NEW TESTAMENT USAGE
An interesting and informative usage of Amos 9:11-12 occurs in Acts
15:16-17. First, we should note that James's interpretation and application of
this passage rests squarely on the LXX translation. Moreover, the LXX
translation, as we noted earlier, changes the sense of the MT. This is
particularly evident in Acts 15:17, where the phrase όπως αν έκζητήσωσιν οι
κατάλοιποι των άνθρώπων τόν κύριον is used by James as a prophecy for the
inclusion of the Gentiles in the church. Briefly, this LXX translation presupposes
ידרשׁו ["will seek"] for the MT יירשׁו["will שארית, Edom"].
In addition to this"] אדום man"] for the MT"] אדם possess"]
and ["remnant"] is clearly the object in the Hebrew because it is
preceded by the nx. Also in verse 16, the phrase μετά ταύτα άναστρέψω is absent
in the LXX translation of Amos. New Testament commentators point out that this
usage of the LXX by James in the book of Acts is consonant with its repeated
use in the New Testament epistle that bears his name. Second, the
theological significance of this citation by James should not be overlooked. It
reveals a freedom on the part of the New Testament church both with regard to
the form of the text and with regard to its application. Because we have
treated the variant forms of the text, we shall look for a moment at the
apostle's application. Verse 16 surely is applied to the church, perhaps
especially to its original Jewish constituency (τήν σκηνήν Δαυίδ = έκκλησια. In a similar fashion verse 17 is applied
to the presence of Gentiles in the church. This was the key question under
debate. Both verses in their context in Amos, however, refer to an upcoming
restoration of the house of David. Indeed, whether one regards these verses as
authentic to Amos or as postexilic, their basic sense would still point to a
revived and glorious Davidic line. Thus James's application also exercises
considerable freedom in exegesis.
What factors might explain this considerable freedom? First, Jesus, as
portrayed in the four Gospels, repeatedly applied Old Testament texts to his
person and his work. This exegesis, particularly in the post-Pentecost period
when the Spirit of God was viewed as imminently present, would have recommended
itself quite strongly to the apostles. Second, the partial parallel at Qumran,
with its פשׁר exegesis of the רָז ["mystery"], may well indicate a
tendency toward exegetical freedom in the broader environment of first-century
Palestine. (Dean O. Wenthe, "Amos 9:11-15: The Blood of Jesus in the Booth
of David," in "Hear The Word of Yahweh": Essays on Scripture
and Archaeology in Honor of Horace D. Hummel, ed. Dean O. Wenthe, Paul L.
Schrieber, and Lee A. Maxwell [St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2002], 38-39,
emphasis in bold added)
