1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21 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.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 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.
26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36 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:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
1 Now G1161 there were G2258 in G2596 the church G1577 that was G5607 at G1722 Antioch G490 certain G5100 prophets G4396 and G2532 teachers; G1320 as G5037 Barnabas, G921 and G2532 Simeon G4826 that was called G2564 Niger, G3526 and G2532 Lucius G3066 of Cyrene, G2956 and G5037 Manaen, G3127 which had been brought up G4939 with Herod G2264 the tetrarch, G5076 and G2532 Saul. G4569
2 As G1161 they G846 ministered G3008 to the Lord, G2962 and G2532 fasted, G3522 the Holy G40 Ghost G4151 said, G2036 G1211 Separate G873 me G3427 G5037 Barnabas G921 and G2532 Saul G4569 for G1519 the work G2041 whereunto G3739 I have called G4341 them. G846
3 And G5119 when they had fasted G3522 and G2532 prayed, G4336 and G2532 laid G2007 their hands G5495 on G2007 them, G846 they sent them away. G630
4 So G3303 G3767 they, G3778 being sent forth G1599 by G5259 the Holy G40 Ghost, G4151 departed G2718 unto G1519 Seleucia; G4581 and from G1564 thence G5037 they sailed G636 to G1519 Cyprus. G2954
5 And G2532 when they were G1096 at G1722 Salamis, G4529 they preached G2605 the word G3056 of God G2316 in G1722 the synagogues G4864 of the Jews: G2453 and G1161 they had G2192 also G2532 John G2491 to their minister. G5257
6 And G1161 when they had gone through G1330 the isle G3520 unto G891 Paphos, G3974 they found G2147 a certain G5100 sorcerer, G3097 a false prophet, G5578 a Jew, G2453 whose G3739 name G3686 was Barjesus: G919
7 Which G3739 was G2258 with G4862 the deputy of the country, G446 Sergius G4588 Paulus, G3972 a prudent G4908 man; G435 who G3778 called G4341 for Barnabas G921 and G2532 Saul, G4569 and desired G1934 to hear G191 the word G3056 of God. G2316
8 But G1161 Elymas G1681 the sorcerer G3097 (for G1063 so G3779 is his G846 name G3686 by interpretation G3177 ) withstood G436 them, G846 seeking G2212 to turn away G1294 the deputy G446 from G575 the faith. G4102
9 Then G1161 Saul, G4569 (who G3588 also G2532 is called Paul,) G3972 filled with G4130 the Holy G40 Ghost, G4151 G2532 set his eyes G816 on G1519 him, G846
10 And said, G2036 O G5599 full G4134 of all G3956 subtilty G1388 and G2532 all G3956 mischief, G4468 thou child G5207 of the devil, G1228 thou enemy G2190 of all G3956 righteousness, G1343 wilt thou G3973 not G3756 cease G3973 to pervert G1294 the right G2117 ways G3598 of the Lord? G2962
11 And G2532 now, G3568 behold, G2400 the hand G5495 of the Lord G2962 is upon G1909 thee, G4571 and G2532 thou shalt be G2071 blind, G5185 not G3361 seeing G991 the sun G2246 for G891 a season. G2540 And G1161 immediately G3916 there fell G1968 on G1909 him G846 a mist G887 and G2532 a darkness; G4655 and G2532 he went about G4013 seeking G2212 some to lead him by the hand. G5497
12 Then G5119 the deputy, G446 when he saw G1492 what was done, G1096 believed, G4100 being astonished G1605 at G1909 the doctrine G1322 of the Lord. G2962
13 Now G1161 when Paul G3972 and his company G4012 loosed G321 from G575 Paphos, G3974 they came G2064 to G1519 Perga G4011 in Pamphylia: G3828 and G1161 John G2491 departing G672 from G575 them G846 returned G5290 to G1519 Jerusalem. G2414
14 But G1161 when they G846 departed G1330 from G575 Perga, G4011 they came G3854 to G1519 Antioch G490 in Pisidia, G4099 and G2532 went G1525 into G1519 the synagogue G4864 on the sabbath G4521 day, G2250 and sat down. G2523
15 And G1161 after G3326 the reading G320 of the law G3551 and G2532 the prophets G4396 the rulers of the synagogue G752 sent G649 unto G4314 them, G846 saying, G3004 Ye men G435 and brethren, G80 if G1487 ye have G2076 G1722 G5213 any word G3056 of exhortation G3874 for G4314 the people, G2992 say on. G3004
16 Then G1161 Paul G3972 stood up, G450 and G2532 beckoning G2678 with his hand G5495 said, G2036 Men G435 of Israel, G2475 and G2532 ye that fear G5399 God, G2316 give audience. G191
17 The God G2316 of this G5127 people G2992 of Israel G2474 chose G1586 our G2257 fathers, G3962 and G2532 exalted G5312 the people G2992 when G1722 they dwelt as strangers G3940 in G1722 the land G1093 of Egypt, G125 and G2532 with G3326 an high G5308 arm G1023 brought he G1806 them G846 out of G1537 it. G846
18 And G2532 about G5613 the time G5550 of forty years G5063 suffered he G5159 their G846 manners G5159 in G1722 the wilderness. G2048
19 And G2532 when he had destroyed G2507 seven G2033 nations G1484 in G1722 the land G1093 of Chanaan, G5477 he divided G2624 their G846 land G1093 to them G846 by lot. G2624
20 And G2532 after G3326 that G5023 he gave G1325 unto them judges G2923 about G5613 the space of four hundred G5071 and G2532 fifty G4004 years, G2094 until G2193 Samuel G4545 the prophet. G4396
21 And afterward G2547 they desired G154 a king: G935 and G2532 God G2316 gave G1325 unto them G846 Saul G4549 the son G5207 of Cis, G2797 a man G435 of G1537 the tribe G5443 of Benjamin, G958 by the space of forty G5062 years. G2094
22 And G2532 when he had removed G3179 him, G846 he raised up G1453 unto them G846 David G1138 to be G1519 their king; G935 to whom G3739 also G2532 he gave testimony, G3140 and said, G2036 I have found G2147 David G1138 the son of Jesse, G2421 a man G435 after G2596 mine own G3450 heart, G2588 which G3739 shall fulfil G4160 all G3956 my G3450 will. G2307
23 Of G575 this man's G5127 seed G4690 hath G1453 God G2316 according G2596 to his promise G1860 raised G1453 unto Israel G2474 a Saviour, G4990 Jesus: G2424
24 When John G2491 had first preached G4296 before G4253 his G846 coming G4383 G1529 the baptism G908 of repentance G3341 to all G3956 the people G2992 of Israel. G2474
25 And G1161 as G5613 John G2491 fulfilled G4137 his course, G1408 he said, G3004 Whom G5101 think ye G5282 that I G3165 am? G1511 I G1473 am G1510 not G3756 he. But, G235 behold, G2400 there cometh one G2064 after G3326 me, G1691 whose G3739 shoes G5266 of his feet G4228 I am G1510 not G3756 worthy G514 to loose. G3089
26 Men G435 and brethren, G80 children G5207 of the stock G1085 of Abraham, G11 and G2532 whosoever among G1722 you G5213 feareth G5399 God, G2316 to you G5213 is G649 the word G3056 of this G5026 salvation G4991 sent. G649
27 For G1063 they that dwell G2730 at G1722 Jerusalem, G2419 and G2532 their G846 rulers, G758 because they knew G50 him G5126 not, G50 nor yet G2532 the voices G5456 of the prophets G4396 which G3588 are read G314 G2596 every G3956 sabbath day, G4521 they have fulfilled G4137 them in condemning G2919 him.
28 And G2532 though they found G2147 no G3367 cause G156 of death G2288 in him, yet desired they G154 Pilate G4091 that he G846 should be slain. G337
29 And G1161 when G5613 they had fulfilled G5055 all G537 that was written G1125 of G4012 him, G846 they took him down G2507 from G575 the tree, G3586 and laid G5087 him in G1519 a sepulchre. G3419
30 But G1161 God G2316 raised G1453 him G846 from G1537 the dead: G3498
31 And he G3739 was seen G3700 many G1909 G4119 days G2250 of them which came up with G4872 him G846 from G575 Galilee G1056 to G1519 Jerusalem, G2419 who G3748 are G1526 his G846 witnesses G3144 unto G4314 the people. G2992
32 And G2532 we G2249 declare G2097 unto you G5209 glad tidings, G2097 how that G3754 the promise G1860 which was made G1096 unto G4314 the fathers, G3962
33 God G2316 hath fulfilled G1603 the same G5026 unto us G2254 their G846 children, G5043 in that he hath raised up G450 Jesus G2424 again; G450 as G5613 it is G1125 also G2532 written G1125 in G1722 the second G1208 psalm, G5568 Thou G4771 art G1488 my G3450 Son, G5207 this day G4594 have I G1473 begotten G1080 thee. G4571
34 And G1161 as concerning that G3754 he raised G450 him G846 up G450 from G1537 the dead, G3498 now no more G3371 to G3195 return G5290 to G1519 corruption, G1312 he said G2046 on this wise, G3779 G3754 I will give G1325 you G5213 the sure G4103 mercies G3741 of David. G1138
35 Wherefore G1352 he saith G3004 also G2532 in G1722 another G2087 psalm, Thou shalt G1325 not G3756 suffer G1325 thine G4675 Holy One G3741 to see G1492 corruption. G1312
36 For G1063 G3303 David, G1138 after he had served G5256 his own G2398 generation G1074 by the will G1012 of God, G2316 fell on sleep, G2837 and G2532 was laid G4369 unto G4314 his G846 fathers, G3962 and G2532 saw G1492 corruption: G1312
37 But G1161 he, whom G3739 God G2316 raised again, G1453 saw G1492 no G3756 corruption. G1312
38 Be it G2077 known G1110 unto you G5213 therefore, G3767 men G435 and brethren, G80 that G3754 through G1223 this man G5127 is preached G2605 unto you G5213 the forgiveness G859 of sins: G266
39 And G2532 by G1722 him G5129 all G3956 that believe G4100 are justified G1344 from G575 all things, G3956 from which G3739 ye could G1410 not G3756 be justified G1344 by G1722 the law G3551 of Moses. G3475
40 Beware G991 therefore, G3767 lest that G3361 come G1904 upon G1909 you, G5209 which is spoken of G2046 in G1722 the prophets; G4396
41 Behold, G1492 ye despisers, G2707 and G2532 wonder, G2296 and G2532 perish: G853 for G3754 I G1473 work G2038 a work G2041 in G1722 your G5216 days, G2250 a work G2041 which G3739 ye shall G4100 in no wise G3364 believe, G4100 though G1437 a man G5100 declare it G1555 unto you. G5213
42 And G1161 when the Jews G2453 were gone G1826 out of G1537 the synagogue, G4864 the Gentiles G1484 besought G3870 that these G5023 words G4487 might be preached G2980 to them G846 G1519 the next G3342 sabbath. G4521
43 Now G1161 when the congregation G4864 was broken up, G3089 many G4183 of the Jews G2453 and G2532 religious G4576 proselytes G4339 followed G190 Paul G3972 and G2532 Barnabas: G921 who, G3748 speaking G4354 to them, G846 persuaded G3982 them G846 to continue G1961 in the grace G5485 of God. G2316
44 And G1161 the next G2064 sabbath day G4521 came G4863 almost G4975 the whole G3956 city G4172 together G4863 to hear G191 the word G3056 of God. G2316
45 But G1161 when the Jews G2453 saw G1492 the multitudes, G3793 they were filled G4130 with envy, G2205 and G2532 spake against G483 those things which were spoken G3004 by G5259 Paul, G3972 contradicting G483 and G2532 blaspheming. G987
46 Then G1161 Paul G3972 and G2532 Barnabas G921 waxed bold, G3955 and said, G2036 It was G2258 necessary G316 that the word G3056 of God G2316 should G2980 first G4412 have been spoken G2980 to you: G5213 but G1161 seeing G1894 ye put G683 it G846 from you, G683 and G2532 judge G2919 yourselves G1438 unworthy G3756 G514 of everlasting G166 life, G2222 lo, G2400 we turn G4762 to G1519 the Gentiles. G1484
47 For G1063 so G3779 hath G1781 the Lord G2962 commanded G1781 us, G2254 saying, I have set G5087 thee G4571 to be G1519 a light G5457 of the Gentiles, G1484 that thou G4571 shouldest be G1511 for G1519 salvation G4991 unto G2193 the ends G2078 of the earth. G1093
48 And G1161 when the Gentiles G1484 heard this, G191 they were glad, G5463 and G2532 glorified G1392 the word G3056 of the Lord: G2962 and G2532 as many as G3745 were G2258 ordained G5021 to G1519 eternal G166 life G2222 believed. G4100
49 And G1161 the word G3056 of the Lord G2962 was published G1308 throughout G1223 all G3650 the region. G5561
50 But G1161 the Jews G2453 stirred up G3951 the devout G4576 and G2532 honourable G2158 women, G1135 and G2532 the chief men G4413 of the city, G4172 and G2532 raised G1892 persecution G1375 against G1909 Paul G3972 and G2532 Barnabas, G921 and G2532 expelled G1544 them G846 out of G575 their G846 coasts. G3725
51 But G1161 they shook off G1621 the dust G2868 of their G846 feet G4228 against G1909 them, G846 and came G2064 unto G1519 Iconium. G2430
52 And G1161 the disciples G3101 were filled with G4137 joy, G5479 and G2532 with the Holy G40 Ghost. G4151
1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was `there', prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John as their attendant.
6 And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus;
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. The same called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.
9 But Saul, who is also `called' Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,
10 and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
13 Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.
14 But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia; and they went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 And Paul stood up, and beckoning with the hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken:
17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they sojourned in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm led he them forth out of it.
18 And for about the time of forty years as a nursing-father bare he them in the wilderness.
19 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:
20 and after these things he gave `them' judges until Samuel the prophet.
21 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.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom also he bare witness and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who shall do all My will.
23 Of this man's seed hath God according to promise brought unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus;
24 when John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, What suppose ye that I am? I am not `he'. But behold, there cometh one after me the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to unloose.
26 Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth.
27 For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled `them' by condemning `him'.
28 And though they found no cause of death `in him', yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain.
29 And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
31 and he was seen for many days of them that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers,
33 that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he hath spoken on this wise, I will give you the holy and sure `blessings' of David.
35 Because he saith also in another `psalm', Thou wilt not give Thy Holy One to see corruption.
36 For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 but he whom God raised up saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins:
39 and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon `you' which is spoken in the prophets:
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; For I work a work in your days, A work which ye shall in no wise believe, if one declare it unto you.
42 And as they went out, they besought that these words might be spoken to them the next sabbath.
43 Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.
46 And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, `saying', I have set thee for a light of the Gentiles, That thou shouldest be for salvation unto the uttermost part of the earth.
48 And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was spread abroad throughout all the region.
50 But the Jews urged on the devout women of honorable estate, and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their borders.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy with the Holy Spirit.
1 And there were certain in Antioch, in the assembly there, prophets and teachers; both Barnabas, and Simeon who is called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen also -- Herod the tetrarch's foster-brother -- and Saul;
2 and in their ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Separate ye to me both Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them,'
3 then having fasted, and having prayed, and having laid the hands on them, they sent `them' away.
4 These, indeed, then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, thence also they sailed to Cyprus,
5 and having come unto Salamis, they declared the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John `as' a ministrant;
6 and having gone through the island unto Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name `is' Bar-Jesus;
7 who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man; this one having called for Barnabas and Saul, did desire to hear the word of God,
8 and there withstood them Elymas the magian -- for so is his name interpreted -- seeking to pervert the proconsul from the faith.
9 And Saul -- who also `is' Paul -- having been filled with the Holy Spirit, and having looked stedfastly on him,
10 said, `O full of all guile, and all profligacy, son of a devil, enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease perverting the right ways of the Lord?
11 and now, lo, a hand of the Lord `is' upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season;' and presently there fell upon him a mist and darkness, and he, going about, was seeking some to lead `him' by the hand;
12 then the proconsul having seen what hath come to pass, did believe, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
13 And those about Paul having set sail from Paphos, came to Perga of Pamphylia, and John having departed from them, did turn back to Jerusalem,
14 and they having gone through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia, and having gone into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, they sat down,
15 and after the reading of the law and of the prophets, the chief men of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, `Men, brethren, if there be a word in you of exhortation unto the people -- say on.'
16 And Paul having risen, and having beckoned with the hand, said, `Men, Israelites, and those fearing God, hearken:
17 the God of this people Israel did choose our fathers, and the people He did exalt in their sojourning in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm did He bring them out of it;
18 and about a period of forty years He did suffer their manners in the wilderness,
19 and having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He did divide by lot to them their land.
20 `And after these things, about four hundred and fifty years, He gave judges -- till Samuel the prophet;
21 and thereafter they asked for a king, and God did give to them Saul, son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years;
22 and having removed him, He did raise up to them David for king, to whom also having testified, he said, I found David, the `son' of Jesse, a man according to My heart, who shall do all My will.
23 `Of this one's seed God, according to promise, did raise to Israel a Saviour -- Jesus,
24 John having first preached, before his coming, a baptism of reformation to all the people of Israel;
25 and as John was fulfilling the course, he said, Whom me do ye suppose to be? I am not `he', but, lo, he doth come after me, of whom I am not worthy to loose the sandal of `his' feet.
26 `Men, brethren, sons of the race of Abraham, and those among you fearing God, to you was the word of this salvation sent,
27 for those dwelling in Jerusalem, and their chiefs, this one not having known, also the voices of the prophets, which every sabbath are being read -- having judged `him' -- did fulfill,
28 and no cause of death having found, they did ask of Pilate that he should be slain,
29 and when they did complete all the things written about him, having taken `him' down from the tree, they laid him in a tomb;
30 and God did raise him out of the dead,
31 and he was seen for many days of those who did come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32 `And we to you do proclaim good news -- that the promise made unto the fathers,
33 God hath in full completed this to us their children, having raised up Jesus, as also in the second Psalm it hath been written, My Son thou art -- I to-day have begotten thee.
34 `And that He did raise him up out of the dead, no more to return to corruption, he hath said thus -- I will give to you the faithful kindnesses of David;
35 wherefore also in another `place' he saith, Thou shalt not give Thy kind One to see corruption,
36 for David, indeed, his own generation having served by the will of God, did fall asleep, and was added unto his fathers, and saw corruption,
37 but he whom God did raise up, did not see corruption.
38 `Let it therefore be known to you, men, brethren, that through this one to you is the forgiveness of sins declared,
39 and from all things from which ye were not able in the law of Moses to be declared righteous, in this one every one who is believing is declared righteous;
40 see, therefore, it may not come upon you that hath been spoken in the prophets:
41 See, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish, because a work I -- I do work in your days, a work in which ye may not believe, though any one may declare `it' to you.'
42 And having gone forth out of the synagogue of the Jews, the nations were calling upon `them' that on the next sabbath these sayings may be spoken to them,
43 and the synagogue having been dismissed, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes did follow Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were persuading them to remain in the grace of God.
44 And on the coming sabbath, almost all the city was gathered together to hear the word of God,
45 and the Jews having seen the multitudes, were filled with zeal, and did contradict the things spoken by Paul -- contradicting and speaking evil.
46 And speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, `To you it was necessary that first the word of God be spoken, and seeing ye do thrust it away, and do not judge yourselves worthy of the life age-during, lo, we do turn to the nations;
47 for so hath the Lord commanded us: I have set thee for a light of nations -- for thy being for salvation unto the end of the earth.'
48 And the nations hearing were glad, and were glorifying the word of the Lord, and did believe -- as many as were appointed to life age-during;
49 and the word of the Lord was spread abroad through all the region.
50 And the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the first men of the city, and did raise persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and did put them out from their borders;
51 and they having shaken off the dust of their feet against them, came to Iconium,
52 and the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
1 Now there were in Antioch, in the assembly which was [there], prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and having laid [their] hands on them, they let [them] go.
4 They therefore, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and thence sailed away to Cyprus.
5 And being in Salamis, they announced the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also as [their] attendant.
6 And having passed through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man a magician, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus,
7 who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. *He*, having called Barnabas and Saul to [him], desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the magician (for so his name is by interpretation) opposed them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith.
9 But Saul, who also [is] Paul, filled with [the] Holy Spirit, fixing his eyes upon him,
10 said, O full of all deceit and all craft: son of [the] devil, enemy of all righteousness; wilt thou not cease perverting the right paths of [the] Lord?
11 And now behold, [the] Lord's hand [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness; and going about he sought persons who should lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
13 And having sailed from Paphos, Paul and his company came to Perga of Pamphylia; and John separated from them and returned to Jerusalem.
14 But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia; and entering into the synagogue on the sabbath day they sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation to the people, speak.
16 And Paul, rising up and making a sign with the hand, said, Israelites, and ye that fear God, hearken.
17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people in their sojourn in [the] land of Egypt, and with a high arm brought them out of it,
18 and for a time of about forty years he nursed them in the desert.
19 And having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
20 And after these things he gave [them] judges till Samuel the prophet, [to the end of] about four hundred and fifty years.
21 And then they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul, son of Kis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, during forty years.
22 And having removed him he raised up to them David for king, of whom also bearing witness he said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who shall do all my will.
23 Of this man's seed according to promise has God brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus;
24 John having proclaimed before the face of his entry [among the people] [the] baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John was fulfilling his course he said, Whom do ye suppose that I am? *I* am not [he]. But behold, there comes one after me, the sandal of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.
26 Brethren, sons of Abraham's race, and those who among you fear God, to you has the word of this salvation been sent:
27 for those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, not having known him, have fulfilled also the voices of the prophets which are read on every sabbath, [by] judging [him].
28 And having found no cause of death [in him], they begged of Pilate that he might be slain.
29 And when they had fulfilled all things written concerning him, they took him down from the cross and put him in a sepulchre;
30 but God raised him from among [the] dead,
31 who appeared for many days to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
32 And *we* declare unto you the glad tidings of the promise made to the fathers,
33 that God has fulfilled this to us their children, having raised up Jesus; as it is also written in the second psalm, *Thou* art my Son: this day have *I* begotten thee.
34 But that he raised him from among [the] dead, no more to return to corruption, he spoke thus: I will give to you the faithful mercies of David.
35 Wherefore also he says in another, Thou wilt not suffer thy gracious one to see corruption.
36 For David indeed, having in his own generation ministered to the will of God, fell asleep, and was added to his fathers and saw corruption.
37 But he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
38 Be it known unto you, therefore, brethren, that through this man remission of sins is preached to you,
39 and from all things from which ye could not be justified in the law of Moses, in him every one that believes is justified.
40 See therefore that that which is spoken in the prophets do not come upon [you],
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish; for *I* work a work in your days, a work which ye will in no wise believe if one declare it to you.
42 And as they went out they begged that these words might be spoken to them the ensuing sabbath.
43 And the congregation of the synagogue having broken up, many of the Jews and of the worshipping proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And on the coming sabbath almost all the city was gathered together to hear the word of God.
45 But the Jews, seeing the crowds, were filled with envy, and contradicted the things said by Paul, [contradicting and] speaking injuriously.
46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly and said, It was necessary that the word of God should be first spoken to you; but, since ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the nations;
47 for thus has the Lord enjoined us: I have set thee for a light of the nations, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the end of the earth.
48 And [those of] the nations, hearing it, rejoiced, and glorified the word of the Lord, and believed, as many as were ordained to eternal life.
49 And the word of the Lord was carried through the whole country.
50 But the Jews excited the women of the upper classes who were worshippers, and the first people of the city, and raised a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their coasts.
51 But they, having shaken off the dust of their feet against them, came to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and [the] Holy Spirit.
1 Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them."
3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus.
5 When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They had also John as their attendant.
6 When they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar Jesus,
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.
9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,
10 and said, "Full of all deceit and all cunning, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a season!" Immediately there fell on him a mist and darkness. He went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
13 Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.
14 But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.
15 After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak."
16 Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.
17 The God of this people{TR, NU add "Israel"} chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they stayed as aliens in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm, he led them out of it.
18 For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
19 When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred fifty years.
20 After these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
21 Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22 When he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'
23 From this man's seed, God has brought salvation{TR, NU read "a Savior, Jesus" instead of "salvation"} to Israel according to his promise,
24 before his coming, when John had first preached the baptism of repentance to Israel.{TR, NU read "to all the people of Israel" instead of "to Israel"}
25 As John was fulfilling his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. But behold, one comes after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'
26 Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.
27 For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn't know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
28 Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.
29 When they had fulfilled all things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead,
31 and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.
32 We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers,
33 that God has fulfilled the same to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son. Today I have become your father.'
34 "Concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he has spoken thus: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, 'You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.'
36 For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw decay.
37 But he whom God raised up saw no decay.
38 Be it known to you therefore, brothers{The word for "brothers" here and where the context allows may also be correctly translated "brothers and sisters" or "siblings."}, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins,
39 and by him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40 Beware therefore, lest that come on you which is spoken in the prophets:
41 'Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; For I work a work in your days, A work which you will in no way believe, if one declares it to you.'"
42 So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
43 Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.
46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, "It was necessary that God's word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, 'I have set you as a light for the Gentiles, That you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.'"
48 As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
49 The Lord's word was spread abroad throughout all the region.
50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.
52 The disciples were filled with joy with the Holy Spirit.
1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon who was named Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, a relation of Herod the king, and Saul.
2 And while they were doing the Lord's work, and going without food, the Holy Spirit said, Let Barnabas and Saul be given to me for the special work for which they have been marked out by me.
3 Then, after prayer and going without food they put their hands on them, and sent them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they went by ship to Cyprus.
5 And at Salamis they were preaching the word of God in the Synagogues of the Jews: and John was with them, helping them.
6 And when they had gone through all the island to Paphos, they came across a certain wonder-worker and false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus;
7 Who was with the ruler, Sergius Paulus, an able man. This man sent for Barnabas and Saul, desiring to have knowledge of the word of God.
8 But Elymas, the wonder-worker (for that is the sense of his name), put himself against them, with the purpose of turning the ruler from the faith.
9 But Saul, whose other name is Paul, being full of the Holy Spirit, looking hard at him, said,
10 O you, who are full of false tricks and evil ways, a son of the Evil One, hating all righteousness, will you for ever be turning people from the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, see, the hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind and not able to see the sun for a time. And straight away a dark mist came down on him; and he went about looking for a guide.
12 Then the ruler, when he saw what was done, had faith, being full of wonder at the teaching of the Lord.
13 Then Paul and those who were with him went by ship from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia: and there John went away from them and came back to Jerusalem.
14 But they, going through from Perga, came to Antioch in Pisidia; and they went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath and were seated.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the Synagogue sent to them, saying, Brothers, if you have a word of comfort for the people, say on.
16 And Paul, getting up and making a sign with his hand, said, Men of Israel, and you who have the fear of God, give ear.
17 The God of this people Israel made selection of our fathers, lifting the people up from their low condition when they were living in the land of Egypt, and with a strong arm took them out of it.
18 And for about forty years he put up with their ways in the waste land.
19 And having put to destruction seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them the land for their heritage for about four hundred and fifty years.
20 And after these things he gave them judges, till the time of Samuel the prophet.
21 Then at their request for a king, God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the family of Benjamin, who was their king for forty years.
22 And having put him on one side, he made David their king, to whom he gave witness, saying, I have taken David, the son of Jesse, a man dear to my heart, who will do all my pleasure.
23 From this man's seed has God given to Israel a Saviour, even Jesus, as he gave his word;
24 For whose coming John made ready the way by preaching to all the people of Israel the baptism which goes with a change of heart.
25 And when John was completing his work, he said, What do I seem to you to be? I am not he; but one is coming after me, whose shoes I am not good enough to undo.
26 My brothers, children of the family of Abraham, and those among you who have the fear of God, to us the word of this salvation is sent.
27 For the men of Jerusalem and their rulers, having no knowledge of him, or of the sayings of the prophets which come to their ears every Sabbath day, gave effect to them by judging him.
28 And though no cause of death was seen in him, they made a request to Pilate that he might be put to death.
29 And when they had done all the things said in the Writings about him, they took him down from the tree, and put him in the place of the dead.
30 But God gave him back from the dead:
31 And for a number of days he was seen by those who came with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses before the people.
32 And we are giving you the good news of the undertaking made to the fathers,
33 Which God has now put into effect for our children, by sending Jesus; as it says in the second Psalm, You are my Son; this day I have given you being.
34 And about his coming back from the dead, never again to go to destruction, he has said these words, I will give you the holy and certain mercies of David.
35 Because he says in another Psalm, You will not let your Holy One see destruction.
36 Now David, having done God's work for his generation, went to sleep, and was put with his fathers, and his body came to destruction:
37 But he, who was lifted up by God, did not see destruction.
38 And so, let it be clear to you, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is offered to you:
39 And through him everyone who has faith is made free from all those things, from which the law of Moses was not able to make you free.
40 So take care that these words of the prophets do not come true for you;
41 See, you doubters, have wonder and come to your end; for I will do a thing in your days to which you will not give belief, even if it is made clear to you.
42 And when they went out, they made a request that these words might be said to them again on the Sabbath after.
43 Now when the meeting was ended, a number of the Jews and of the God-fearing Gentiles who had become Jews, went after Paul and Barnabas: who put before them how important it was to keep on in the grace of God.
44 And on the Sabbath after, almost all the town came together to give hearing to the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw such a great number of people, they were full of envy and said evil words against Paul's preaching.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas without fear said, It was necessary for the word of God to be given to you first; but because you will have nothing to do with it, and have no desire for eternal life, it will now be offered to the Gentiles.
47 For so the Lord has given us orders, saying, I have given you for a light to the Gentiles so that you may be for salvation to the ends of the earth.
48 And the Gentiles, hearing this, were glad and gave glory to the word of God: and those marked out by God for eternal life had faith.
49 And the word of the Lord went through all the country.
50 But the Jews, working up the feelings of the God-fearing women of high position and of the chief men of the town, got an attack started against Paul and Barnabas, driving them out of those parts.
51 But they, shaking off the dust of that place from their feet, came to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were full of joy and of the Holy Spirit.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Acts 13
Commentary on Acts 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY:
In Company with Barnabas.
Ac 13:1-14:28.
Ac 13:1-3. Barnabas and Saul, Divinely Called to Labor among the Gentiles, Are Set Apart and Sent Forth by the Church at Antioch.
The first seven chapters of this book might be entitled, The Church among the Jews; the next five (chapters eight through twelve), The Church in Transition from Jews to Gentiles; and the last sixteen (chapters thirteen through twenty-eight), The Church among the Gentiles [Baumgarten]. "Though Christianity had already spread beyond the limits of Palestine, still the Church continued a stranger to formal missionary effort. Casual occurrences, particularly the persecution at Jerusalem (Ac 8:2), had hitherto brought about the diffusion of the Gospel. It was from Antioch that teachers were first sent forth with the definite purpose of spreading Christianity, and organizing churches, with regular institutions (Ac 14:23)" [Olshausen].
1. there were … certain prophets—(See on Ac 11:27).
and teachers; as Barnabas, &c.—implying that there were others there, besides; but, according to what appears the true reading, the meaning is simply that those here mentioned were in the Church at Antioch as prophets and teachers.
Simeon … Niger—of whom nothing is known.
Lucius of Cyrene—(Ac 2:20). 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]. How differently did these two foster brothers turn out—the one, abandoned to a licentious life and stained with the blood of the most distinguished of God's prophets, though not without his fits of reformation and seasons of remorse; the other, a devoted disciple of the Lord Jesus and prophet of the Church at Antioch! But this is only what may be seen in every age: "Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight.' If the courtier, whose son, at the point of death, was healed by our Lord (Joh 4:46) was of Herod's establishment, while Susanna's husband was his steward (Lu 8:3), his foster brother's becoming a Christian and a prophet is something remarkable.
and Saul—last of all, but soon to become first. Henceforward this book is almost exclusively occupied with him; and his impress on the New Testament, on Christendom, and on the world is paramount.
2. As they ministered to the Lord—The word denotes the performance of official duties of any kind, and was used to express the priestly functions under the Old Testament. Here it signifies the corresponding ministrations of the Christian Church.
and fasted—As this was done in other cases on special occasions (Ac 13:3, 14, 23), it is not improbable that they had been led to expect some such prophetic announcement at this time.
the Holy Ghost said—through some of the prophets mentioned in Ac 13:1.
Separate me—So Ro 1:1.
for the work whereunto I have called them—by some communication, perhaps, to themselves: in the case of Saul at least, such a designation was indicated from the first (Ac 22:21). Note.—While the personality of the Holy Ghost is manifest from this language, His supreme divinity will appear equally so by comparing it with Heb 5:4.
3. laid their hands on them—(See on Ac 6:6)—"recommending them to the grace of God for the work which they had to fulfil" (Ac 14:26).
sent them away—with the double call—of the Spirit first, and next of the Church. So clothed, their mission is thus described: "They being sent forth by the Holy Ghost." Have we not here for all time the true principle of appointment to sacred offices?
Ac 13:4-12. Arriving in Cyprus They Preach in the Synagogues of Salamis—At Paphos, Elymas Is Struck Blind, and the Governor of the Island Is Converted.
4, 5. departed unto Seleucia—the seaport of Antioch, from which it lay nearly due west fifteen miles, and five from the Mediterranean shore, on the river Orontes.
thence sailed to Cyprus—whose high mountain summits are easily seen in clear weather from the coast [Colonel Chesney in Howson]. "Four reasons may have induced them to turn in first to this island: (1) Its nearness to the mainland; (2) It was the native place of Barnabas, and since the time when Andrew found his brother Simon, and brought him to Jesus, and "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus," family ties had not been without effect on the progress of the Gospel. (3) It could not be unnatural to suppose that the truth would be welcomed in Cyprus when brought by Barnabas and his kinsman Mark, to their own connections or friends. The Jews were numerous in Salamis. By sailing to that city, they were following the track of the synagogues; and though their mission was chiefly to the Gentiles, their surest course for reaching them was through the proselytes and Hellenizing Jews. (4) Some of the Cypriotes were already Christians. Indeed, no one place out of Palestine, except Antioch, had been so honorably associated with the work of successful evangelization" [Howson].
5. and when they were at Salamis—the Grecian capital of the island, on the eastern side, and not many hours' sail from Seleucia. 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". (See on Lu 4:20). With what fruit they preached here is not said. Probably their feeling was what Paul afterwards expressed at Antioch in Pisidia (Ac 13:46).
6. when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos—on the opposite or west side of the island, about one hundred miles by land, along the south coast; the Roman capital, where the governor resided.
they found a … sorcerer—one of a numerous class of impostors who, at this time of general unbelief, were encouraged even by cultivated Romans.
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. Now as Augustus reserved Cyprus for himself, its governor would in that case have been not a proconsul, but simply a procurator, had not the emperor afterwards restored it to the Senate, as a Roman historian [Dio Cassius] expressly states. In most striking confirmation of this minute accuracy of the sacred historian, coins have actually been found in the island, stamped with the names of proconsuls, both in Greek and Latin [Akerman, Numismatic Illustrations of the New Testament]. (Grotius and Bengel, not aware of this, have missed the mark here).
Sergius Paulus, a prudent man—an intelligent man, who thirsting for truth, sent for Barnabas and Saul, desiring ("earnestly desiring") to hear the Word of God.
8-12. 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. (Compare 2Ti 3:8).
9. Then Saul … also … called Paul—and henceforward Paul only; a softening of his former name, in accommodation to Roman ears, and (as the word signifies "little") probably with allusion as elsewhere to his insignificance of stature and appearance (2Co 10:1, 10) [Webster and Wilkinson].
filled with the Holy Ghost—the Spirit coming mightily upon him.
set his eyes on him and said—Henceforward Barnabas sinks into the background. The whole soul of his great colleague, now drawn out, as never before, shoots, by the lightning gaze of his eye, through the dark and tortuous spirit of the sorcerer. What a picture!
10. full of all subtlety—referring to his magic arts.
and all malice—The word signifies "readiness for anything," knavish dexterity.
thou child of the devil … enemy of all righteousness—These were not words of passion, for immediately before uttering them, it is said he was "filled with the Holy Ghost" [Chrysostom].
wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord—referring to his having to that hour made a trade of leading his fellow creatures astray.
11. the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind for a season—the judgment being mercifully designed to lead him to repentance. The tradition that it did is hardly to be depended on.
there fell on him a mist, &c.—This is in Luke's medical style.
12. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord—so marvellously attested; compare Mr 1:27. What fruit, if any, followed this remarkable conversion, or how long after it the missionaries remained at Paphos, we know not.
Ac 13:13-52. At Perga John Mark Forsakes Them—At Antioch in Pisidia, Paul Preaches with Glorious Effect—The Jews, Enraged, Expel Them Out of Them Coasts.
13. they came to Perga in Pamphylia—The distance from Paphos to Attalia, on the Gulf of Pamphylia (see on Ac 14:25), sailing in a northwest direction, is not much greater than from Seleucia to Salamis on the east. Perga was the metropolis of Pamphylia, on the river Cestrus, and about seven miles inland from Attalia.
and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem—As Paul afterwards peremptorily refused to take Mark with him on his second missionary journey, because he "had departed [or 'fallen off'] from them and had not gone with them to the work" (Ac 15:38), there can be no doubt that he had either wearied of it or been deterred by the prospect of the dangers which lay before him. (But see on Ac 15:37, &c.).
14. departed from Perga—apparently without making any stay or doing any work: compare the different language of Ac 14:25, and see immediately below.
came to Antioch in Pisidia—usually so called, to distinguish it from Antioch in Syria, from which they had started, though it actually lies in Phrygia, and almost due north from Perga. It was a long journey, and as it lay almost entirely through rugged mountain passes, while "rivers burst out at the base of huge cliffs, or dash down wildly through narrow ravines," it must have been a perilous one. 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). If this journey were taken in May—and earlier than that the passes would have been blocked up with snow—it would account for their not staying at Perga, whose hot streets are then deserted; "men, women, and children, flocks, herds, camels, and asses, all ascending at the beginning of the hot season from the plains to the cool basin-like hollows on the mountains, moving in the same direction with our missionaries" [Howson].
15-17. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand—as was his manner on such occasions (Ac 21:40; and see Ac 26:1).
Men of Israel, and ye that fear God—by the latter expression meaning religious proselytes, who united with the Jews in all acts of ordinary worship.
and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in Egypt—by marvellous interpositions for them in their deepest depression.
18-22. forty years suffered he their manners—rather, according to what appears the true reading, "cherished he them" (as a nurse the infant in her bosom).
20. after that he gave … judges … about the space of four hundred and fifty years—As this appears to contradict 1Ki 6:1, various solutions have been proposed. 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. But taking the sense to be as in our version, that it was the period of the judges itself which lasted about four hundred fifty years, this statement also will appear historically correct, if we include in it the interval of subjection to foreign powers which occurred during the period of the judges, and understand it to describe the whole period from the settlement of the tribes in Canaan to the establishment of royalty. Thus, from the Exodus to the building of the temple were five hundred ninety-two years [Josephus, Antiquities, 8.3.1]; deduct forty years in the wilderness; twenty-five years of Joshua's rule [Josephus, Antiquities, 5.1.29]; forty years of Saul's reign (Ac 13:2); forty of David's and the first four years of Solomon's reign (1Ki 6:1), and there remain, just four hundred forty-three years; or, in round numbers, "about four hundred fifty years."
21. 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].
22. I have found David, &c.—This quotation is the substance of Ps 89:20; 1Sa 13:14; and perhaps also of Ps 78:70-72.
23-25. Of this man's seed hath God, according to … promise, raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus—The emphasis on this statement lies: (1) in the seed from which Christ sprang—David's—and the promise to that effect, which was thus fulfilled; (2) on the character in which this promised Christ was given of God—"a Saviour." His personal name "Jesus" is emphatically added, as designed to express that very character. (See on Mt 1:21).
26-31. children … of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God—Gentile proselytes.
to you is the word of this salvation sent—both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.
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.
28. found no cause of death—though they sought it (Mt 26:59, 60).
29. they took him down … and laid him in a sepulchre—Though the burial of Christ was an act of honor and love to Him by the disciples to whom the body was committed, yet since His enemies looked after it and obtained a guard of soldiers to keep watch over it as the remains of their own victim, the apostle regards this as the last manifestation on their part of enmity to the Saviour, that they might see how God laughed all their precautions to scorn by "raising Him from the dead."
31. he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, &c.—that is, by those who, having gone out and in with Him in closest intimacy during all His public ministry, which lay chiefly in Galilee, and having accompanied Him on His last journey to Jerusalem, could not possibly be mistaken as to the identity of the risen One, and were therefore unexceptionable and sufficient witnesses.
33. God hath fulfilled the same—"hath completely fulfilled."
in that he hath raised up Jesus again—literally, "raised up"; but the meaning is (notwithstanding the contrary opinion of many excellent interpreters) "from the dead"; as the context plainly shows.
as it is written in the second psalm—in many manuscripts "the first Psalm"; what we call the first being regarded by the ancient Jews as only an introduction to the Psalter, which was considered to begin with the second.
this day have I begotten thee—As the apostle in Ro 1:4 regards the resurrection of Christ merely as the manifestation of a prior Sonship, which he afterwards (Ac 8:32) represents as essential, it is plain that this is his meaning here. (Such declarative meaning of the verb "to be" is familiar to every reader of the Bible). See Joh 15:8, "So shall ye be," that is, be seen to be "My disciples." It is against the whole sense of the New Testament to ascribe the origin of Christ's Sonship to His resurrection.
34-37. now no more to return to corruption—that is, to the grave where death reigns; and compare Ro 6:9, "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him."
I will give you the sure mercies of David—(Isa 55:3). The word rendered "mercies" is peculiar, denoting the sanctity of them, as comprehending the whole riches of the new covenant; while the other word, "sure," points to the certainty with which they would, through David's Seed, be at length all substantiated. See on Joh 1:14. But how do these words prove the resurrection of Christ? "They presuppose it; for since an eternal kingdom was promised to David, the Ruler of this kingdom could not remain under the power of death. But to strengthen the indefinite prediction by one more definite, the apostle adduces Ps 16:10, of which Peter had given the same explanation (see on Ac 2:27; Ac 2:30, 31), both apostles denying the possibility of its proper reference to David" [Olshausen].
36. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God—rather, "served," in his own generation, the will (or "counsel") of God; yielding himself an instrument for the accomplishment of God's high designs, and in this respect being emphatically "the man after God's own heart." This done, he "fell asleep, and was gathered to his fathers, and saw corruption." David, therefore (argues the apostle), could not be the subject of his own prediction, which had its proper fulfilment only in the resurrection of the uncorrupted body of the Son of God, emphatically God's "Holy One."
38-41. the forgiveness of sins—the first necessity of the sinner, and so the first experienced blessing of the Gospel.
39. by him all that believe are justified from all things—The sense requires that a pause in the sentence be made here: "By him the believer is absolved from all charges of the law." What follows,
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses—is not an exceptional but an explanatory clause. The meaning is not, "Though the law justifies from many things, it cannot justify from all things, but Christ makes up all deficiencies"; but the meaning is, "By Christ the believer is justified from all things, whereas the law justifies from nothing." (Note.—The deeper sense of justification, the positive side of it, is reserved for the Epistles, addressed to the justified themselves: and whereas it is the resurrection of Christ here, and throughout the Acts chiefly, which is dwelt on, because the first thing in order to bring peace to the guilty through Christ was to establish His Messiahship by His resurrection, in the Epistles to believers His death as the way of reconciliation is fully unfolded).
40. Beware, therefore, &c.—By this awful warning of the Old Testament the apostle would fain "shut them up unto the faith."
41. ye will not believe though a man declare it unto you—that is, even on unexceptionable testimony. The words, from Hab 1:5, were originally a merciful but fruitless warning against the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans and the Babylonish captivity. As such nothing could more fitly describe the more awful calamity impending over the generation which the apostle addressed.
42, 43. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath—rather (according to what is beyond doubt the true reading), "Now, as they were going out [of the synagogue], they besought"—that is, not the Gentiles, whose case comes in afterwards, but the mixed congregation of Jews and proselytes, to whom the discourse had been addressed, entreated to have another hearing of such truths; those of them, that is, who had been impressed. "And after the breaking up of the synagogue, many of" both classes, Jews and religious; proselytes, followed Paul and Barnabas (observe, from this time forward, the inverted order of these names; except Ac 14:14; 13:7; 12:25; see on Ac 14:14; Ac 13:7; Ac 12:25). These names evidently been won to the Gospel by what they had heard, and felt a clinging to their spiritual benefactors.
43. who, speaking to them—following up the discourse in the synagogue by some further words of encouragement.
persuaded them to continue in the grace of God—which they had experienced through the Gospel. (Compare Ac 11:23).
44-48. the next sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God—the intervening days having been spent in further inquiry and instruction, and the excitement reaching the Gentiles, who now for the first time crowded, along with the usual worshippers, into the synagogue.
45. But when the Jews—those zealots of exclusive Judaism.
saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy—rather, "indignation," and broke out in their usual manner.
contradicting and blaspheming—There is nothing more awful than Jewish fury and execration of the name of Jesus of Nazareth, when thoroughly roused.
46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, &c.—This is in the highest style of a last and solemn protestation.
It was necessary that the word should first have been spoken to you—See the direction of Christ in Lu 24:47; also Ro 1:16.
since ye judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life—pass sentence upon yourselves.
47. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, &c.—These and other predictions must have been long before this brought vividly home to Paul's mind in connection with his special vocation to the Gentiles.
I have set thee—that is, Messiah; from which Paul inferred that he was but following out this destination of his Lord, in transferring to the Gentiles those "unsearchable riches" which were now by the Jews rejected and despised.
48. when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad—to perceive that their accession to Christ was a matter of divine arrangement as well as apostolic effort.
and glorified the word of the Lord—by a cordial reception of it.
and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed—a very remarkable statement, which cannot, without force, be interpreted of anything lower than this, that a divine ordination to eternal life is the cause, not the effect, of any man's believing.
49-52. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region—implying some stay in Antioch and missionary activity in its vicinity.
50. the devout and honourable women—female proselytes of distinction, jaundiced against the new preachers by those Jewish ecclesiastics to whom they had learned to look up. The potent influence of the female character both for and against the truth is seen in every age of the Church's history.
expelled them—an easier thing than to refute them.
51. shook off the dust of their feet against them—as directed (Mt 10:14).
came unto Iconium—a populous city about forty-five miles southeast from Pisidian Antioch: at the foot of Mount Taurus; on the borders of Lycaonia, Phrygia, and Pisidia; and in later times largely contributing to the consolidation of the Turkish empire.
52. the disciples—who, though not themselves expelled, had to endure sufferings for the Gospel, as we learn from Ac 14:22.
were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost—who not only raised them above shame and fear, as professed disciples of the Lord Jesus, but filled them with holy and elevated emotions.