Acts 13:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

NIV: God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, ''I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'

NASB: As for the fact that He raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY and faithful mercies of DAVID.’

CSB: As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.

NLT: For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’

Paul is explaining to a group of Jews and God-fearing Gentiles that God's saving work that sustained the Jews throughout their history is now manifested in the Savior He promised: Jesus. He has explained how the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had Jesus killed despite His innocence, and that there are many witnesses who attest that God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 13:27–31). Now Paul shows how Jesus' resurrection was prophesied in Hebrew Scripture.

The quote is of part of Isaiah 55:3 from the Septuagint. In the broader passage, God is telling His people to come to Him, and He will provide what they need. They need to reject the world's values and rely on Him to provide what is good. Isaiah 55:3 reads, "Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David." God's everlasting covenant with David promised David would have an heir—a Savior—who will sit on David's throne (2 Samuel 7; Acts 13:23). That covenant of blessings is manifested in Jesus, David's genetic, spiritual, and political heir. The "you" of Isaiah 55 is Isaiah's audience—locally the Jews destined to go into exile in Babylon, but ultimately everyone who looks toward God's Savior.

Acts 13:35 explains how the blessings of David can be everlasting and sure, or trustworthy: God's Holy One was raised from the dead and did not see corruption or decay, as promised in Psalm 16:10.

Acts 13:16–41 gives the transcript of Paul's message in Pisidian Antioch. It is the only recording of Paul's many synagogue sermons. Paul's message can be broken into five parts, each identified with a call to heed Paul's words: 1. God's saving work in Israel's history and promise of a future Savior (Acts 13:16–25); 2. The Savior's story (Acts 13:26–31); 3. The prophecies of the Savior (Acts 13:32–37); 4. The nature of ''salvation'' (Acts 13:38–39); 5. A warning to accept the Savior (Acts 13:40–41). Some Jews and many Gentiles do accept the message, but the synagogue leaders drive Paul and Barnabas out of town (Acts 13:42–51).

Acts 13 transitions Luke's account (Acts 1:1) fully into a record of Paul's ministry to spread the news about Jesus. The Holy Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas for their first missionary journey. They teach about Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins on the island of Cyprus and in the district of Pisidia in modern-day south-central Asia Minor. Along the way, they face opposition, desertion, and persecution: themes that will follow Paul throughout his life. But they also experience the joy of watching the people they'd least expect come to a saving faith in Jesus.

The first chapters of Acts, save for a quick account of Paul's conversion (Acts 9:1–31), cover the ministry of the apostles, particularly Peter. Those passages also detail the spread of the news about Jesus from His followers. That message goes to the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 2—7) and Judea (Acts 8:26–40; 9:32–43), the Samaritans (Acts 8:4–25), and God-fearing Gentiles (Acts 10—11). Now, Paul's contribution to the ''end of the earth'' portion of Jesus' commission in Acts 1:8 begins, as he and Barnabas start their first missionary journey. Luke will record two more of Paul's journeys (Acts 15:36—18:22 and 18:23—20:38) before settling in on his return to Jerusalem, arrest, and sea voyage to Rome (Acts 21—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.