Chapter 13:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 John Romans
Acts 13
13:1 Now
1
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
a Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul.
(
1) Paul with Barnabas is again the second time
appointed apostle of the Gentiles, not of man, neither by man, but by an
extraordinary commandment of the Holy Spirit.
(
a) This was the same Antipas who put John the
Baptist to death.
13:2 As they
b
ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas
and Saul for the work whereunto I have
c
called them.
(
b) While they were busy doing their office, that
is, as Chrysostom expounds it, while they were preaching.
(
c) The Lord is said to call, from which this
word "called" comes from, which is common in the Church, when he
causes that to be which was not, whether you refer it to the matter itself, or
to any quality or thing about the matter: and the use of the word
"call" has come about because when things begin to be, then they
have some name: and furthermore this also declares God's mighty power, in
that he spoke the word, and things were made.
13:3 2 And
when they had fasted and prayed, and laid [their] hands on them, they sent
[them] away.
(
2) Fasting and solemn prayers were used before
the laying on of hands.
13:4 3 So
they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto
d
Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
(
3) Paul and his companions first bring Cyprus to
the subjection and obedience of Christ.
(
d) Seleucia was a city of Cilicia, so called
after Seleucus, one of Alexander's successors.
13:8
4 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his
name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the
faith.
(
4) The devil makes Christ's victory more
glorious in that he sets himself against him.
13:10 5
And said, O full of all subtilty and all
e
mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt
thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
(
5) The sorcerer, who was stricken by Paul with a
physical punishment (although extraordinarily), shows an example to lawful
magistrates how they ought to punish those who wickedly and obstinately hinder
the course of the Gospel.
(
e) He points out a fault of those who run
eagerly and with great desire into all types of wickedness with the least bit
of prompting from the world.
13:11 And now, behold, the
f
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.
(
f) His power which he shows in striking and
beating down his enemies.
13:13 6
Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in
Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
(
6) An example in one and the very same group of
people both of singular steadfastness, and also of great weakness.
13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came
to Antioch in
g Pisidia, and went into
the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
(
g) This distinguishes between it, and Antioch
which was in Syria.
13:15 7 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
h
have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
(
7) In the Synagogue of the Jews (according to
the pattern of which Christian congregations were instituted) the Scriptures
were read first, then those who were learned were licensed by the rulers of
the Synagogue to speak and expound.
(
h) Literally, "If there is any word in
you": this is a kind of speech taken from the Hebrews, by which is meant
that the gifts of God's grace are in us, as it were in treasure houses, and
that they are not ours, but God's. In the same way David says, "Thou
hast put a new song in my mouth"; (
Psalms
40:3).
13:16 8
Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with [his] hand said, Men of Israel, and ye
that fear God, give audience.
(
8) God bestowed many wonderful benefits upon his
chosen Israel, but especially this, that he promised them the everlasting
redeemer.
13:17 The God of this people of Israel chose our
fathers, and
i exalted the people when
they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an
k
high arm brought he them out of it.
(
i) Advanced and brought to honour.
(
k) Openly and with strong power, breaking in
pieces the enemies of his people.
13:20
And after that he gave [unto them] judges about the space of
l
four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
(
l) There were from the birth of Isaac until the
destruction of the Canaanites under the governance of Joshua four hundred and
forty-seven years, and therefore he adds in this place the word
"about", for three years are missing; the apostle, however, uses the
whole greater number.
13:21 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
m forty years.
(
m) In this space of forty years the time of
Samuel must be counted and included with the days of Saul, for the kingdom did
as it were include his administration.
13:23 9
Of this man's seed hath God according to [his] promise raised unto Israel a
Saviour, Jesus:
(
9) He proves by the witness of John that Jesus
is the Saviour who would come from David.
13:24 When John had first preached
n
before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
(
n) John as a herald did not show Christ coming
from afar off, as the other prophets did, but right at hand and having already
begun his journey.
13:26 10
Men [and] brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you
feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
(
10) Christ was promised and sent appropriately
to the Jews.
13:27 11
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].
(
11) All things came to pass to Christ, which the
Prophets foretold concerning the Messiah: so that by this also it appears that
he is the true and only saviour: and yet nonetheless they are not to be
excused who did not only not receive him, but also persecuted him most
cruelly, even though he was innocent.
13:30 12
But God raised him from the dead:
(
12) We must set the glory of the resurrection
against the shame of the cross, and the grave. And the resurrection is equally
proved by the witnesses who saw it, and by the testimonies of the Prophets.
13:33
God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he
o
hath raised up Jesus again;
13 as it is
also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten
thee.
(
o) For then he appeared plainly and manifestly
as the only Son of God, when he left behind his weakness and came out of the
grave, having conquered death.
(
13) If Christ had remained dead, he would not
have been the true Son of God, neither would the covenant which was made with
David have been certain.
13:34 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
p sure mercies of David.
(
p) The Greeks call those things "holy
things" which the Hebrews call "gracious bounties": and they
are called David's bounties in the passive voice, because God bestowed them
upon David. Moreover, they are termed "sure", after the manner of
speech which the Hebrews use, who terms those things "sure" which
are steady and certain, and such things which never alter or change.
13:35 14
Wherefore he saith also in another [psalm], Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One
to see corruption.
(
14) The Lord was in the grace in such a way that
he experienced no corruption.
13:38 15
Be it known unto you therefore, men [and] brethren, that through this man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
(
15) Christ was sent to give them free remission
of sins who were condemned by the Law.
13:39 And by him all that believe are justified
from
q all things, from which ye could
not be justified by the law of Moses.
(
q) Whereas the ceremonies of the Law could not
absolve you from your sins, this man absolves you, if you lay hold of him by
faith.
13:40 16
Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
(
16) The benefits of God turn to the utter
undoing of those that condemn them.
13:42 17
And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that
these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
(
17) The Gentiles go before the Jews into the
kingdom of heaven.
13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many
of the Jews and
r religious proselytes
followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in
the grace of God.
(
r) Who had forsaken their heathen religion, and
embraced the religion set forth by Moses.
13:45 18
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.
(
18) The favour on the very same Gospel is to the
reprobate and unbelievers death, and to the elect and those who believe it is
life.
13:46 19
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
s
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
(
19) The Gospel is proclaimed to the Gentiles by
the express commandment of God.
(
s) By this your doing you pronounce as it were
sentence upon yourselves, and judge yourselves.
13:48 And when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as
were
t ordained to eternal life
believed.
(
t) Therefore either all were not appointed to
everlasting life, or either all believed, but because all did not believe, it
follows that certain ones were ordained: and therefore God did not only
foreknow, but also foreordained, that neither faith nor the effects of faith
should be the cause of his ordaining, or appointment, but his ordaining the
cause of faith.
13:50 20
But the Jews stirred up the
u 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.
(
20) Such is the craft and subtlety of the
enemies of the Gospel, that they abuse the simplicity of some who are not
altogether evil men, in order to execute their cruelty.
(
u) Those who embraced the Law of Moses.
13:51 21
But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
(
21) The wickedness of the world cannot prevent
God from gathering his Church together, and to foster and cherish it, when it
is gathered together.
Chapter 13:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 John Romans
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
