Acts 13:23

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

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(23) Raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus.—It is, of course, probable that the names of Jesus and of John were not utterly unknown, even in those remote regions of Pisidia. No Jew could have gone up to keep a feast at Jerusalem for some years past without having heard something of the one or of the other. St. Paul’s tone is clearly that of one who assumes that their story is already vaguely known, and who comes to offer knowledge of greater clearness.

Benson Commentary

Acts 13:23-25. Of this man’s seed — From that rod out of the stem of Jesse, that branch out of his roots; hath God, according to his promise, (Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6,) raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus — So long foretold in the sacred oracles. When John had first preached, before his coming — Greek, προ προσωπου της εισοδου, to introduce his appearance: (so Doddridge:) the baptism of repentance — Even that baptism which, in token of their repentance, they were commanded by God to receive. Of John’s preaching, see the notes on Matthew 3:1, &c.; Luke 3:7-17. He mentions the preaching of John in this incidental manner as a thing already known to them. And so, doubtless, it was: for it gave so loud an alarm to the whole Jewish nation, as could not but be heard in foreign countries, at least as remote as Pisidia. As John fulfilled his course — His work was quickly finished, and, therefore, might well be termed, a course, or race: he said, Who think ye that I am? I am not he — I am not the person whom you suppose me to be, that is, the Messiah. See the notes on John 1:20; John 1:27.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:14-31 When we come together to worship God, we must do it, not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God. The bare reading of the Scriptures in public assemblies is not enough; they should be expounded, and the people exhorted out of them. This is helping people in doing that which is necessary to make the word profitable, to apply it to themselves. Every thing is touched upon in this sermon, which might best prevail with Jews to receive and embrace Christ as the promised Messiah. And every view, however short or faint, of the Lord's dealings with his church, reminds us of his mercy and long-suffering, and of man's ingratitude and perverseness. Paul passes from David to the Son of David, and shows that this Jesus is his promised Seed; a Saviour to do that for them, which the judges of old could not do, to save them from their sins, their worst enemies. When the apostles preached Christ as the Saviour, they were so far from concealing his death, that they always preached Christ crucified. Our complete separation from sin, is represented by our being buried with Christ. But he rose again from the dead, and saw no corruption: this was the great truth to be preached.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of this man's seed - Of his posterity.

According to his promise - See the notes on Acts 2:30.

Raised unto Israel - See the notes on Acts 2:30.

A Saviour, Jesus - See the notes on Matthew 1:21.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

23-25. Of this man's seed hath God, according to … promise, raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus—The emphasis on this statement lies: (1) in the seed from which Christ sprang—David's—and the promise to that effect, which was thus fulfilled; (2) on the character in which this promised Christ was given of God—"a Saviour." His personal name "Jesus" is emphatically added, as designed to express that very character. (See on [2005]Mt 1:21).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Christ was the Son of David, and so frequently called, Matthew 1:1 Luke 18:38,39, with reference unto the promise made, Isaiah 11:1, spoken of, Acts 2:30 Romans 1:3.

Raised unto Israel a Saviour; because he lived amongst the Jews, and salvation was first offered unto them by him, as Acts 13:46.

Jesus; our Saviour’s name is added to show that he truly was according to his name, and what he was said to be, as Matthew 1:21.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Of this man's seed hath God, according to his promise,.... In 2 Samuel 7:12 raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus; even Jesus of Nazareth, whose name signifies a Saviour, who is the son of David, according to the flesh; the word "Jesus" is left out in some copies, and so it is in the Syriac and Ethiopic versions, which only read, "salvation" or "redemption"; the Alexandrian copy, and the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, read, "he hath brought forth unto Israel", &c. the sense is, that as God had promised that the Messiah should spring out of David's loins, so in the fulness of time he had sent him, or caused him to come by the assumption of human nature, or by taking flesh of a virgin, who was of the house and lineage of David; and who was sent, and came first to the people of Israel, though they for the most part slighted and rejected him; however, he was raised up for the mystical Israel of God, all the elect, whether Jews or Gentiles; and that to be the Saviour of them, from sin, Satan, and the law, and every enemy, with a spiritual and eternal salvation, and that both of body and soul; and a very able, willing, and suitable Saviour he is, as well as a perfect and complete one. This Saviour, Jehovah, in his infinite wisdom, found, and in his purposes appointed him to be his salvation, and in his covenant provided and settled him as such; and in the prophecies of the Old Testament spoke of him as the Saviour and Redeemer of his people; and in the fulness of time sent him, and raised him up of David's seed, according to his promise to him. The first promise of a Saviour was made to our first parents, under the character of the seed of the woman; he was next promised to Abraham, that he should be of his seed; and then to Judah, that he should be of his tribe; and after that to David, that he should be of his family; and all this has been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, who is sometimes called David and David's son. Now it was for the sake of this, that the apostle begins with the choice of the Jewish fathers, and relates so many favours bestowed upon the people of Israel; his view was to lead on to observe this special mercy promised them, and now fulfilled, on which he intended to enlarge in his discourse, as follows.

Geneva Study Bible

{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.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 13:23-25. Paul now proceeds to his main point, the announcement of the Messiah, the Son of David, as having appeared in Jesus (Acts 13:23), whom John already preached before His coming (Acts 13:24-25).

τούτου] with great emphasis, placed first and standing apart.

κατʼ ἐπαγγελίαν] according to promise, an essential element for the awakening of faith. Comp. Acts 13:32.

ἤγαγε τῷ Ἰσραὴλ … Ἰσραήλ] He brought (Zechariah 3:8) to the Israelites Jesus as deliverer (Messiah), John having previously preached before His coming a baptism of repentance (baptism obliging to change of mind) to all the people of Israel.

πρὸ προσώπου] לִפְנֵי, i.e. ante, and that in a temporal sense (Gesenius, Thes. II. p. 1111). With τῆς εἰσόδου, according to the context, is meant the official (Messianic) emergence among the people. The Fathers strangely and erroneously refer it to the incarnation. See Suicer, Thes. I. p. 1042.

ὡς δὲ ἐπλήρου ὁ Ἰωάνν. τ. δρόμον] but when John fulfilled, was in the act of fulfilling (imperfect; see Bernhardy, p. 373), the course (without figure: the official work incumbent on him; comp. Acts 20:24; 2 Timothy 4:7; Galatians 2:2). Paul considers John’s definite pointing to the ἐρχόμενος as that with which the course of the Baptist approached its termination; the δρόμος of the forerunner was actually concluded as regards its idea and purpose, when Jesus Himself publicly appeared.

τίνα με ὑπον. εἶναι;] is, with Erasmus, Castalio, Calvin, Beza, and many others, to be taken as a question; not, with Luther, Grotius, Kuinoel, Lachmann, Buttmann, as a relative clause: “quem me esse putatis, non sum,” which, indeed, is linguistically justifiable (Matthew 10:19, al.; Winer, p. 159 [E. T. 210]; Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 216 [E. T. 251], but detracts from the liveliness of the speech. Comp. Jam 3:15.

οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγώ] namely, the Messiah (John 1:20), as self-evidently the expected Person, who was vividly before the mind of John and of his hearers. Comp. Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8; John 13:19.

On Acts 13:25 generally, comp. Luke 3:15 f.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 13:23. κατʼ ἐπαγγελίαν: phrase only found in Galatians 3:29, 2 Timothy 1:1 : the Messianic promises generally, or more specifically 2 Samuel 7:12, Psalm 132:11, Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 11:10, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Zechariah 3:8. In the last prophecy the LXX read the verb ἄγω which is found in the verse before us, see critical notes.—Ἰησοῦν: emphatic at the end of the clause, as τούτου at the beginning of the verse.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

23. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus] The word “his” has no place in the Greek text, and the oldest MSS. for “raised” read “brought.”

The promise alluded to here is preserved for us in Psalm 132:11, “Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy seat,” and in many other similar declarations in the prophets. Cp. Zechariah 3:8-9.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 13:23. Κατʼ ἐπαγγελίαν, according to His promise) 2 Samuel 7:12, “When thy days be fulfilled—I will set up thy seed after thee—and I will establish his kingdom.” The mention of the promise gives a handle for faith in relation to these hearers.—ἤγαγε, hath brought) So the best MSS.[76] Many have ἤγειρε, which evidently comes from Acts 13:22. But הביא is rendered by the LXX. ἄγειν, in Isaiah 48:15, “I have brought Him, and He shall make His way prosperous;” Daniel 9:24, “To bring in everlasting righteousness.” Especially let the passage, Zechariah 3:8, be well weighed, “Behold I bring forth, ἌΓΩ (I bring to you), My servant the Day-spring” (or else the Branch).—ΣΩΤῆΡΑ, a Saviour) So σωτηρίας, of salvation, Acts 13:26. He alludes to the signification of the name Jesus, which is expressed also in Acts 13:32.

[76] ABEe Vulg. Memph. read ἤγαγε. CDd and Rec. Text have ἤγειρε.—E. and T.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 23. - Promise for his promise, A.V.; brought for raised, A.V. and T.R. (comp. Isaiah 48:15; Hebrews 1:6). This verse leads to the great announcement which Paul had to make of the next great step in God's dealings with Israel, for which the pro- ceding ones of the redemption from Egyptian bondage, and the kingdom of David, were preparatory, viz. the actual coming of the Son of David, the Messiah, to save his people Israel. Acts 13:23