The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

By this means David should say twice, that he shall be delivered from death by the grace of God. Finally, he saith the same thing in this place, which he saith, Psa. 49. God shall redeem my soul from the hand of hell.¹ Like as on the other side, when he speaketh of the reprobates, he is wont to take, going down into the grave, for destruction. I answer briefly, that there is some greater thing expressed in this place, than the common redemption or deliverance of the godly. David in deed doeth promise that God will be his eternal deliverer as well in life as in death. Neither had he been much better for this, to have been once delivered from one danger, unless he had hoped that he should be safe even unto the end through Gods protection: but he speaketh of such safety as is not common. And surely the words do sound that he speaketh of some new & singular privilege. Admit I grant that it is a repetition, & that there is all one thing uttered in these two members, Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell &, Thou shalt not suffer me to see corruption: yet do I deny that ⟨p. 46⟩it is simply to be understood that God will deliver his holy one from eternal destruction. For freedom from corruption is promised by name. Neither do I pass for this, that Shachat doeth signify the grave, as Seol, which is put in the former member. For although I do not stand nor contend about the words, yet must we respect the Etymology. Therefore forasmuch as the grave is called Shachat, because it doeth corrupt mans body with rottenness, it is not to be doubted but that David meant to note that quality. Therefore the place is not so much expressed by this word, as the condition of rotting. So that the sense is, that God will not suffer him of whom the Psalm speaketh, To rot or corrupt in the grave. And forasmuch as David was not free from this necessity, it followeth that the prophecy was neither truly nor perfectly fulfilled in him. And that the Psalm ought altogether to be expounded of Christ, the thing it self doth prove.² For seeing that David was one of the sons of Adam, he could not escape that universal condition and estate of mankind, Dust thou art, & into dust thou shalt return: the grave standeth open (I say) for all the children of Adam, that it may swallow them up, & consume them: so that no man can exempt himself from corruption.