Acts 13:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

NIV: So it is also stated elsewhere: ''You will not let your holy one see decay.'

NASB: Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘YOU WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.’

CSB: Therefore he also says in another passage, You will not let your Holy One see decay.

NLT: Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’

KJV: Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

NKJV: Therefore He also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’

Paul continues quoting Hebrew prophecy to explain to his audience that Jesus is the Savior God promised through David's line and that His resurrection was always part of God's plan. Here, Paul quotes Psalm 16:10, a psalm of David, from the Septuagint. Paul will go on to show that this can't apply to David (Acts 13:36) and must apply to someone who died but was not buried long enough to decay. Peter makes the same point in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:27–31).

"Corruption" literally means to physically rot and decay. It can also be used in the sense of going to the place that is characterized by decay, that is, going to the realm of the dead or, more literally, to a pit or grave. That definition echoes the first half of Psalm 16:10 wherein David says, "For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol."

Jesus' body did not "see corruption" because He was buried for only three days before He rose again in a glorified body (Luke 24:1–3; John 20:6–7). He does not have to wait, like David and all David's other descendants, to be in a spiritual and physical position to rule as king and fulfill the covenant God made to David. David "served the purpose of God in his own generation" (Acts 13:36) and then died, unable to serve God or lead his people while his body was in the grave. Jesus doesn't have that restriction. He can reign in our hearts and save us from our sins now, reign on earth later during the millennial kingdom, and provide ultimate salvation for all God-followers in eternity.

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.