Acts 13:19
in Acts 13And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty years:
KJV
And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
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This verse in Acts 13
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And when he had destroyed - Subdued, cast out, or extirpated them as nations. It does not mean that all were put to death, for many of them were left in the land; but that they were subdued as nations, they were broken up and overcome, Deu 7:1, “And hath cast out many nations before them,” etc. Seven nations - The Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, Deu 7:1; Jos 3:10; Neh 9:
This site's exposition
He endured their conduct
on Acts 13:18-19
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.
This site's exposition
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.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Then the settlement. "And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He divided their land to them by lot." And the time was long; four hundred and fifty years. "And after that He gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet." Here he shows that God varied His dispensations towards them at divers times.
"Seven nations:" the Hittites, the Gergaeans, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (see Deut. 7:1)
The Medieval Church1 voice
And destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, He allotted their land to them by lot, as after four hundred and fifty years, and after this He gave them judges. How this number can be understood, we said in the preceding book of our …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, that were doomed to be rooted out to make room for them, he divided their land to them by lot, and put them in possession of it. This was a signal favour of God to them, and he owns that hereby a great honour was put upon them, from which he would not in the least derogate.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan,.... The Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, and Girgashites; and the name of seven nations is what they are usually called by in Jewish writings; and though they were not utterly destroyed, or everyone of them put to death, or driven out, for some remained to be thorns in the sides of the Israelites; yet they were so wasted and conquered, that they could never recover any more: he divided their land to them; every tribe had its portion of it assigned, by lot; see Jos 14:1.
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles at their request, and upon the Jews' refusal of it, wherein the apostles justified themselves against the displeasure which the Jews conceived at it, and God owned them,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Destroyed seven nations - The Canaanites, Hittites, Girgasites, Amorites, Hivites, Peresites, and Jebusites. The rabbins frequently call them שבעה אומות Shebaah Omoth, the Seven Nations.
The words behind it
11 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| καθελὼν | kathelon | having destroyed | G2507 → | 8 times |
| ἔθνη | ethne | nations | G1484 → | 161 times |
| ἑπτὰ | hepta | seven | G2033 → | 86 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| γῇ | gea | [the] land | G1093 → | 248 times |
| Χανάαν | chanaan | of Canaan | G5477 → | |
| κατεκληρονόμησεν | katekleronomesen | He gave as an inheritance | G2624 → | |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆν | gen | land | G1093 → | 248 times |
| αὐτῶν | auton | of them — | G846 → | 5565 times |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
καθελὼνhaving destroyed
kathelonG2507 →8 times
ἔθνηnations
ethneG1484 →161 times
ἑπτὰseven
heptaG2033 →86 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
γῇ[the] land
geaG1093 →248 times
Χανάανof Canaan
chanaanG5477 →
κατεκληρονόμησενHe gave as an inheritance
katekleronomesenG2624 →
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
γῆνland
genG1093 →248 times
αὐτῶνof them —
autonG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 78:55He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
it leads to
- Psalms 44:2
With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 13:7
Now therefore divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
- Nehemiah 9:22–25
You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan.
- Psalms 44:2
Through
Deuteronomy 7:1When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:3
The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said.
- Deuteronomy 4:38
to drive out before you nations greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land and give it to you for your inheritance, as it is this day.
- Deuteronomy 31:3
Through
Joshua 19:51These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed by lot to the tribes of Israel at Shiloh before the LORD at the entrance…
it leads to
- Joshua 18:1
Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 18:10
And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
- Joshua 14:1
Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of…
- Joshua 18:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies21
About Acts
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on Acts; Bede, Retractions on Acts; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 29; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts.