 6-8

What this means is that Yahweh was ruling over the nations from the land of his chosen people, specifically from Zion in Jerusalem, which became the nation’s capital:

“‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall beMy own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” Exodus 19:5-6

“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.” Deuteronomy 32:8-9 English Standard Version (ESV)

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King. God, in her palaces, Has made Himself known as a stronghold.” Psalm 48:1-3

“He also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.” Psalm 78:67-69

“Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah, We found it in the field of Jaar. Let us go into His dwelling place; Let us worship at His footstool. Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength… For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. ‘This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.’” Psalm 132:6-8, 13-14

“Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with allyour heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.’” Zephaniah 3:14-17

As such, the Hebrew Scriptures state that Israel wasn’t meant to have a man ruling over them since Yahweh had committed himself to being their king:

“When the men of Israel said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.’ But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.’” Judges 8:22-23

However, Israel insisted on having a human king like the nations around them, something which disheartened the Lord who still went ahead and gave them what they wanted:

“The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.’” 1 Samuel 8:7

“When you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ although the Lord your God was your king.” 1 Samuel 12:12

Yahweh eventually singled out David and his descendants to sit on his earthly throne in Jerusalem:

“… Moreover, I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you. When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.” 1 Chronicles 17:10b-14

“Yet, the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. Of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons), He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him. I will establish his kingdom forever if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as is done now.’” 1 Chronicles 28:4-7

“Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father; and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. All the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David pledged allegiance to King Solomon. The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him royal majesty which had not been on any king before him in Israel.” 1 Chronicles 29:23-25

“Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever,therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.” 2 Chronicles 9:8

And since Israel’s king served as Yahweh’s earthly representative, his kingdom was to extend from Zion to cover the entire earth as a reflection of the fact that it is Yahweh who rules over all the nations:

“Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.’ I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:1-12

“‘I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations.’ Selah…The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them. The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name… Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones, And said, ‘I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David My servant; With My holy oil I have anointed him, With whom My hand will be established; My arm also will strengthen him. The enemy will not deceive him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. But I shall crush his adversaries before him, And strike those who hate him. My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted. I shall also set his hand on the sea And his right hand on the rivers. He will cry to Me, “You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.” I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall be confirmed to him. So I will establish his descendants forever And his throne as the days of heaven. If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments, If they violate My statutes And do not keep My commandments, Then I will punish their transgression with the rod And their iniquity with stripes. But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful.’” Psalm 89:3-4, 11-12, 19-37

However, this introduced a problem since none of the Davidic kings were able to implement God’s rule perfectly due to their sinfulness. Nor were they able to reign forever since death prevented them from doing so. Therefore, God decided to remedy the problem by taking on the responsibility of personally fulfilling the promises to David by actually becoming a human descendant of David. As the prophet Isaiah announced:

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God (el gibbor), Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of Hisgovernment or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

The title “Mighty God” is one of the names of Yahweh himself, just as the next chapter of Isaiah shows:

“Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God (el gibbor).” Isaiah 10:20-21

This helps us understand how the OT prophets could announce that a day would come when Israel would have only one King who would rule the earth from Jerusalem, with that King being identified as both Yahweh God and David, meaning the Messiah:

“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and ONE KING will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’” Ezekiel 37:21-25

“Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. Then I heard one speaking to me from the house, while a man was standing beside me. He said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die,’” Ezekiel 43:1-7

“… and the name of the city [Jerusalem] from that day shall be, ‘The Lord is there.’” Ezekiel 48:35

“Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!… And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be THE ONLY ONE, and His name THE ONLY ONE… Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship THE KING, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up TO JERUSALEM to worship THE KING, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.” Zechariah 14:9, 16-17

The King who was to come would be both divine and human, truly God and truly man, in order to reign on David’s throne forever.

This brings me to my final point.

Israel’s King Has Come!

According to the inspired Christian Scriptures, the Lord Jesus is the eternal Word and divine Son of God who became a human Son of David for the purpose of fulfilling the promises which God made concerning the household of David:

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:26-35

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men… There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14

Jesus even entered into Jerusalem riding on the foal of a donkey in order to fulfill what had been spoken by the prophet Zechariah:

“On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.’ Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’ These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.” John 12:12-16

Here is what that prophecy says in context:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off.And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:9-11

Since Zechariah clearly proclaims that Jerusalem’s King was to reign over the entire world, not just Israel, this means that by fulfilling this prophecy Jesus was basically announcing to the people that he is the One who has come to rule the whole earth.

Hence, just because Jesus happens to be the King of the Jews doesn’t mean that he isn’t also the sovereign Lord of the earth, since God has appointed Israel’s Ruler to reign as King over the whole world.

Therefore, let the whole earth rejoice and let all the nations be glad because the Messiah, God’s beloved Son, has come and has taken his seat on God’s heavenly throne to reign over all creation as the King of Israel:

“And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, ‘THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.’… ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.’” Matthew 27:37, 42

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” John 1:45-51

“Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did He ever say, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, or again, I will be His Father, and He will be My Son? When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all God’s angels must worship Him. And about the angels He says: He makes His angels winds, and His servants a fiery flame, but to the Son: Your throne, God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; this is why God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy rather than Your companions.” Hebrews 1:1-9 HCSB

So much for Deedat’s distortion of God’s inspired Word, the Holy Bible.

Related Articles

Jesus Christ – The Divine King of Creation
The Concept of Messiah in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran
The Messiah as Israel’s God and King
Jesus as the Occupier of God’s Heavenly Throne

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/deedat/who_reigns_forever.html

IHS

Revisiting the Issue of the Age for Marriage

Sam Shamoun

This article is intended to provide further confirmation for the arguments that I raised in the following paper. I sought to demonstrate that the Holy Bible presupposes that men and women must have reached an age beyond puberty in order to be mature enough to get married. I will provide further substantiation for this view by citing the blessed Apostle Paul.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses a series of questions which the believers had sent him. One of their questions had to do with the issue of whether it was better to remain celibate or to get married. In addressing these concerns the Apostle mentions the status of virgins, whether it was better for them to remain as they were or not. Here is the verse in question:

“And if any man guesseth himself to be seen foul on his virgin, that she is full waxen [that she is well old] (hyperakmos), and so it behooveth to be done, do she that that she will; she sinneth not, if she be wedded.” 1 Corinthians 7:36 Wycliffe Bible

Note how the following lexical sources define the word hyperakmos:

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from huper and the same as akmazó
Definition
PAST THE BLOOM OF YOUTH
NASB Translation
PAST HER YOUTH (1).

Thayer’s Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5230: ὑπέρακμος

ὑπέρακμος, ὑπερακμον (Vulg.superadultus);

1. "BEYOND the ἀκμή or BLOOM OF LIFE, PAST PRIME" (Plato, de rep. 5, p. 460 e. ἀῥ οὖν σοι ξυνδοκει μέτριος χρόνος ἀκμῆς τά εἴκοσιν ἔτη γυανικι, ἀνδρί δέ τά τριάκοντα): Eustathius.

2. OVERRIPE, PLUMP AND RIPE (and so in greater danger of defilement): of a virgin (R. V. PAST THE FLOWER OF HER AGE), 1 Corinthians 7:36. (Bible Hub by Biblos; capital emphasis ours)

The point that the blessed Apostle is making here is that it is permissible for male or female virgins that have gone past the age of puberty, and have therefore attained full physical maturity, to marry. In stating this, Paul is presupposing that a person is mature enough to marry when s/he has gone beyond puberty.

We are now going to cite from a variety of translations and commentaries in order to help the readers see that this is precisely Paul’s meaning. 

Translations

“But if any man think that it is uncomely for his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them be married.” 1599 Geneva Bible

“But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.” Authorized (King James) Version

“But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.” New King James Version

“But if any man think that he seemeth dishonoured, with regard to his virgin, for that she is above the age, and it must so be: let him do what he will; he sinneth not, if she marry.” Douay-Rheims

“But if any man thinketh that he behaveth himself unseemly toward his virgin daughter, if she be past the flower of her age, and if need so requireth, let him do what he will; he sinneth not; let them marry.” American Standard Version

“But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.” New American Standard Bible

“and if any one doth think [it] to be unseemly to his virgin, if she may be beyond the bloom of age, and it ought so to be, what he willeth let him do; he doth not sin -- let him marry.” Young’s Literal Translation

“But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He doesn’t sin. Let them marry.” World English Bible

“But if any man thinks that he is not acting properly toward and in regard to his virgin [that he is preparing disgrace for her or incurring reproach], in case she is passing the bloom of her youth and if there is need for it, let him do what to him seems right; he does not sin; let them marry.” Amplified Bible

“No father would want to do the wrong thing when his virgin daughter is old enough to get married. If she wants to get married, he isn’t sinning by letting her get married.” Names of God Bible

“But suppose you are engaged to someone old enough to be married, and you want her so much that all you can think about is getting married. Then go ahead and marry. There is nothing wrong with that.” Contemporary English Version

“If a man thinks he is not doing the right thing with the girl he is engaged to, if she is almost past the best age to marry and he feels he should marry her, he should do what he wants. They should get married. It is no sin.” New Century Version

A man might think that he is not doing the right thing with his fiancée. She might be almost past the best age to marry. So he might feel that he should marry her. He should do what he wants. It is no sin for them to get married. Easy-To-Read English

“No father would want to do the wrong thing when his virgin daughter is old enough to get married. If she wants to get married, he isn’t sinning by letting her get married.” GOD’S WORD Translation

“But if any man thinks he is acting improperly toward his virgin, if she is past marriageable age, and so it must be, he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; they can get married.” Holman Christian Standard Bible

“But if anyone thinks he is behaving dishonorably concerning his virgin, if she is past her primeand it ought to be thus, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin. Let them marry.” Lexham English Bible

Commentaries

Unless stated otherwise, all bold emphasis in this section will be ours.

John Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible 

By the flower of her age he means the marriageable age. This lawyers define to be from twelve to twenty years of age. Paul points out, in passing, what equity and humanity ought to be exercised by parents, in applying a remedy in that tender and slippery age, when the force of the disease requires it. And it requires to be so. In this clause I understand him as referring to the girl’s infirmity — in the event of her not having the gift of continency; for in that case, necessity constrains her to marry. As to Jerome’s making a handle of the expressionsinneth not, for reviling marriage, with a view to its disparagement, as if it were not a praiseworthy action to dispose of a daughter in marriage, it is quite childish. (444) For Paul reckoned it enough to exempt fathers from blame, that they might not reckon it a cruel thing to subject their daughters to the vexations connected with marriage.

Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Holy Bible 

“… In this passage the apostle is commonly supposed to give advice about the disposal of children in marriage, upon the principle of his former determination. In this view the general meaning is plain. It was in that age, and those parts of the world, and especially among the Jews, reckoned a disgrace for a woman to remain unmarried past a certain number of years: it gave a suspicion of somewhat that was not for her reputation… if any man thinks he behaves unhandsomely towards his daughter, and that it is not for her credit to remain unmarried,when she is of full age, and that upon this principle it is needful to dispose of her in marriage, he may use his pleasure. It is no sin in him to dispose of her to a suitable mate. But if a man has determined in himself to keep her a virgin, and stands to this determination, and is under no necessity to dispose of her in marriage, but is at liberty, with her consent, to pursue his purpose, he does well in keeping her a virgin. In short, he that gives her in marriage does well; but he that keeps her single, if she can be easy and innocent in such a state, does what is better; that is, more convenient for her in the present state of things, if not at all times and seasons… Note, 1. Children should be at the disposal of their parents, and not dispose of themselves in marriage. Yet, 2. Parents should consult their children's inclinations, both to marriage in general and to the person in particular, and not reckon they have uncontrollable power to do with them, and dictate to them, as they please. 3. It is our duty not only to consider what is lawful, but in many cases, at least, what is fit to be done, before we do it… But I think the apostle is here continuing his former discourse, and advising unmarried persons, who are at their own disposal, what to do,the man's virgin being meant of his virginity… seems to be rather meant of preserving his own virginity than keeping his daughter a virgin, though it be altogether uncommon to use the word in this sense. Several other reasons may be seen in Locke and Whitby, by those who will consult them. And it was a common matter of reproach among Jews and civilized heathens, for a man to continue single beyond such a term of years, though all did not agree in limiting the single life to the same term. The general meaning of the apostle is the same, that it was no sin to marry, if a man thought there was a necessity upon, to avoid popular reproach, much less to avoid the hurrying fervours of lust. But he that was in his own power, stood firm in his purpose, and found himself under no necessity to marry, would, at that season, and in the circumstances of Christians at that time, at least, make a choice every way most for his own conveniency, ease, and advantage, as to his spiritual concerns. And it is highly expedient, if not a duty, for Christians to be guided by such a consideration.”

John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible 

If she pass the flower of her age; that is, one that is arrived to years of maturity, is ripe for marriage, and is what the Jewish doctors call בגרת; who, according to them, was one of twelve years and a half old^F20, at which age virgins were judged fit to marry: hence that saying of theirs^F21.

"if thy daughter, בגרה, "is ripe", or come to the flower of her age, make thy servant free and give her to him.'

Moreover, according to their canons, such an one was no longer under her father's power; for so runs the canon^F23,

"hrgbv Nwyk "when she is at the flower of her age", she is no more under her father's power:'

her father cannot make void her vows, though a husband can^F24:

and need so require: that she be given in marriage to a man; if she has not the gift of continence; if she is in danger of falling into the sin of fornication, and the father or guardian are sensible of this:

Albert Barne’s Notes on the Whole Bible

Toward his virgin - His daughter, or his ward, or any unmarried female committed to his care.

If she pass the flower of her age - If she pass the marriageable age and remains unmarried. It is well known that in the east it was regarded as especially dishonorable to remain unmarried; and the authority of a father, therefore, might be the means of involving his daughter in shame and disgrace. When this would be the case, it would be wrong to prohibit her marriage.

And need so require - And she ought to be allowed to marry. If it will promote her happiness, and if she would be unhappy, and regarded as dishonored, if she remained in a state of celibacy.

Adam Clarke Commentary 

I speak this by permission, etc. - It was a constant custom of the more conscientious rabbins, to make a difference between the things which they enjoined on their own judgment, and those which they built on the authority of the law. Thus Rabbi Tancum: “The washing of hands before meat is in our own power; washing after meat is commanded.” In relation to this point Dr. Lightfoot produces some examples from the Jewish writers: “The man is commanded concerning begetting and multiplying, but not the woman. And when does the man come under this command? From the age of sixteen or seventeen years; but, if he exceeds twenty years without marrying, behold he violates and renders an affirmative precept vain. The Gemara says: It is forbidden a man to be without a wife; because it is written, It is not good for man to be alone. And whosoever gives not himself to generation and multiplying is all one with a murderer: he is as though he diminished from the image of God, etc.” We may understand the apostle here as saying that the directions already given were from his own judgment, and not from any Divine inspiration; and we may take it for granted that where he does not make this observation he is writing under the immediate afflatus of the Holy Spirit…

It is generally supposed that these three verses relate to virgins under the power of parents and guardians and the usual inference is, that children are to be disposed of in marriage by the parents, guardians, etc. Now this may be true, but it has no foundation in the text, for τηρειν την ἑαυτου παρθενον is not to keep his daughter‘s, but his own virginity, or rather his purpose of virginity; for, as Phavorinus says, He is called a virgin who freely gives himself up to the Lord, renouncing matrimony, and preferring a life spent in continency. And that this must be the true import of these words appears from this consideration, that this depends upon the purpose of his own heart, and the power he has over his own will, and the no necessity arising from himself to change this purpose. Whereas the keeping a daughter unmarried depends not on these conditions on her father‘s part but on her own; for, let her have a necessity, and surely the apostle would not advise the father to keep her a virgin, because he had determined so to do; nor could there be any doubt whether the father had power over his own will or not, when no necessity lay upon him to betroth his virgin. The Greek runs to this sense: if he had stood already firm in his heart, finding no necessity, viz. to change his purpose; and hath power over his own will, not to marry; finding himself able to persist in the resolution he had made to keep his virginity, he does well to continue a virgin: and then the phrase, if any man think he behaves himself unseemly towards his virgin, if it be over-aged, and thinks he ought rather to join in marriage, refers to the opinions both of Jews and Gentiles that all ought to marry. The Jews say that the time of marriage is from 16 or 17 to 20; while some of the Gentiles specify from 30 to 35. If any think thus, says the apostle, let them do what they will, they sin not: let them marry. And then he concludes with those words applied to both cases: so then, both he that marries doeth well, and he that marries not, doeth better.

This last opinion seems to be the true sense of the apostle.

It may be necessary to make a few general observations on these verses, summing up what has been said.

1. Παρθενος here should be considered as implying not a virgin, but the state of virginity or celibacy.

2. Ὑπερακμος , over-aged, must refer to the passing of that time in which both the laws and customs of Jews and Gentiles required men to marry. See above, and see the note on 1 Corinthians 7:6.

Henry Alford’s Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary 

virgin daughter (viz. in setting before her a temptation to sin with her lover, or at least, bringing on her the imputation of it, by withholding his consent to her marriage. Or the reference may be to the supposed disgrace of having an unmarried daughter in his house), if she be of full age (forbefore that the imputation and the danger consequent on preventing the marriage would not be such as to bring in the ἀσχημοσύνη.

The ἀκμή of woman is defined by Plato, Rep. v. p. 460, to be twenty years, that of man thirty. See Stanley’s note [and ref. Sir.]), and thus it must be (i.e. and there is no help for it,—they are bent on it beyond the power of dissuasion:—depends not on ἐάν, as the indic. shews, but on εἰ. οὕτως, viz. that they must marry.

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 

uncomely — is not treating his daughter well in leaving her unmarried beyond the flower of her age, and thus debarring her from the lawful gratification of her natural feeling as a marriageable woman.

need so require — if the exigencies of the case require it; namely, regard to the feelings and welfare of his daughter. Opposed to “having no necessity” (1 Corinthians 7:37).

let them marry — the daughter and her suitor.

A. T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament 

If she be past the flower of her age (εαν ηι υπερακμος — ean ēi huperakmos). Old word, only here in N.T., from υπερ — huper (over) and ακμη — akmē (prime or bloom of life), past the bloom of youth, superadultus (Vulgate). Compound adjective with feminine form like masculine. Apparently the Corinthians had asked Paul about the duty of a father towards his daughter old enough to marry.

If need so requireth (και ουτως οπειλει γινεσται — kai houtōs opheilei ginesthai). “And it ought to happen.” Paul has discussed the problem of marriage for virgins on the grounds of expediency. Now he faces the question where the daughter wishes to marry and there is no serious objection to it. The father is advised to consent. Roman and Greek fathers had the control of the marriage of their daughters. “My marriage is my father‘s care; it is not for me to decide about that” (Hermione in Euripides‘ Andromache, 987).

John MacArthur

“In Jewish culture, parents, and particularly fathers, had long had a dominant role in deciding whom their children would marry. The same general custom prevailed in many ancient societies, including that of Rome. Some historians credit Rome's decline in part to the weakening of the family caused by loss of parental control in arranging marriages. In New Testament times the arranged marriage, especially for young people, was the norm.

“In light of the extant teaching about the advantages of singleness, some of the fathers in Corinth apparently had dedicated their young daughters to the Lord as permanent virgins. But when the daughters BECAME OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE, many of them no doubt wanted to be married, and their fathers were in a quandary. Should they break the vow they made for the girl? It is likely that many of the girls did not have the gift of singleness and were struggling with their desire to get married and their desire to please their fathers and the Lord. The problem was among those mentioned in the church's letter to Paul (7:1).

“After all, it was a vow made for someone else and was therefore subject to that person's spiritual needs. If she should be of FULL AGE, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry. Just as unmarried people themselves are under no restraint (v. 35) and do not commit sin by marrying (v. 28), neither does a father who has made a vow do wrong by changing his mind. His making the vow is good; but if his daughter is not able or inclined to follow it, both she and her father are free to do as they wish. If it must be so indicates that she really is resigned for marriage, and the father should allow it.

“But if the father stands firm in his heart, that is, does not change his mind about the promise; and is under no constraint by the daughter to change his mind; and has a good and pure motive(has authority over his own will) and is deeply committed (decided this in his own heart);he may keep his own virgin daughter. Constraint is better translated "necessity," referring to the daughter's necessity to get married (cf. "if it must be so," v. 36). Only the daughter's unwillingness to keep the vow should cause the father to change his mind. His steadfastness in his vow will encourage his daughter to be steadfast in hers. In doing that he will do well.

“Paul repeats the option: So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better. As with the single themselves (v. 28), the choice is not between right and wrong but between good (well) andbetter.” (MacArthur, The John MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Corinthians[Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 1984], pp. 185-186; capital and underline emphasis ours; bold emphasis in the original)

William MacDonald

7:36 Verses 36-38 are perhaps the most misunderstood verses in this chapter, and perhaps in the entire Epistle. The common explanation is this: In Paul’s day a man exercised rigid control over his home. It was up to him whether his daughters married or not. They could not do so without his permission. Thus these verses are taken to mean that if a man refuses to allow his daughters to marry, that is a good thing, but if he allows them to marry, then he is not sinning.

Such an interpretation seems almost meaningless as far as instruction for the people of God in this day is concerned. The interpretation does not fit in with the context of the rest of the chapter, and seems hopelessly confusing.

The RSV translates virgin as “betrothed.” The thought would then be that if a man marries his betrothed or fiancée, he does not sin; but if he refrains from marrying her, it is better. Such a view is loaded with difficulties.    

In his commentary on 1 Corinthians William Kelly presents an alternate view which seems to have great merit. Kelly believes that the word virgin (parthenos) may also be translated “virginity.” Thus the passage is not speaking about a man’s virgin daughters, but about his own virginity. According to this interpretation, the passage is saying that if a man maintains the unmarried state he does well, but if he decides to get married, he does not sin.

John Nelson Darby adopts this same interpretation in his New Translation:

But if any one think that he behaves unseemly to his virginity, if he be beyond the flower of his age, and so it must be, let him do what he will, he does not sin: let them marry. But he who stands firm in his heart, having no need, but has authority over his own will, and has judged this in his heart to keep his own virginity, he does well. So that he that marries himself does well; and he that does not marry does better.

Looking at verse 36 in greater detail then, we take it as meaning that if a man has come TO FULL MANHOOD, and if he does not feel that he has the gift of continence, he does not sinin marrying. He feels that the need requires him to do so, and so he should do what he wishesin this case, that is, get married. (MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, edited by Art Farstad [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., Nashville, TN 1989], p. 1771; capital and underline emphasis ours, bold emphasis in the original)

W. Harold Mare

36 Paul now turns to teaching about virgins OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE, insisting that they must be treated honorably, whether they become married or not. Who is meant by “he” in this verse, the father of the virgin or the man who is engaged to her? Both have been suggested, for in ancient times a father arranged for his daughter’s marriage. But more likely “he” refers to the man considering the possibility of marrying his fiancée. Paul is teaching that if the situation in Corinth seems unfair to a particular virgin and especially IF SHE IS PASSING HER PRIME MARRIAGEABLE YEARS, then the fiancé should go ahead and marry her. There is no sin in their getting married. (Mare, “1 Corinthians,” Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary: An Abridgement of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III (consulting editors) [Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI 1994], Volume 2: The New Testament, p. 629; capital emphasis ours; bold emphasis in the original)

Concluding Remarks

No matter what particular view one happens to take, i.e. whether the verse is speaking of a father pledging to keep his virgin daughters unmarried, or a fiancée deciding that it is better not to marry his betrothed virgin, or a man vowing to remain in his virginity, one thing is clear from the context. Paul, and the folks that he was writing to, presupposed that a person had to become ripened before s/he could be considered physically mature and old enough for marriage. Both the Apostle and his audience believed that this took place at some point after puberty, as implied by the word hyperakmos. As such, Paul’s inspired instructions not only confirm the points I made in my previous article, they also provide further evidence that Muhammad was a false prophet for going against the commands and suggestions of the true prophets and messengers of God. Instead of following the example of God’s inspired emissaries that came before him concerning such issues as the age of marriage, Muhammad decided to not only permit men to wed young immature minors (cf. Q. 65:4), but he also went ahead and married a 9 year old girl whom the Islamic traditions say was still playing with her dolls and on swings! To make matters worse, Muhammad was 54 years old when he did this, exactly six times her age which made him old enough to be her great grandfather!

In light of this, Muslims need to face reality and come to grips with the fact that Muhammad was a false prophet whose teachings and actions have brought greater harm and destruction than good, including untold pain and suffering to women in general and to young girls in particular. The time has come for Muslims to turn their backs on this false prophet and turn to the risen Lord and living Savior, Jesus Christ, who is their only hope of salvation. 

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Muhammad, Aisha, Islam, and Child Brides

Muhammad, Child brides, and David Liepert

Islam's Critics, Sex, and Jonathan Brown

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/marriage_age.html

IHS