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Acts 13:16
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14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and awent into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.  
15 And aafter the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have bany word of exhortation for the people, say on.”  
16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and ayou who fear God, listen:  
17 The God of this people Israel achose our fathers, and exalted the people bwhen they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with2 an uplifted arm He cbrought them out of it.  
18 Now afor a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.  
19 And when He had destroyed aseven nations in the land of Canaan, bHe distributed their land to them by allotment.  
20 “After that aHe gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, buntil Samuel the prophet.  
Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
<< Acts 13:15   Acts 13:17 >>


Acts 13:16

Paul stood up (anastav Paulov). The Jewish custom was to sit while speaking (Luke 4:20), but the Greek and Roman was to stand (Acts 17:22). It is possible as Lewin (Life of St. Paul, Vol. 1, p. 141) suggests that here Paul stepped upon the platform and then took his seat as he began to speak or he may have followed the Greek and Roman custom. Paul is the leader now and the more gifted speaker (Acts 14:12), so that he responds to the courteous invitation of the rulers.

Beckoning (kataseisav). First aorist active participle of kataseiw, old verb to shake down, a dramatic gesture for quiet and order like Peter in Acts 12:17 and Paul on the steps of the tower of Antonia (Acts 21:40).

And ye that fear God (kai oi foboumenoi ton qeon). Evidently large numbers of these Gentiles like Cornelius in Caesarea were present. They offered Paul a great opportunity for reaching the purely pagan Gentiles. This (verses Acts 13:16-41) is the first full report of a sermon of Paul's that Luke has preserved for us. He is now a practised preacher of the gospel that he began proclaiming at Damascus, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of promise and the Saviour of the whole world both Jew and Gentile if they will only believe on him and be saved. It is possible that Paul here based his sermon on the passages of the law and the prophets that had just been read. He uses two words from the LXX, one in verse Acts 13:19 from Deuteronomy 1:31 etrofoforhsen (as a nursing-father bare he them), the reading of many old MSS. and the one preferred by the American Committee, the other in verse Acts 13:17 from Isaiah 1:2 uywsen (exalted). At any rate it is clear that Paul spoke in Greek so that all could understand his sermon. He may have written out notes of this sermon afterwards for Luke. The keynotes of Paul's theology as found in his Epistles appear in this sermon. It is interesting to observe the steady growth of Paul's Christology as he faced the great problems of his day. Here we see Paul's gospel for the Jews and the God-fearers (Gentiles friendly to the Jews).




Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Acts 13:16:

Acts 7:1
Acts 10:2
Acts 12:17
Acts 13:43
Acts 19:33
Acts 26:1

 

<< Acts 13:15   Acts 13:17 >>

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