Acts 13:21
in Acts 13Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years.
KJV
And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
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This verse in Acts 13
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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.
This site's exposition
All this took about 450 years
on 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.
This site's exposition
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.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And afterward they desired a king:" and still not a word of their ingratitude, but throughout he speaks of the kindness of God. "And God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years." And observe, he nowhere mentions right deeds of theirs, but only benefits on God's part: "He chose: Exalted: Suffered their manners:" these are no matters of praise to them: "They asked, He gave."
The Medieval Church2 voices
And God gave them Saul for forty years. I believe, because the Book of Kings does not explicitly state how many years Saul reigned, that the Apostle, speaking popularly, wished to say what common rumor held. But searching more diligently there, as the books of …
And God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And in this place concerning the kingdom of Saul, the apostle seems to have followed popular opinion, as we have already said in the previous book; …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
. [1.] He gave them judges, men qualified for public service, and, by an immediate impulse upon their spirits, called to it, pro re nata--as the occasion required. Though they were a provoking people, and were never in servitude but their sin brought them to it, yet upon their petition a deliverer was raised up.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
And afterward they desired a king,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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,
Samuel's government and his lasted forty years, which was a kind of transition from the theocracy to the kingly government. [4.] At last, he made David their king,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
God gave . . . them Saul . . . of the tribe of Benjamin--That the speaker was himself of the same name and of the same tribe, has often been noticed as in all likelihood present to the apostle's mind while speaking. forty years--With this length of Saul's reign (not mentioned in the Old Testament), JOSEPHUS coincides [Antiquities, 6.14.9].
Saul the son of Cis - In all proper names quoted from the Old Testament, we should undoubtedly follow, as nearly as possible, the same orthography: קיש Kish, was the name of this king’s father, and so we spell it in the Old Testament, and yet have transformed it into Cis in the New, where the orthography is almost entirely lost. The space of forty years - Reckoning from the time of his anointing by Samuel to the time of his death, from a.m. 2909 to 2949.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| κἀκεῖθεν | kakeithen | Then | G2532 →G1564 → | 37 times |
| ᾐτήσαντο | etesanto | they asked for | G154 → | 70 times |
| βασιλέα, | basilea | a king, | G935 → | 114 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἔδωκεν | edoken | gave | G1325 → | 412 times |
| αὐτοῖς | autois | to them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεὸς | theos | God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| τὸν | ton | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Σαοὺλ | saoul | Saul | G4549 → | 9 times |
| υἱὸν | huion | son | G5207 → | 377 times |
| Κίς, | kis | of Kish, | G2797 → | |
| ἄνδρα | andra | a man | G435 → | 216 times |
| ἐκ | ek | of [the] | G1537 → | 911 times |
| φυλῆς | phules | tribe | G5443 → | |
| Βενιαμίν, | beniamin | of Benjamin, | G958 → | |
| ἔτη | ete | years | G2094 → | 48 times |
| τεσσεράκοντα· | tesserakonta | forty; | G5062 → | 21 times |
κἀκεῖθενThen
ᾐτήσαντοthey asked for
etesantoG154 →70 times
βασιλέα,a king,
basileaG935 →114 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἔδωκενgave
edokenG1325 →412 times
αὐτοῖςto them
autoisG846 →5565 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
θεὸςGod
theosG2316 →1312 times
τὸν<the>
tonG3588 →19766 times
ΣαοὺλSaul
saoulG4549 →9 times
υἱὸνson
huionG5207 →377 times
Κίς,of Kish,
kisG2797 →
ἄνδραa man
andraG435 →216 times
ἐκof [the]
ekG1537 →911 times
φυλῆςtribe
phulesG5443 →
Βενιαμίν,of Benjamin,
beniaminG958 →
ἔτηyears
eteG2094 →48 times
τεσσεράκοντα·forty;
tesserakontaG5062 →21 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
1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 9:16
“At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him leader over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 16:13
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and…
- Psalms 78:71
from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
- Psalms 2:12
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
- 1 Samuel 9:16
Through
1 Samuel 11:15So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 10:8
And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show…
- 1 Samuel 10:17
After this, Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah
- 1 Samuel 10:8
Through
1 Samuel 8:5“Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 17:14–15
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like…
- Deuteronomy 17:14–15
Through
1 Samuel 15:1Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 12:14
If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over…
- 1 Samuel 12:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies21
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About Acts
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 11 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, Commentary on Acts; Bede, Retractions on Acts; J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 29; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.