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Acts 13

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.

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.

And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

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.

And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:

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.

But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

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?

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.

Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

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.

Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

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.

And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

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.

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

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.

And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

But God raised him from the dead:

And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.

And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,

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.

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.

Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;

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.

And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

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.

And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.

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.

But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.

And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

What does Acts 13:20 mean?

Explanation

Acts 13:20 is part of a speech delivered by the Apostle Paul in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia.

In this verse, Paul is summarizing the history of Israel as a means to introduce the story of Jesus Christ. He refers to the period of the judges, which according to him, lasted about 450 years until the advent of Samuel, the prophet.

This verse is compressing a long historical time frame into a single statement.

The period of the judges is an era in ancient Israelite history, following the conquest of Canaan under Joshua and before the establishment of kings, where tribal leaders called judges served as regional military leaders in times of crisis.

This period is marked by a recurring cycle of Israelite sin, oppression by foreign powers, cries for help, and divine aid through the judges.

Top Rated Acts Books

Historical Context

Acts 13:20 is set within the early spread of Christianity, sometime around mid-1st century AD, when the followers of Jesus were interpreting the significance of his life and death in relation to Jewish history.

Paul is speaking to a Jewish audience familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures, and he is framing the coming of Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish hopes and prophesies.

The 450 years mentioned in the verse departs from the timeline traditionally understood from the Hebrew Bible, which may suggest a different source or interpretation from which Paul was drawing.

Some scholars consider this figure as aligning with the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) or as an inclusive reckoning that starts from the entry into Canaan and runs to the end of the Judges period.

Theological Insights

From a Christian theological perspective, Acts 13:20 is an integral part of salvation history that leads to Jesus Christ. Paul is pointing out the continuity of God's action in history, indicating that the period of the judges, despite its challenges, was part of a divine plan.

Different Christian denominations may interpret the verse differently.

For instance, some Protestant traditions emphasize the authority of Scripture and might delve into the specifics of explaining the 450-year timeline.

Conversely, the Catholic tradition might focus more on the role of tradition and the interpretation of church fathers regarding the verse.

Practical Applications

This verse underscores the importance of recognizing the purpose within historical events.

In daily life, Acts 13:20 can inspire individuals to reflect on how their personal and communal histories might be understood within a larger narrative and to question what sort of 'judges' or leaders are present in their times.

It can also be a reminder to seek guidance not solely from earthly leaders but also from spiritual insights and truths, represented by "Samuel the prophet" in the verse, a bridge between the era of judges and the monarchy period in Israel.

Cross-References

Judges 2:16 - "Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them."
1 Samuel 7:15 - "And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life."
Psalms 78:22 - "Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:"

Language Study

The term "judges" in the original Greek text is κριτας (kritas), which refers to rulers or leaders who also acted as military deliverers and arbiters of disputes.

The phrase "about the space of four hundred and fifty years" is περί ἐτῶν τετρακοσίων πεντηκόντα (peri etōn tetrakosiōn pentēkonta), which indicates an approximate temporal span.

The word "until" is ἄχρι, signifying a limit or ending point, in this case, the emergence of Samuel, who represents a new type of leadership as a prophet.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

In contrast to the monotheistic narrative of the Hebrew Bible, the ancient Near East was replete with polytheistic myths, where divine beings often directly ruled as kings over people, such as the gods of Mesopotamian or Egyptian traditions.

Israelite judges could be seen in contrast to these theocratic rulers as they lacked hereditary authority or a divine claim to power.

The period of the judges in Israelite history could be compared to the Greek concept of "heroic age" as a time of larger-than-life figures who embodied certain values and faced great challenges.

Scientific Perspectives

Scientifically, the verse cannot be examined for empirical evidence as it narrates a theological and historical perspective.

However, archaeology may offer some insights into the broader context of the time by unearthing artefacts and structures that corroborate the existence of a settlement pattern or social organization that reflects the biblical narrative of the judges.

Commentaries

Commentaries on Acts 13:20 vary in their interpretations:

Traditional commentaries, such as Matthew Henry's, generally take this timeline at face value as a divine period of grace allowing Israel to settle and establish itself before the era of kings.
Modern critical commentaries suggest the 450-year figure may be a rounding or a theological construct rather than a precise historical measure.

They often focus on how this figure interacts with other biblical chronologies.

Some Jewish commentaries would not see the figure of 450 years as significant for the messianic narrative Paul is presenting, but rather as part of the historical recounting of Jewish tradition.

Acts 13

Acts 13

What does Acts 13:20 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Acts Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?

What does Acts 13:20 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Acts Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?