Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Acts Chapter 13

Acts 13:1. Now there were in the church—at Antioch— The last verse of the foregoing chapter ought to have been the first of this; for ch. Act 12:24 finishes the history of Herod's death, and the effects which it had upon the Christian church; and then, Acts 13:25 a new history is begun, which is carried on in the present chapter. Some have conjectured that Niger mentioned in this verse, was Simon the Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was compelled to bear the cross after Christ; for it is very probable that he was called, Niger, as being of a tawny or black complexion, as the Africans generally are. The only objection to this is, that Lucius, who is next mentioned, is called a Cyrenian by way of distinction from the other, as if he had been the only Cyrenian there present. But this Simon, called Niger, might be a native of some other part of Africa. Whoever he was, the Romans most probably had given him the surname of Niger. This is one instance out of many, of St. Luke's Latinizing, where he preserves even the Latin termination. Manaen, probably, from the circumstance here mentioned, was a person of some rank and condition. Josephus mentions one Manaen, an Essene, who had foretold to Herod the Great, while he was a boy, that he should be a king, and who was afterwards in high favour with him; and some have thought this was his son.

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Acts 13:2. For the work whereunto I have called them.— If there be any reference to a pastfact in these words, it is probably to some revelation personally made to Paul and Barnabas, to signify that they should take a journey into several counties of Asia Minor, to preach the gospel there. See ch. Acts 11:20-21.

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Acts 13:4. Sent forth by the Holy Ghost,— This seems to be added to remind us, that though they were solemnly recommended to God by the prayers of their brethren, theirauthority was not derived from them, but from the Holy Ghost; and consequently affords a further proof of the miraculous conversion of St. Paul. See the Inferences on ch. 9: Selucia lay fifteen miles below Antioch, upon the same river, the Orontes, and was five miles from the place where that river falls into the sea. It had its name from Seleucus Nicator, by whom it was built. From hence they sailed to the island of Cyprus, situated in the eastern part of the Mediterranean sea, being the native country of Barnabas. As this island was not far from Judea, it abounded with Jews. The first place which they arrived at in that island, was the city Salamis, which lay upon the eastern extremity, and was one of the nighest ports to Syria. See the next note.

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Acts 13:9. Saul, (who also is called Paul,)— The reasons which have been assigned for Saul's taking the name of Paul, are various and many. Some think that he had the name of Paul given him from converting Sergius Paulus, as Scipio was called Africanus from his conquering Africa, and as other Romans had names given them from subduing other countries. Others suppose that he had received at his circumcision the two names of Paul and Saul; that is, Paul as his Roman name, for he was born a freeman of Rome;—and Saul, as his Jewish name; for he was a Jew, and even an Hebrew of the Hebrews. As therefore he used to be called Saul, while he continued among the Jews, that being a more common and acceptable name among them; so henceforth, being to go among the Gentiles, he took the name of Paul, as one which would be better known, and more acceptable to them. For the same reason Silas, who was afterwards St. Paul's great companion, appears to have had also the name of Sylvanus, and to have gone by the former name among the Jews, and by the latter among the Romans; for he seems to have been a freeman of Rome, as well as St. Paul. Beza thinks, that St.Paul having conversed hitherto chiefly with Jews and Syrians, to whom the name of Saul was familiar, and now coming among Greeks and Romans, they would naturally pronounce his name Paul; as one whose Hebrew name was Jochanan, would be called by the Greeks and Latins, Johannes, by the French Jean, by the Dutch Hans, and by the English John; and he thinks that the family of this proconsul might be the first who addressed or spoke to him by the name of Paul.

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Acts 13:13. Now when Paul and his company— It is observable, that from this period St. Luke generally mentions Paul before Barnabas, whereas he had hitherto always mentioned him last: nay, in reckoning up the five, who were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch, he put Barnabas the first, and Saul last; because very probably Barnabas was one of the oldest, andSaul the youngest convert among them: but now, when he became so eminent an apostle, as not to come a whit behind the chief of the apostles, he is mentioned the first, as the principal person of the history, and the most honoured of them all. Loosing with the rest of his company from Paphos, they sailed, most probably, up the river Cestrus, to Perga, a town of Pamphylia, not far from the coast of Asia Minor, near to which was a temple dedicated to Diana. There seems to have been neither a Jewish synagogue, nor proseucha in that town; for we read nothing of their attempting to preach the gospel there at this time. But there it was that John Mark left them, and went back to Jerusalem; as supposing perhaps that St. Peter, in whose company he seems to have delighted most, might be returned thither; especially as king Herod was dead, who had made such an attempt upon the life of that apostle. Whether Mark made any scruple of receiving the idolatrous Gentiles into the Christian church, or was discouraged by the dangers and difficulties of such an attempt; or was prevailed upon to return merely out of his extraordinary regard and affection for St. Peter, cannot now be determined with any certainty.

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Acts 13:16. Men of Israel, and ye that fear God,— This discourse seems chiefly intended to illustrate the divine oeconomy in opening the gospel gradually, and preparing the Jews by temporal mercies, for others of a yet more important nature. The apostle, in consequence of this, had a very good opportunity of shewing his acquaintancewiththeirscriptures,whichitiswell known they esteemed as the highest part of literature. The expression, ye that fear God, is ambiguous, and would best suit those who had, by embracing the Jewish religion, entered into covenant with the true God; yet so, as not to exclude any others, in whom a filial reverence for the Divine Being was a governing principle.

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Acts 13:17. The God of this people— The apostle preached the same God in whom the Jews already believed, and would have persuaded them likewise to have believed in Jesus of Nazareth, the promised Messiah, the eternal Son of God, God over all, blessed for ever. To convince them that he was so, they argued both from facts, and from the prophesies of the Old Testament. This was their usual method of treating both the Jews and devout Gentiles; but when they addressed devout Gentiles alone, they did not recite the history of the Old Testament, and take their rise from the renowned ancestors of the Jewish nation; on the contrary, their language then was, In every nation he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him: but when the Jews were the only, or the principal persons addressed, then they took their rise from the history of past dispensations, and particularly from Abraham the father of the nation, who was the first that was separated from an idolatrous world, and had the most express promise, that in his Seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed, as they were very eminently in Jesus Christ, his great Descendant. Abraham, for his faith and cheerful obedience, wasentitled, "The father of the faithful;" and pious holy men were stiled, "The children of Abraham." His name was in high esteem among the Jews, and one of the most likely to procure attention. St. Matthew, who wrote his gospel more immediately for the use of the converted Jews, begins our Lord's genealogy with Abraham. St. Peter introduces his discourse to the Jews with the name of that great patriarch, ch. Acts 3:13. So does St. Stephen, ch. Act 7:2 and St.

Paul in this place mentions the name of Israel, takingoccasion from the history of past dispensations to introduce the gospel doctrine; which was in brief, that the great promise made of old to the fathers, was now accomplished, and the Messiah actually come; for the Abrahamic covenant and the gospel had a great affinity, the law of Moses being only an intermediate state, to preserve at least one nation from idolatry, and prepare them for the reception of the Messiah. May we not hence conjecture, whenever they are said to go to the Jewish synagogue, and preach the word, that this was their common method, which they used more largely or briefly, as they saw occasion. Instead of exalted, Dr. Heylin reads signalized; and instead of, brought them out with an high hand, he reads, brought them forth with high demonstrations of his power. The sense of the verse may be expressed thus: "The God of Israel, the one only living and true God, chose our fathers, to bear their testimony against idolatry, and to receive the revelations of his mind and will; and he increased their numbers, and made them considerable: even when they were strangers in the land of Egypt, and when they were oppressed there, he miraculously, and by his mighty power, raised them from their low estate, and brought them out thence."

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Acts 13:18. Suffered he their manners— 'Ετροποφορησεν : He endured their behaviour, perverse and ungrateful as it was.

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Acts 13:20. And after that, &c.— And after these things, which lasted about four hundred and fifty years, he gave them judges, until Samuel the prophet. Mill in Loc. Carpzov. Introd. part 1: p. 186, &c. According to this, the apostle begins his computation from the birth of Isaac, when Canaan was promised to Abraham and his seed, and carries it down to their getting possession of that land, and its being divided unto them by lot, which was about four hundred and fifty years; so that, according to this interpretation, the time in which the judges reigned in Israel is not hence determined. There are, however, chronologists who settle the matter satisfactorily enough, according to our version. Sir John Marsham, and others after him, have conjectured, that the judges in Israel did not reign over the whole nation one after another, but sometimes more than one reigned at the same time in different parts of the land. However, the reigns of the several judges, when added together, amount exactly to four hundred and fifty years; and it is likely that was the common computation of the Jews in St. Paul's days, from which the apostle had no particular occasion to vary. Dr. Whitby also has the authority of many great names, ancient and modern, to justify him in following the chronology of Josephus, who places the building of the temple in the five hundred and ninety-second year after Israel's going out of Egypt; which would admit of allowing three hundred and thirty-nine years for the administration of the judges, and one hundred and eleven for the years of the several tyrannical oppressions; in all four hundred and fifty years; reserving forty for Samuel and Saul together, forty for David, and four for Solomon, in whose fifth year the temple was begun; and the coincidence of the numbers in the book of Judges is remarkable, as illustrated by Dr. Lightfoot on the place, and Biscoe in his Boyle's Lectures, p. 666. See Lampe's Compendium of Eccles. Hist. lib. 1: cap. 5. Benson, L'Enfant, Whitby, &c.

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Acts 13:21. By the space of forty years.— Several very considerable critics are of opinion, that the forty years here spoken of, do not all belong to the actual reign of Saul, but include a considerable part of Samuel's government. Biscoe, who is followed by Bedford, in his Chronology, seems to have proved very satisfactorily, that the reign of Saul continued all these fortyyears. He is far from thinking that Saul's reign is to be reckoned only from Samuel's death; the contrary is most apparent; and he has abundantly proved, that the actions assigned to him must have taken up many years. But of the forty in question, it may well suffice to allow twenty to him from his anointing, and the former twenty (computed from the grand action at Mispeh) to Samuel, who might at that time be past his prime, and so be inclined to associate his sons with him; till, on their miscarriages, the people took occasion to demand a king; who, at first, we are sure, from the history, lived privately, and whose authority was never so great as to swallow up that of so illustrious a prophet and judge. It was a common opinion prevailing among the Jews, that Saul survived Samuel but little more than two years.

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Acts 13:22. A man after mine own heart,— Though we have spoken largely on this head in the proper place (1 Samuel 13:13-14.) yet as the expression has been cavilled at by some, we cannot withhold the following observation of Dr. Benson's: "When it is said, that king David was a man after God's own heart, it ought to be understood of his public, not of his private character: he was a man after God's own heart, because he ruled his people Israel according to the divine will. He did not allow of idolatry; he did not set up for absolute power; he was guided in the government of the nation by the law of Moses as the standing rule of government, and by the prophet, or the divine oracle, whereby God gave directions upon particular emergencies. Whatever Saul's private character was, he was not a good king in Israel. He did not follow the law, the oracle, and the prophet, but attempted to be absolute, and thereby to subvert the constitution of the kingdom. That this was the meaning of David's being a man after God's own heart, will early appear from comparing the last-mentioned passage, 1 Samuel 15:28; 1 Samuel 28:17-18. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14.Psalms 78:70; Psalms 78:70, &c. and Psalms 89:20, &c."

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Acts 13:24. When John had first preached— St. Paul mentions the preaching of John the Baptist in this incidental manner, as a thing already known to them, because it gave so universal an alarm to the whole Jewish nation, that it might probably be heard of in foreign countries, at least as remote as Pisidia. Raphelius has taken pains to prove, from similar passages in the Greek classics, that both the clauses in the next verse, Whom think ye that I am?—I am not he, may be considered as united in an affirmation, and rendered, "I am not the person whom you suppose me to be, that is, the Messiah." See Annot. ex Herodot. p. 251. The reader will refer for what follows to the passages in the margin.

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Acts 13:26. And whosoever among you feareth God,— That is, "You devout proselytes, who worship the true God; and whom we look upon as brethren, as well as the Jews." See Acts 13:16.

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Acts 13:27. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, &c.— He here anticipates a strong objection, "Why did not they at Jerusalem, and especially their rulers, believe?"—They knew him not, because they understood not those very prophets whom they read or heard continually. Their very condemning him, innocent as he was, proves that they understood not the prophesies concerning him; though their ignorance was wilful, being caused by their pride.

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Acts 13:29. They took him down from the tree,— The apostle was far from being ashamed to mention the most ignominious circumstances of his Master's sufferings to thosewho were strangers to the gospel, knowing how sufficiently he answered all that could be thence objected, by what he added and testified concerning his resurrection. See the next note.

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Acts 13:34. Now no more to return to corruption,— As Christ never saw corruption at all, Act 13:37 the Greek word διαφθορα, corruption, must signify the grave, as שׁהת, sheahet, in the Hebrew, also does; (compare Psa 94:13 and Lamentations 4:20.) just as the coffin of a man raised from the dead, as soon as he was put into it, might be called his sarcophagus, though his flesh had not been consumed in it. The blessings of the Messiah's reign may be called the sure mercies of David, either as they were promised to that prince,—to which sense the translation of 1729 determines it, by rendering the passage, I will faithfully perform the promise made to David; or, because the name of David is sometimes given to the Messiah himself, as the great heir of David, of whose victories and glories David's were but a faint shadow: and when Isaiah calls them sure mercies, he may probably refer to the last words of David, in which he uses the same expression with regard to them, 2 Samuel 23:5. The propriety of the application here is evident, as it was the resurrection of Christ which rendered the blessings that he promised sure to his faithful people, who, without that, could have had no hope from him, as the apostle argues at large, 1 Corinthians 15:14; 1 Corinthians 15:58. See Isaiah 55:3.

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Acts 13:36. David, after he had served, &c.— After that in his generation he had served the will of God. Blackwall, p. 184.

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Acts 13:39. From which ye could not be justified, &c.— The law appointed sin-offerings to expiate smaller offences, so far, as that the offender whooffered them should be free from all further prosecution on account of them; but this very view of them shews how absolutely necessary it was to the being of society, that they should not be admitted in cases of murder, adultery, &c. These crimes therefore were made capital; nor was the dying criminal, however penitent, allowed to offer these sin-offerings, which would have been quite inconsistent with the temporal pardon connected with them: but the expiatory sacrifice of Christ takes away the guilt of all sin: and though it by no means affects the manner in which offenders would stand in human courts, (which the Mosaic sacrifices did,) it delivers from the condemnation of God in the invisible world, with respect to which the others could have no efficacy at all; as it was a very supposable case, that an impenitent sinner might present them in all their exactest forms. See Romans 8:3.Galatians 2:16; Galatians 2:16. Hebrews 10:4.

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Acts 13:41. And perish:— And disappear, 'αφανισθητε . See the note on Matthew 6:16. Dr. Heylin reads the sentence, Consider, ye despisers; be amazed and utterly confounded. Instead of shall in no wise, &c. we ought to read, will, &c. The passage may be thus paraphrased: "Behold, ye scornful men who look with haughty contempt on that cornerstone which I lay in Zion, the judgment I will execute upon you is so terrible, that it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. In like manner too the prophet Habakkuk speaks, when he says, ch. Acts 1:5. Behold ye, and regard, and wonder marvellously, turn pale with terror, and disappear, as those that shall perish at once, and vanish (as it were) out of sight, consumed in a moment by the fierceness of my vengeance. For I perform a most amazing work in your days, even a work which ye shall not believe, if any one tell it to you."

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Acts 13:42. And when the Jews were gone out— But when the Jews were going out. Heylin and Doddridge. However, Capellus and Whitby have shewn, that the expression, as given in our version, is not an unexampled manner of speaking: nor do I see the least impropriety in supposing, that St. Paul and the Gentiles might continue for a little time in the synagogue after the Jews had retired.

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Acts 13:43. In the grace of God.— In that religious disposition which divine grace had produced in them, or in the faith and practice of the gospel, which is often called the grace of God, and the word of his grace, with the utmost propriety, as containing the richest display of his grace, in the free pardon of our sins by Christ, the sanctification of our souls by the Holy Spirit, and the provision he has made for our eternal happiness. See ch. Acts 14:3 Acts 20:24.Romans 6:14; Romans 6:14.Galatians 5:4; Galatians 5:4.Colossians 1:6; Colossians 1:6. Titus 2:11. 1 Peter 5:12.

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Acts 13:45. They were filled with envy,— Now that circumstance in the parable, of the elder brother's murmuring at the return of the prodigal son, was remarkably fulfilled. See Luke 15:25; Luke 15:32. The word blasphemy, in this connection with contradicting, must signify their giving them abusive language: Heylin reads,—With abusive language opposed what Paul taught. Probably they charged the apostles to their faces with falsehood and villany, and represented the cause they were carrying on as most contemptible and wicked. It may seem strange, that this did not prevent the conversion of the Gentiles; but through the blessing of God they would easily see it was the regard that Paul and Barnabas expressed for them, which had exasperated the Jews; and it is not improbable, that some miracles might have been wrought during the preceding week, which would see the character of these divine teachers above the danger of being overthrown by the malicious insinuations or confident assertions of those furious opposers.

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Acts 13:46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, &c.— With great freedom of speech said, &c. The words, Judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, plainly shew that persons are said to be self-condemned, who furnish out matter of condemnation from their own words, though they do not actually pass sentence on themselves; for nothing was further from the thoughts of these Jews, than declaring themselves unworthy of eternal life for not believing the gospel. They rather expected that life by rejecting it. See on Acts 13:48. When the apostles say, Behold, we turn to the Gentiles, their meaning is not, that they intended no more to make an offer to the Jews; for we find they continued to address them first, wherever they came; but they openly declared, that while they continued at Antioch, they would lose no more time in fruitless attempts on their ungrateful countrymen, but would employ themselves in doing what they could for the conversion of the Gentiles.

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Acts 13:47. For so hath the Lord commanded us,— The mighty have argued this very properly from the passage which they quote, as well as from their very commission itself. Comp. Mat 28:19 and Acts 1:8. But St. Paul had also received a more express command to this purpose. See ch. Act 22:21 Acts 26:17-18.

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Acts 13:48. As many as were ordained to eternal life— We observe, 1st, upon this text, that whatever the exact meaning of the word rendered ordained may be, it does not here refer to the decrees of God, but to the disposition of the minds of these Gentiles; as is very evident, from its being used by way of antithesis to the persons mentioned, Act 13:46 that is, to the unbelieving Jews; who, by their obstinacy and wickedness, condemned themselves as unworthy of eternal life; whereas, on the contrary, several of these Gentiles, by their candour and probity of mind, manifested in so readily submitting through grace to truth and evidence, and embracinga religion so different from what they had received, and so contrary to their worldly interests, shewed themselves to be well disposed for the reception of the gospel. And this we observe, 2nd, appears to be the true meaning of the original, the word τεταγμενοι most commonly signifying disposed, or set in order; and hence it is very frequently used as a military term, for the regularly drawing up, or setting in rank and order, an army. Thus it is used by St. Luke, ch. Acts 7:8. I am a man set under authority. And thus it is used by many of the best Greek classics. So that the meaning of the passage seems to be this: As many as were disposed, or determined for eternal life, and brought through preventing grace to a resolution of courageouslyfacing all opposition in the way to it, believed; and openly, as well as experimentally, embraced the Christian religion, as the means to prepare them for an endless life of the greatest purity, as well as of the greatest glory, and most perfect happiness. (See my Annotations on John 6:44; John 6:71.) In this sense the Syriac, one of the most ancient versions of the New Testament, has rendered these words;—which is of great moment, as that translation was made before the sense of this place was disputed by the different sects and parties of Christians. In this sense many of the most learned expositors understand it. Dr. Heylin's translation and glossary upon it is, "As many as were in a fit disposition for eternal life, believed—literally, in a rank, in a fit temper or disposition to enter into that spiritual life, which is rightly called eternal; for justice is immortal. They were ευθετοι, well disposed, Luk 9:62 therefore τεταγμενοι, ranked. Those who think themselves, in their present state, not capable of that experimental knowledge of God and Christ, in which consists eternal life, Joh 17:3 judge themselves unworthy of it, Acts 13:46." That we may leave nothing, which can elucidate and explain this text, we here subjoin Dr. Doddridge's judicious observations upon it, which confirm what has been before advanced: "In the Greek classics, I think it [τεταγμενοι ] in its passive form signifies men who, having been appointed for some militaryexpedition, (and set in their proper offices, as we render it, Luke 7:8.) are drawn up in battle array for that purpose. So that it expresses, or refers at once to, the action of their commander in marshalling them according to the plan he has formed in his own mind, and to their own presentingthemselves in their proper places, to be led on to the intended expedition. This I take to be precisely its sense here, and have therefore chosen the word determined, as having an ambiguity something like that in the original." We observe, 3rdly, that St. Luke does not say προτεταγμενοι, foreordained; for he is not speaking of what was done from eternity, but of what was then done through the preaching of the gospel. He is describing that ordination, or disposition, and that only, which was at the very time of hearing it. "During this sermon, those believed, says the apostle, to whom God then gave the gift of faith." It is as if he had said, "They believed, whose hearts the Lord had opened;" as he expresses it in a clearly parallel place, speaking of the same kind of ordination, ch. Acts 16:14, &c. It is observable, that the original word is not once used in scripture to express eternal predestination of any kind. It is rendered ordained, ordered, determined, addicted, and most frequently appointed.—The sum is, all those, and those only, who were now ordained or disposed, now believed, not that God rejected the rest: it was his will that they also should be saved, but they thrust salvation from them: nor were they who then believed, constrained to believe; but grace was then first copiously offered them, and they, being well inclined, embraced and improved it thankfully. In a word, the expression properly implies a present operation of divine grace, working faith in well-disposed hearts. See particularly Dr. Hammond's note on the place; Raphel. ex Herod. p. 353, &c. Wetstein, and Archbishop Sharpe's Works, vol. 6: p. 348.

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Acts 13:50. Devout and honourable women,— As Antioch in Pisidia was a Gentile city, the Jews had not the civil power in their hands; but they were so incensed at the success of the two apostles, and particularly at the reception of the idolatrous Gentiles without requiring them first to become proselytes of righteousness, that they exasperated some women, who were devout Gentiles, and persons of some quality and distinction; and by their means drew their husbands, or such other leading men of the city as they could influence, into their quarrel. If we suppose that these devout women were newly proselyted to Judaism, and full of an opinion of the sanctity and privileges of the people to whom they now belonged, nothing can be more natural than to suppose that they would instigate their husbands and other relations to the warmest resentment against Paul and Barnabas, whom they would look upon as levellers and apostates.

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