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.
21aAnd afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them bSaul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22 And awhen He had removed him, bHe raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, c‘I have found David the son of Jesse, da man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
23aFrom this man’s seed, according bto the promise, God raised up for Israel ca Savior—Jesus—
24aafter John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, a‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, bthere comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’
26 “Men and brethren, sons of the1 family of Abraham, and athose among you who fear God, bto you the word of this salvation has been sent.
27 For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, abecause they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.
28aAnd though they found no cause for death inHim, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.
29aNow when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, bthey took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
31aHe was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.
32 And we declare to you glad tidings—athat promise which was made to the fathers.
33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: a‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’
34 And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to1 corruption, He has spoken thus: a‘I will give you the sure1 mercies of David.’
35 Therefore He also says in another Psalm: a‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’
36 “For David, after he had served1 his own generation by the will of God, afell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and2 saw corruption;
38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that athrough this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
39 and aby 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 what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:
41 ‘Behold,a you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.’ ”
Blessing and Conflict at Antioch
421So 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 congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, apersuaded them to continue in bthe grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they aopposed the things spoken by Paul.
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 1:31etrofoforhsen (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 1:2uywsen (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:
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