Actschapter 13
52 verses · Luke · about AD 62 · Acts
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Introduction
Luke, Acts, Acts Overview.
Luke now begins the second half of his book, and from here Paul is the man he follows. He wrote for churches that owed their existence to this mission. The chapter moves from a church at worship to a governor's court on an island and then to a synagogue far inland. Listen for who sends the missionaries, and for the moment Saul is first called Paul. Listen above all to the sermon, how it walks through Israel's history to David and then to the resurrection. Then mark the two answers it receives, from the synagogue and from the Gentiles.
Context
- Who
- Theophilus and Gentile readers, watching the first planned mission set out from a church rather than a scattering.
- What
- The sending of Barnabas and Saul from Antioch, the proconsul's belief on Cyprus, and Paul's sermon and its reception at Pisidian Antioch.
- Where
- Syrian Antioch, Seleucia, Salamis and Paphos on Cyprus, Perga in Pamphylia, and Antioch near Pisidia, a Roman colony in the province of Galatia.
- When
- About AD 46 to 47 on the usual reckoning, at the start of Paul's first mission.
- Why
- To show the mission to the Gentiles beginning at the Spirit's command, and to set out the gospel Paul preached to Jews and God-fearing Gentiles.
Historical context
Cyprus was Barnabas's home island and a Roman province governed by a proconsul, the title used for provinces under the Senate rather than the emperor, and Luke gets it right. Sergius Paulus is called proconsul, and inscriptions from the period confirm that Cyprus was governed exactly that way.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
Elymas is another travelling magician, and men like him attached themselves to powerful households as advisers on omens and spells. His livelihood depended on being the governor's source of the supernatural, which is why he fought the newcomers so hard.
Pisidian Antioch was a Roman colony, a city resettled with army veterans, governed on the Roman model, with Latin inscriptions and imperial cult buildings. Paul's habit of aiming for such cities put him on the main roads and in the places where a new movement could be heard.
The synagogue service Luke describes follows a known pattern: readings from the Law and the Prophets, then an invitation to any competent visitor to give a word of encouragement. That open invitation is how Paul got his first hearing in city after city.
Significance
For the first hearers, the sermon at Pisidian Antioch was the model. Paul walks through Israel's history to David, then to David's promised son, then to the resurrection, and offers forgiveness that the Law of Moses could not give.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The reaction set the pattern for the rest of the book. Crowds of Gentiles wanted to hear more; the synagogue leadership pushed back; Paul announced he was turning to the Gentiles. That turning was not a rejection of his own people but a repeated, painful sequence he lived through again in nearly every city.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Separate Me Barnabas and Saul
there were prophets and teachers: In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, five men named with no rank among them. Simeon is called Niger, a Latin word for black, Lucius comes from Cyrene in Africa, and Manaen had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch.
Acts 13:1
“He is mentioned, in Ro 16:21, as one of Paul's kinsmen. Manaen--or Menahem, the name of one of the kings of Israel (2Ki 15:14). which had been brought up with--or, the foster brother of. Herod the tetrarch--that is, Antipas, who was himself "brought up with a certain private person at Rome" [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 17.1,3].”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 13:2-3
While they were worshiping the Lord: and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work. The Greek verb for worshiping is the word the Septuagint uses for the service of priests, and the call comes out of worship.
Acts 13:2
“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them - This was not ordaining them. St. Paul was ordained long before, and that not of men, neither by man: it was only inducting him to the province for which our Lord had appointed him from the beginning, and which was now revealed to the prophets and teachers.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
they laid their hands on them: The verb sent off means released, the church letting go of two of its five teachers. Hands were laid on the seven at 6:6 in the same way, and on Joshua by Moses at Numbers 27:23. Paul's call itself dates from 9:15.
Acts 13:3
“And when they had fasted - They were fasting when they were commanded to set them apart. Yet this probably refers to an appointed day of prayer, with reference to this very purpose. The first formal mission to the Gentiles was an important event in the church, and they engaged in this appointment with deep solemnity and with humbling themselves before God. And prayed - This enterprise was a new one.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:3
“This very thing is explained ch. xiv. 26 , where it is said, concerning Paul and Barnabas, that from Antioch they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Cyprus: Elymas Blinded and a Proconsul Believes
sent forth by the Holy Spirit: Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, sailed from Seleucia to Cyprus, the home island of Barnabas named in 4:36. Luke names the Spirit as the sender, so the laying on of hands in verse 3 recognizes a commission already given.
Acts 13:4
“Being sent forth by the Holy Ghost - By his influence, authority, and under his continual direction. Without the first, they were not qualified to go; without the second, they had no authority to go; and without the third, they could not know where to go. Departed, unto Seleucia - This is generally understood to be Seleucia of Pieria, the first city on the coast of Syria, coming from Cilicia; near the place where the river Orontes pours itself into the sea. They sailed to Cyprus - A well known island in the Mediterranean Sea. See on Act 4:36 (note).”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:4
“They do not stop in Seleucia, knowing that its inhabitants could gain much benefit from the neighboring city, but hasten to fulfill what was urgent.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
When they arrived at Salamis: , they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues, with John as their helper. The Greek word is used of a synagogue attendant in Luke 4:20. That supporting role gives weight to his leaving at Perga in verse 13.
Acts 13:5
“And when they were at Salamis - This was the principal city and seaport of Cyprus. It was situated on the southeast part of the island, and was afterward called Constantia. In the synagogues of the Jews - Jews were living in all the countries adjacent to Judea, and in those countries they had synagogues. The apostles uniformly preached first to them. And they had also John to their minister - John Mark, Act 12:12. He was their attendant, yet not pretending to be equal to them in circe. They had been specifically designated to this work.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:5
“At this busy mercantile port immense numbers of Jews were settled, which accounts for what is here said, that they had more than one synagogue, in which Barnabas and Saul preached, while other cities had one only. they had . . . John--Mark. to their minister--"for their officer". With what fruit they preached here is not said.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 13:6-8
They traveled through the whole island: At Paphos they found a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. Proconsul is the correct title for the governor of Cyprus in this period, as an inscription from the island confirms.
Acts 13:6
“Gone through the isle - Ὁλην, The Whole isle, is added here by ABCDE, several others, both the Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and Itala; and also by several of the Greek fathers; and this must be the true reading, for it is evident they ran through the whole island from east to west.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:6
“Both he and that other magician, who was with Sergius Paulus, (since he began opposing himself to the same apostles) was mulcted with loss of eyes. The same fate, I believe, would astrologers, too, have met, if any had fallen in the way of the apostles.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Idolatrypatristic
an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus: A Roman inscription names a Lucius Sergius Paullus among the curators of the Tiber banks under Claudius. W. M. Ramsay tied the family to lands near Pisidian Antioch. That would explain why Paul headed there next.
Acts 13:7
“As Sergius Paulus, proconsul of Cyprus, was the first to believe in his preaching, he took his name from him because he had subdued him to faith in Christ.”
Jerome · written before 420 · On Illustrious Men 5.4patristic
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 13:7
“Which was with the deputy - Or with the proconsul. The exact accuracy of Luke in this statement is worthy of special remark. In the time when Augustus united the world under his own power, the provinces were divided into two classes. Augustus found two names which were applied to public officers in existence, one of which was henceforward inseparably blended with the imperial dignity and with military command, and the other with the authority of the senate and its civil administration.”
Acts 13:7
“Which was with the deputy--properly, "the proconsul." This name was reserved for the governors of settled provinces, which were placed under the Roman Senate, and is never given in the New Testament to Pilate, Felix, or Festus, who were but procurators, or subordinate administrators of unsettled, imperial, military provinces.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
(for that is what his name means): Barnes and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown derive Elymas from an Arabic word for a wise man, which Luke renders sorcerer. His Jewish name was Bar-Jesus, son of Joshua. Codex Bezae reads Etoimas.
Acts 13:8
“But Elymas the sorcerer, for so is his name by interpretation,.... Not that Magus a sorcerer is by interpretation Elymas; as if Luke was interpreting the Persic word "Magus", which is sometimes used in a good sense, for a wise man, as in Mat 2:1 by an Arabic word "Elim", which signifies knowing; but "Elymas" is the interpretation of his name "Bar-jesus"; which as that signifies the son of salvation, or of healing, so this, as De Dieu observes, may be derived from חלם, "Chalam", which signifies "to heal", or to be sound and in health.”
3 more voices on this verse
Acts 13:8
“But Elymas, the sorcerer, (for so is his name by interpretation) - That is, Elymas is the interpretation of the word μαγος, or sorcerer; not of the word Bar-Jesus as some have imagined; and to support which they have been led into strange etymologies on the word βαρ-Ιησους, Bar-Jesus. But how is Elymas, Ελυμας, the interpretation of the word μαγος, magician or sorcerer? Ans. Both names are Asiatic; but neither Hebrew nor Greek.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 13:8
“Many attempts were also wrought against the apostles by the sorcerers Simon and Elymas, but the blindness which struck (them) was no enchanter's trick.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · A Treatise on the Soulpatristic
Acts 13:8
“But Elymas--or "the wise." for so is his name by interpretation--the word is from the Arabic. withstood them--perceiving, probably, how eagerly the proconsul was drinking in the word, and fearing a dismissal.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 13:9-11
who was also called Paul: Then Saul, who was also called Paul, looked directly at Elymas, and from here Luke uses the Roman name. The man who tried to darken the proconsul's sight was struck with mist and darkness and groped about for a hand to lead him.
Acts 13:9
“Now of Paul it is said, [1.] That he was filled with the Holy Ghost upon this occasion, filled with a holy zeal against a professed enemy of Christ, which was one of the graces of the Holy Ghost-- a spirit of burning; filled with power to denounce the wrath of God against him, which was one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost-- a spirit of judgment.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
The man named son of Jesus is called child of the devil. The straight ways recall the call of Isaiah 40:3, which Luke applied to John at Luke 3:4. Elymas was bending the road John had made straight.
Acts 13:10
“O full of all subtilty - Δολου, Deceit, pretending to supernatural powers without possessing any, and having only cunning and deceit as their substitutes. And - mischief - Ῥᾳδιουργιας, from ῥᾳδιος, easy, and εργον, a work; one who is ready at his work; a word which excellently well defines a juggler, one who is expert at sleight of hand; though it is often employed to signify an abandoned and accomplished villain. Child of the devil - Υἱε διαβολου, Son of the devil, possessing his nature; filled with his cunning; and, in consequence, practising deceit.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 13:10
“And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief,.... Which may have regard both to his general character as a sorcerer, and a false prophet; in acting up to which he used much deceit and cunning among the people, and did much mischief to them; to which there was a promptness and readiness in him, as the word used signifies; and also to the sophistry he used, and the mischief he endeavoured to do in seeking to turn the deputy from the faith.”
Acts 13:10
“He describes him to be, First, An agent for hell; and such there have been upon this earth (the seat of the war between the seed of the woman and of the serpent ) ever since Cain who was of that wicked one, an incarnate devil, slew his brother, for no other reason than because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
for a time you will be blind: The blindness is set for a time, and Chrysostom took the limit as room for the man to repent. Paul had himself been led by the hand into Damascus at 9:8. He now pronounces the judgment he once received.
Acts 13:11
“The hand of the Lord is upon thee - God shall punish thee. By this sudden and miraculous punishment he would be awed and humbled, and the proconsul and others would be convinced that he was an impostor, and that the gospel was true. His wickedness deserved such punishment; and at the same time that due punishment was inflicted, it was designed that the gospel should be extended by this means. In all this there was the highest evidence that Paul was under the inspiration of God.”
When the proconsul saw: what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Sergius Paulus is the first Roman official of rank the book names as a believer. The mission on Cyprus closes with a sorcerer blinded and a governor converted in one meeting.
Acts 13:12
“The deputy - believed - This was a proof that the doctrine was true; and that the power of God, from which nothing could be concealed, and which nothing could resist, was with these preachers. Being astonished - Εκπλησσομενος, Being struck with astonishment, as Elymas was struck with blindness. Thus the word of God is a two-edged sword: it smites the sinner with judgment or compunction; and the sincere inquirer after truth, with conviction of its own worth and excellence.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:12
“What fruit, if any, followed this remarkable conversion, or how long after it the missionaries remained at Paphos, we know not. AT PERGA JOHN MARK FORSAKES THEM--AT ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA, PAUL PREACHES WITH GLORIOUS EFFECT--THE JEWS, ENRAGED, EXPEL THEM OUT OF THEM COASTS.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Paul Preaches in the Synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia
After setting sail from Paphos: Luke's order of names now shifts from Barnabas and Saul to Paul and his companions, and Paul leads for the rest of the book. At Perga John left them to return to Jerusalem, with no reason given, and Paul treats it as a desertion in 15:38.
Acts 13:13
“Paul and his company - Those with him - Barnabas and John - and perhaps others who had been converted at Paphos; for it was common for many of the converts to Christianity to attend on the apostles in their travels. See Act 9:3 O. Loosed from Paphos - Departed from Paphos. See the notes on Act 13:6. They came to Perga in Pamphylia - Pamphylia was a province of Asia Minor, lying over against Cyprus, having Cilicia east, Lycia west, Pisidia north, and the Mediterranean south.”
Acts 13:14-15
from Perga, they traveled inland: Pisidian Antioch is a different city from the Syrian Antioch that sent them. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders invite them to speak. The synagogue's own custom gives Paul the opening for his sermon.
Acts 13:14
“But when they departed from Perga,.... Where they seemed not to make any long stay; nor is there any account of what they did there; though it is certain here was a church of Christ in after times, and very likely planted by the apostles; for after this Paul and Barnabas preached the word in this place, Act 14:25 and no doubt with success.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 13:14
“The whole region was, and to this day is, infested by robbers, as ancient history and modern travels abundantly attest; and there can be but little doubt that to this very journey Paul many years after alludes, when he speaks amidst his "journeyings often," of his "perils of rivers" (as the word is), and his "perils of robbers" (2Co 11:26).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 13:14
“For, though it was by the death of Christ that the ceremonial law died, yet it was in the ruins of Jerusalem that it was to be buried; and therefore, though the morality of the fourth commandment was entirely transferred to the Christian sabbath, yet it was not incongruous to join with the Jews in their sabbath sanctification.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
if you have a word of encouragement: A word of encouragement was a name for a sermon, and Hebrews 13:22 uses the same phrase of the whole letter. The synagogue here had more than one leader, the office Jairus held at Luke 8:41. They address the visitors as brothers.
Acts 13:15
“And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the chief of the synagogue sent to them - The law was read over once every year, a portion of it every Sabbath: to which was added a lesson taken out of the prophets. After this was over, any one might speak to the people, on any subject he thought convenient.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 13:16-17
motioned with his hand: Paul stood up and motioned with his hand, as again at 21:40. He addresses the men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, Gentiles who attended the synagogue without full conversion. Both audiences are named before the sermon turns to the Gentiles.
Acts 13:16
“Men of Israel - Ye that are Jews by birth; and ye that fear God - ye that are proselytes to the Jewish religion. In this discourse Paul proves that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent from God, not only for the salvation of the Jews, but of the whole human race. And this he does, not with the rhetorician’s arts, but in a plain, simple detail of the history of Christ, and the most remarkable transactions of the people of God, which referred to his manifestation in the flesh. Rosenmuller.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The God of the people of Israel chose: The sermon begins with God's choice, the note Deuteronomy 7:6 to 8 strikes for Israel's whole story. He made them great in Egypt, where Exodus 1:7 records how they multiplied. God is the subject of nearly every verb.
Acts 13:17
“The God of this people - Who has manifested himself as the special friend and protector of this nation. This implied a belief that he had been particularly their God; a favorite doctrine of the Jews, and one that would conciliate their favor toward Paul. Of Israel - The Jews. Chose our fathers - Selected the nation to be a chosen and special people to himself, Deu 7:6-7. And exalted the people - Raised them up from a low and depressed state of bondage, to freedom, and to special privileges as a nation.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:17
“The God - By such a commemoration of God's favours to their fathers, at once their minds were conciliated to the speaker, they were convinced of their duty to God, and invited to believe his promise, and the accomplishment of it.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 13:18-19
He endured their conduct: In the words He endured their conduct, the manuscripts read two Greek verbs one letter apart. One means bore with them, the other carried them as a nurse, the wording of Deuteronomy 1:31 in the Septuagint.
Acts 13:18
“About the time of forty years - The space of time between their coming out of Egypt, and going into the promised land. Suffered he their manners - Ετροποφορησεν αυτους; He dealt indulgently with them: howsoever they behaved towards him, he mercifully bore with, and kindly treated them. But instead of ετροποφορησεν, ACE, some others, with the Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, Ethiopic, and some of the fathers, read ετροφοφορησεν, which signifies, he nourished and fed them, or bore them about in his arms as a tender nurse does her child.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
having vanquished seven nations in Canaan: Deuteronomy 7:1 names the seven, the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Paul names no battle and credits God with the victory. Inheritance is the word of Joshua 14:1, where the land was shared out.
Acts 13:20-21
All this took about 450 years: , a round figure for a span the Old Testament does not total. Paul gives Saul forty years, a length the Old Testament narrative does not state and Josephus also gives.
Acts 13:20
“Taking the words as they stand in the Greek, thus, "after that, by the space of four hundred fifty years, He gave judges," the meaning may be, that about four hundred fifty years elapsed from the time of the covenant with Abraham until the period of the judges; which is historically correct, the word "about" showing that chronological exactness was not aimed at.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:20
“And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years - This is a most difficult passage, and has been termed by Scaliger, Crux Chronologorum. The apostle seems here to contradict the account in 1Ki 6:1: And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, he began to build the house of the Lord.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Then the people asked for a king: The people asked, and 1 Samuel 8:5 to 7 records the request as a turning from God's own rule. The preacher is himself a Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, as he writes at Philippians 3:5. He names the first king without reproach.
Acts 13:21
“And afterward they desired a king - See 1Sa 8:5; Hos 13:10. It was predicted that they would have a king, Deu 17:14-15. Saul, the son of Cis - is the Greek mode of writing the Hebrew name Kish. In the Old Testament it is uniformly written as “Kish,” and it is to be regretted that this has not been retained in the New Testament. See 1Sa 9:1. By the space of forty years - During forty years. The Old Testament has not mentioned the time during which Saul reigned.”
After removing Saul: The testimony Paul quotes joins 1 Samuel 13:14 and Psalm 89:20: I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart. The phrase describes David's devotion to the Lord across a flawed life.
Acts 13:22
“David - a man after mine own heart - That is, a man who would rule the kingdom according to God’s will. Dr. Benson’s observation on this point is very judicious: “When it is said that David was a man after God’s own heart, it should be understood, not of his private, but of his public, character. He was a man after God’s own heart, because he ruled the people according to the Divine will. He did not allow of idolatry; he did not set up for absolute power.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:22
“This character was given of him before he was first anointed, 1 Sam. xiii. The Lord hath sought out a man after his own heart, such a one as he would have. Thirdly, That his conduct was divine, and under divine direction: He shall fulfil all my will.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Cross references
Acts 13:22
- QuotingPsalms 89:20“I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him.”
'I have found David... a man after mine own heart' (Paul at Antioch, w/ 1Sa 13:14)
ConnectionsPsalms 89:20
Acts 13:23-25
From the descendants of this man: , God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised, the promise of 2 Samuel 7:12 to 16. The survey of judges and kings leads here.
Acts 13:23
"From his seed God, according to the promise, raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus." The name of David was especially beloved by the Jews; therefore it is said that a king reigns from his lineage.
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
John preached a baptism of repentance: Paul assumes a synagogue in Pisidia knew of John. His movement reached the Jews abroad, as Apollos at 18:25 and the disciples at Ephesus in 19:3 show. The Greek reads before the face of His coming, the language of Malachi 3:1.
Acts 13:24
“Then John bears witness to this: "When John had first preached before His coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not He. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of His feet I am not worthy to loose."”
John Chrysostom · written before 407 · Homily on Acts 29patristic
4 more voices on this verse
Acts 13:24
“John - preached - the baptism of repentance - On the nature and effects of John’s preaching, see the notes on Mat 3:1, etc., and Luk 3:10-15 (note).”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 13:24
“He showed them their sins, warned them of the wrath to come, called them to repentance, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, and bound those to this who were willing to be bound by the solemn rite or sign of baptism; and by this he made ready a people prepared for the Lord Jesus, to whom his grace would be acceptable when they were thus brought to know themselves.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 13:24
"Before His very appearance John preached." By appearance he means the incarnation.
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 13:24
“It must be said, on the one hand, that the Old [Testament] is not a Gospel since it did not show "the one coming" but announced him beforehand, and on the other that the entire New [Testament] is the gospel, speaking not just in a way similar to the beginning of the Gospel, "Behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world," but encompassing manifold praises and teachings of the one on whose account the Gospel is the gospel.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on the Gospel of John 1.17patristic
As John was completing his course: Course is a runner's word, and Paul uses it of his own life at 20:24 and at 2 Timothy 4:7. John's question answers the wondering of the crowds recorded at Luke 3:15 to 16. He ran his race to its end.
Acts 13:25
“As John fulfilled his course - As John was fulfilling his race, he said, etc. It has been supposed that the word δρομον, course, or race, is used here to point out the short duration of the Baptist’s ministry, and the fervent zeal with which he performed it. It signifies properly his ministry, or life. A man’s work, employment, function, etc., is his race, course, or way of life.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:25
He said: "Whom you think me to be, I am not." In Greek it is more fully said: "I am not the Christ."
Bede · written before 735 · Retractions on Actspatristic
Brothers, children of Abraham: , and you Gentiles who fear God repeats the double address of verse 16. Paul says this message of salvation has been sent to us, naming the goal of the history before he tells of the cross.
Acts 13:26
“Men and brethren - This should have been translated brethren simply. See the note on Act 7:2. Children of the stock of Abraham - All ye that are Jews. And whosoever among you feared God - That is, all ye who are Gentiles, and are now proselytes to the Jewish religion. The word of this salvation - The doctrine that contains the promise of deliverance from sin, and the means by which it is brought about; all which is founded on Jesus, of the stock of David, dying and rising again for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:26
MY text must be read in the light of the 46th verse, or else I may be thought to be guilty of wresting it from its true meaning. Paul originally said to the Jews and proselytes in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, "To you i s the word of this salvation sent." But they rejected the message and, therefore, the Apostle said to them, "It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."
Charles Spurgeon · written before 1892 · The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2899: “'To You'” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition)Particular Baptist
Acts 13:27-29
The people of Jerusalem: and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets. When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they laid Him in a tomb.
Acts 13:27
“For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, &c.--The apostle here speaks as if the more immediate guilt of Christ's death lay with the rulers and people of the metropolis, to which he fondly hoped that those residing at such a distance as Antioch would not set their seal.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:27
"Not having known Him." He somewhat excuses them: they crucified Him, he says, not knowing who He was; because the crime was committed as a result of ignorance.
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
they found no ground for a death sentence: Pilate declared Jesus innocent three times at Luke 23:4, 14 and 22. The rulers asked for the execution as they had asked for Barabbas, the charge Peter laid at 3:14. Paul names the Roman judge in a Roman colony.
Acts 13:28
“They found no cause of death in him - No reason why he should be condemned. Though they accused him of several things, yet they could not substantiate the most trifling charge against him; and yet, in opposition to all justice and equity, desired Pilate to put him to death! This points their perfidy in the strongest light.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
they took Him down from the tree: Tree recalls Deuteronomy 21:23, the curse on one hanged on a tree, which Paul applies to the cross at Galatians 3:13. Peter used the same word at 5:30 and 10:39. Joseph of Arimathea, who buried Him, sat on the council.
Acts 13:29
“They took him down ... - That is, it was done by the Jews. Not that it was done by those who put him to death, but by Joseph of Arimathea, and by Nicodemus, who were Jews. Paul is speaking of what was done to Jesus by the Jews at Jerusalem; and he does not affirm that the same persons put him to death and laid him in a tomb, but that all this was done by Jews. See Joh 19:38-39.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:29
“Their very condemning him, innocent as he was, proves that they understood not the prophecies concerning him. They fulfilled all things that were written of him - So far could they go, but no farther.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
But God raised Him: The clause But God raised Him from the dead is the turning point of the sermon. Every clause in verses 27 to 29 tells what Jerusalem's rulers did, and every clause after this one tells what God did.
Acts 13:30
“But God raised him from the dead. Though his life was taken away by man, and it was a clear case that he was certainly dead, and he was taken down from the cross as such, and buried; yet he could not be held with the cords of death, but God the Father raised him from the dead by his power. The Vulgate Latin version adds, "the third day".”
for many days He was seen: Paul says that for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, naming living witnesses. The many days are the forty of 1:3.
Acts 13:31
“He was seen many days by them who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem - This last journey both presupposes all the rest, and was the most important of all.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:31
“And he was seen - See the notes at the end of Matthew. Many days - Forty days, Act 1:3. Of them which came up - By the apostles particularly. He was seen by others; but they are especially mentioned as having been chosen for this object, to bear witness to him, and as having been particularly qualified for it.”
Acts 13:32-33
proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, Paul says. He quotes the second Psalm, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, and applies its day to the resurrection.
As it is written in the second Psalm: Codex Bezae reads the first Psalm here. Some ancient Jewish reckoning joined Psalms 1 and 2 as one, which the Talmud records at Berakhot 9b. The Berean follows the reading of most manuscripts.
Acts 13:33
“The only one who knows the Father and who is only known by the Father as his Wisdom and Word and as "the Angel of great counsel" according to the prophet, perfectly explains to us the mystery of the incarnation. Since he was Son by nature and by truth and had shone forth from the very essence of God the Father, he was made flesh, that is, man, according to John. He desired to be called the brother of those who are in the world and to be born according to flesh like us.”
Cyril of Alexandria · written before 444 · Catena on the Acts of the Apostles 13.33patristic
Cross references
Acts 13:33
- QuotingPsalms 2:7“I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.”
'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee' ('as it is written in the second psalm')
ConnectionsPsalms 2:7
Acts 13:34-35
God raised Him from the dead: , never to see decay, and Paul supports it from Isaiah 55:3 and Psalm 16:10. A covenant with David that lasts for ever needs an heir of David who does not decay.
Acts 13:34
“I will give you the sure mercies of David - The blessings promised to David in Christ. These are sure, certain, firm, solid, to every true believer in him. And hence the resurrection of Christ necessarily follows; for without this, those blessings could not be given.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 13:34
WE know from this quotation made by the Apostle Paul in his address at Antioch, that he was alluding not only to David, but to the Lord Jesus, also. "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: but He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption."
Charles Spurgeon · written before 1892 · The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2366: “"The Sure Mercies of David"” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition)Particular Baptist
Acts 13:34
“No more to return to corruption - To the grave, to death, the place and state of corruption; for so we should understand the word διαφθοραν in the text. The sure mercies of David - Τα ὁσια Δαβιδ τα πιϚα. These words are quoted literatim from the Septuagint version of Isa 55:3; where the Hebrew is חסדי דוד הנאמנים chasdey David ha-neemanim, of which the Greek is a faithful translation; and which sure mercies of David St. Paul considers as being fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Cross references
Acts 13:34
- QuotingIsaiah 55:3“Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.”
'the sure mercies of David' (resurrection, no more to corruption)
Verse 34 promises the holy blessings of David, and this verse speaks of the Holy One, from the same Greek word. Paul joins Isaiah 55:3 and Psalm 16:10 through that shared term, a method the rabbis called gezerah shavah. The blessings rest on an undying Holy One.
Acts 13:35
“Wherefore - Διὸ Dio. To the same intent or end. In proof of the same thing - that he must rise and live forever. He saith - God says by David, or David spake the promises made by God. In another psalm - Psa 16:10. Thou wilt not suffer ... - See this explained in the notes on Act 2:27.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:35
"You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption." The body of the Lord and Savior Christ is called incorruptible and immortal, because it is clear that it possessed the property of incorruption from the time of the incarnation itself, since Christ was sinless.
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Cross references
Acts 13:35
- QuotingPsalms 16:10“For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.”
'Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption'
ConnectionsPsalms 16:10
Acts 13:36-37
when David had served God’s purpose: David's body was buried with his fathers and saw decay, and every Jewish hearer knew it, since David's tomb stood in Jerusalem. But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay, so Psalm 16 must point beyond David.
Acts 13:36
“David, having served the will of God in his generation, fell asleep - So his service extended not itself beyond the bounds of the common age of man: but the service of the Messiah to all generations, as his kingdom to all ages. Served the will of God - Why art thou here thou who art yet in the world? Is it not that thou also mayest serve the will of God?”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:36
“David - fell on sleep - and saw corruption - David died, was buried, and never rose again; therefore, David cannot be the person spoken of here: the words are true of some other person; and they can be applied to Jesus Christ only; and in him they are most exactly fulfilled. See the notes on Act 2:29, Act 2:30, etc.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
But the One whom God raised: Decay stands four times in verses 34 to 37, and the argument turns on it. David's body saw it, and the risen One escaped it. The forgiveness offered in verse 38 rests on that empty grave.
Acts 13:37
“But he whom God raised again,.... The Vulgate Latin version adds, "from the dead"; meaning the Lord Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead by God the Father: and saw no corruption; he did not lie so long in the grave as to corrupt and putrefy, but was raised from the dead the third day; wherefore the passage, before cited, is very applicable to him, and is a clear proof that the Messiah was to rise from the dead, as Jesus did.”
Acts 13:38-39
the forgiveness of sins: Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed, and everyone who believes is justified from everything the law of Moses could never justify. Galatians and Romans develop the same contrast of law and faith.
Acts 13:38
“Be it known unto you, therefore - This is the legitimate conclusion: seeing the word of God is true, and he has promised an endless succession to the seed of David; seeing David and all his family have failed in reference to the political kingdom, a spiritual kingdom and a spiritual succession must be intended, that the sure covenant and all its blessings may be continued.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
everyone who believes is justified: Justified appears twice in this verse and nowhere else in Acts. To justify is to declare a person righteous, and everyone who believes receives that verdict through Jesus. The law of Moses could give no such verdict, and Paul's letters to Rome and Galatia build their argument on this word.
Acts 13:39
“Everyone that believeth is justified from all things - Has the actual forgiveness of all his sins, at the very time of his believing; from which ye could not be justified - Not only ye cannot now; but ye never could. For it afforded no expiation for presumptuous sins.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 13:40-41
Watch out, then: Paul closes with Habakkuk 1:5, Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, a warning to Judah of the Chaldean invasion now applied to the gospel. The citation follows the Septuagint, which reads scoffers where the Hebrew reads among the nations.
Acts 13:40
“Beware - lest that come upon you, etc. - If you reject these benefits, now freely offered to you in this preaching of Christ crucified, you may expect such judgment from the hand of God as your forefathers experienced, when, for their rebellion and their contempt of his benefits, their city was taken, their temple destroyed, and themselves either slain by the sword, or carried into captivity. It is evident that St. Paul refers to Hab 1:5-10; and in those verses the desolation by the Chaldeans is foretold. Never was there a prophecy more correctly and pointedly applied.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The Hebrew of Habakkuk 1:5 opens with look among the nations, where the Greek version Paul follows reads you scoffers. The warning finds its hearers a week later, at verse 45. Habakkuk 2:4, which Paul quotes at Romans 1:17 on faith, stands in the same short book.
Acts 13:41
“Behold, ye despisers - Hebrew, “Behold, ye among the pagan.” The change from this expression to “ye despisers” was made by the Septuagint translators by a very slight alteration in the Hebrew word - probably from a variation in the copy which they used. It arose from reading בּוגדים bowgadiym instead of בגּוים bagowyim. The Syriac, the Arabic, as well as the Septuagint, follow this reading. And wonder - Hebrew, “And regard, and wonder marvelously.” And perish - Thin is not in the Hebrew, but is in the Septuagint and the Arabic.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:41
“I work a work which ye will in nowise believe - This was originally spoken to those, who would not believe that God would ever deliver them from the power of the Chaldeans. But it is applicable to any who will not believe the promises, or the works of God.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Cross references
Acts 13:41
- QuotingHabakkuk 1:5“Look at the nations and observe—be utterly astounded! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you.
'Behold, ye despisers, and wonder' (warning, 'that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets')
Lo, We Turn to the Gentiles
As Paul and Barnabas were leaving: the synagogue, the people urged them to continue this message on the next Sabbath. Verse 43 shows many Jews and converts following them that same day, so this is a request for more. The request leads to the far larger crowd of verse 44.
Acts 13:42
“When the Jews were going out - Probably many of them, not bearing to hear him, went out before he had done. The Sabbath between - So the Jews call to this day the Sabbath between the first day of the month Tisri (on which the civil year begins) and the tenth of the same month, which is the solemn day of expiation.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:42
“When the Jews were gone out - That part of them in whom the words of the prophet were fulfilled, viz. those who, though they had the clearest relation of so interesting a history, would not believe it: they shut their eyes against the light, and hardened their hearts against the truth. There were other Jews in the assembly that did believe, and were saved.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 13:43-44
After the synagogue was dismissed: Many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas. On the following Sabbath nearly the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. The size of that crowd brings on the conflict of the next verses.
Acts 13:43
“When the congregation - Greek: when the synagogue was dissolved. Broken up - Dismissed. It does not mean that it was broken up by violence or disorder. It was dismissed in the usual way. Many of the Jews - Probably the majority of them rejected the message. See Act 13:45. Still a deep impression was made on many of them. And religious proselytes - See Act 13:16. Compare the notes on Mat 23:15. Greek: proselytes worshipping. Persuaded them to continue ... - It would appear from this that they professedly received the truth and embraced the Lord Jesus.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:43
“Now when the congregation was broken up,.... Or "the synagogue"; not the place, but the people that met in it; when they were "dismissed", as the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions render it; either in a disorderly manner, through the offence the Jews took at Paul's preaching; or if in an orderly way, this was done by התורגמן, "the interpreter"; so it is said (w), that "R.”
nearly the whole city gathered: Pisidian Antioch was a Roman colony settled with veterans by Augustus, so the crowd was mostly Gentile. Manuscripts divide over whether the word heard was of the Lord or of God. The Berean reads the Lord.
Acts 13:44
“The next Sabbath day - The good news had spread far and wide, by means of the converted Jews and proselytes. Almost the whole city - Jews, proselytes, and Gentiles, came together to hear τον λογον του Θεου, this doctrine of God, this Divine teaching, by which so many of their kindred and acquaintance had become so wise and happy.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:44
“And the next sabbath day,.... The same which is before called the "sabbath between", which was between the first and tenth of Tisri, or between the beginning of the year, and the day of atonement: came almost the whole city together.”
Acts 13:45-46
when the Jews saw the crowds: Filled with jealousy at the crowds, the Jews contradicted what Paul was saying. Paul and Barnabas turn to the Gentiles, a turn repeated at 18:6 and 28:28. Paul still enters the synagogue first at Iconium in 14:1.
The necessity rests on the order Jesus gave at Luke 24:47, beginning from Jerusalem, and Paul restates it at Romans 1:16, to the Jew first. Calvin notes that the hearers passed sentence on themselves. The verdict was theirs.
Acts 13:46
“It was necessary - Though ye are not worthy: he shows that he had not preached to them, from any confidence of their believing, but seeing ye judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life - They indeed judged none but themselves worthy of it. Yet their rejecting of the Gospel was the same as saying, "We are unworthy of eternal life." Behold! - A thing now present!”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:46
That the Gentiles should rather believe in Christ. In Genesis: "And the Lord God said unto Abraham, Go out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, and go into that land which I shall show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and I will magnify thy name; and thou shalt be blessed: and I will bless him that blesseth thee, and I will curse him that curseth thee. and in thee shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed."
Cyprian · written before 258 · Treatise XII Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jewspatristic
the Lord has commanded us: Paul quotes Isaiah 49:6, I have made you a light for the Gentiles, and the apostles take up the Servant's commission as their own. The same passage stands behind Simeon's words over the infant Jesus in Luke 2:32.
Acts 13:47
“Now who was it that said; "Let there be light? " And who was it that said to Christ concerning giving light to the world: "I have set Thee as a light to the Gentiles" -to them, that is, "who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death? " (None else, surely, than He), to whom the Spirit in the Psalm answers, in His foresight of the future, saying, "The light of Thy countenance, O Lord, hath been displayed upon us.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion Book Vpatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:47
“For so hath the Lord commanded us - By sending us forth, and giving us an opportunity of fulfilling what he had foretold. I have set thee - The Father speaks to Christ.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Cross references
Acts 13:47
- QuotingIsaiah 49:6He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
'I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles' ('so hath the Lord commanded us')
Acts 13:48-49
When the Gentiles heard this: , they rejoiced, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The Greek word for appointed is read both of God's prior appointing, which believing follows, and of a readiness toward the life to come.
Acts 13:48
“As many as were ordained to eternal life believed - This text has been most pitifully misunderstood. Many suppose that it simply means that those in that assembly who were fore-ordained; or predestinated by God’s decree, to eternal life, believed under the influence of that decree. Now, we should be careful to examine what a word means, before we attempt to fix its meaning. Whatever τεταγμενοι may mean, which is the word we translate ordained, it is neither προτεταγμενοι nor προορισμενοι which the apostle uses, but simply τεταγμενοι, which includes no idea of pre-ordination or pre-destination of any kind.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:48
“It is observable, the original word is not once used in Scripture to express eternal predestination of any kind. The sum is, all those and those only, who were now ordained, now believed. Not that God rejected the rest: it was his will that they also should have been saved: but they thrust salvation from them.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
the word of the Lord spread throughout: The region is the countryside governed from the colony of Antioch, which Ramsay identified as a district of Phrygia. Luke marks the spread of the word of the Lord with summaries like this at 6:7, 12:24 and 19:20. Growth follows the persecution again.
Acts 13:49
“And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. That is, of Pisidia, in which Antioch was; not by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, who seem to go directly to Iconium, after they were expelled the city and suburbs of Antioch; but by some of those who were converted under their ministry, and had gifts bestowed on them, qualifying them to preach the Gospel to others, which they did with success.”
Acts 13:50-52
incited the religious women of prominence: The Jews incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and the preachers were driven out. They shook the dust off their feet in protest and went to Iconium, as Jesus told his disciples in Luke 9:5 and 10:11.
Acts 13:50
“Devout and honorable women - It is likely that these were heathen matrons, who had become proselytes to the Jewish religion; and, as they were persons of affluence and respectability, they had considerable influence with the civil magistracy of the place, and probably their husbands were of this order; and it is likely that they used that influence, at the instigation of the Jews, to get the apostles expelled from the place.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
shook the dust off their feet: Jews returning from Gentile lands shook such dust from their feet, and the act here treats a hostile town as unclean ground. Iconium lay about ninety miles east along the Roman road. The two men press on.
Acts 13:51
“But they shook off the dust ... - See the notes on Mat 10:14. And came unto Iconium - This was the capital of Lycaonia. It is now called Konieh, and is the capital of Caramania. “Konieh extends to the east and south over the plain far beyond the walls, which are about two miles in circumference ... Mountains covered with snow rise on every side, excepting toward the east, where a plain, as flat as the desert of Arabia, extends far beyond the reach of the eye” (Capt.”
the disciples were filled with joy: The disciples here are the new believers left in Antioch after the preachers were driven out. The verb is continuous, so they went on being filled. Paul and Barnabas return to strengthen them at 14:21 to 22.
Acts 13:52
"And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." The teachers were being persecuted, yet they rejoiced: such is the power of the Gospel. The suffering of the teacher does not take away boldness from the disciple, but makes him more courageous.
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 13:52
“The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost - Though in the world they had tribulation, yet in Christ they had peace; and, while engaged in their Master’s work, they always had their Master’s wages. The happiness of a genuine Christian lies far beyond the reach of earthly disturbances, and is not affected by the changes and chances to which mortal things are exposed. The martyrs were more happy in the flames than their persecutors could be on their beds of down. St. Paul’s sermon at Antioch has been thus analyzed.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
How this psalm is built
The form: A missionary narrative built round Paul's first recorded sermon, as Alexander classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Three addresses to the hearers | The sermon turns on its addresses. Verse 16 names the men of Israel and the Gentiles who fear God, verse 26 names both groups again as brothers, children of Abraham and God-fearers, and verse 38 addresses them as brothers before the offer of forgiveness. The site's exposition of verse 26 reads the second address as the hinge from history to gospel.This site's published exposition of Acts 13:26, The exposition_notes row on Acts 13:26, citing John Gill and Albert Barnes. | Acts 13:16, Acts 13:26, Acts 13:38 |
| A chain of Scripture | The sermon and its sequel quote Psalm 2:7 at verse 33, Isaiah 55:3 at verse 34, Psalm 16:10 at verse 35, Habakkuk 1:5 at verse 41 and Isaiah 49:6 at verse 47. Verse 22 draws on 1 Samuel 13:14 and Psalm 89:20. The site's exposition notes on these verses name each source.This site's published exposition of Acts 13:22 to 47, The exposition_notes rows on Acts 13:22, 13:32 to 33, 13:34 to 35, 13:40 to 41 and 13:47, citing Albert Barnes, Matthew Henry and John Calvin. | Acts 13:22, Acts 13:33, Acts 13:34, Acts 13:35, Acts 13:41, Acts 13:47 |
| Decay four times | The word decay stands at verses 34, 35, 36 and 37. David's body saw it and the One God raised did not, and the argument from Psalm 16:10 rests on that contrast.The Berean text of Acts 13:34 to 37, counted, The verses table, translation id 3. | Acts 13:34, Acts 13:35, Acts 13:36, Acts 13:37 |
| The word spreads | Verse 49 records the word of the Lord spreading through the region, and verse 52 closes the chapter on the disciples filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit after the preachers were driven out.The Berean text of Acts 13:49 and 13:52, counted, The verses table, translation id 3. | Acts 13:49, Acts 13:52 |
How this chapter is built
11 more paragraphs on the patterns
The chapter has four scenes. Verses 1 to 3 are the sending at Antioch. Verses 4 to 12 are the work on Cyprus, ending with the proconsul's belief. Verses 13 to 41 carry the voyage to Perga and the sermon at Pisidian Antioch. Verses 42 to 52 give the two Sabbaths, the turn to the Gentiles and the expulsion.
The sermon falls in three parts marked by its addresses at verses 16, 26 and 38. The first runs through God's dealings with Israel from the fathers to David. The second gives the death and resurrection of Jesus as the fulfilment of the promise. The third offers forgiveness and closes with a warning.
Where it stands in Acts
Chapter 12 closed with the word spreading and Barnabas and Saul back at Antioch with John Mark. This chapter opens the mission the three of them begin, and chapter 14 completes it, so the unit runs from 13:1 to 14:28 and ends with the report at Antioch.
From verse 9 the book calls Saul by the name Paul, and from verse 13 Luke names Paul first.
The readings debated
The manuscripts of verse 18 read either that God endured their conduct or that He carried them as a nurse carries a child. Adam Clarke and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown set out both.
The 450 years of verse 20 are joined in some manuscripts to the time before the judges and in others to the judges themselves, and the Berean places them before. Albert Barnes discusses how the figure stands beside 1 Kings 6:1.
Verse 48 says that all who were appointed for eternal life believed. John Gill reads appointed of God's decree, and John Wesley reads it of those disposed toward eternal life.
The reach of the chapter
The sermon's use of Psalm 16:10 matches Peter's at 2:25 to 31. Its offer of justification at verse 39 is the one place Acts uses the word Paul's letters build on. The quotation of Isaiah 49:6 at verse 47 takes up Simeon's words over the child Jesus at Luke 2:32, and Habakkuk 1:5 at verse 41 comes from the book that also gives Romans 1:17 its text.
Keep studying
Studies22
Words12
Subjects1
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained, 1857, on Acts 13:16 and W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, 1895.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on Acts; Bede, On the Acts of the Apostles; J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, Expositor's Greek Testament; W. M. Ramsay and William Ramsay.