Ac 13:1
13:1 Now {1} there were in the church that was at Antioch
     certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that
     was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which
     had been brought up with {a} Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

 (1) Paul with Barnabas is again the second time appointed
     apostle of the Gentiles, not of man, neither by man, but by
     an extraordinary commandment of the Holy Spirit.
     (a) This was the same Antipas who put John the Baptist to
         death.

Ac 13:2
13:2 As they {b} ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy
     Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work
     whereunto I have {c} called them.

     (b) While they were busy doing their office, that is, as
         Chrysostom expounds it, while they were preaching.
     (c) The Lord is said to call, from which this word "called"
         comes from, which is common in the Church, when he
         causes that to be which was not, whether you refer it
         to the matter itself, or to any quality or thing about
         the matter: and the use of the word "call" has come
         about because when things begin to be, then they have
         some name: and furthermore this also declares God's
         mighty power, in that he spoke the word, and things
         were made.

Ac 13:3
13:3 {2} And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid [their]
     hands on them, they sent [them] away.

 (2) Fasting and solemn prayers were used before the laying on
     of hands.

Ac 13:4
13:4 {3} So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed
     unto {d} Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

 (3) Paul and his companions first bring Cyprus to the
     subjection and obedience of Christ.
     (d) Seleucia was a city of Cilicia, so called after
         Seleucus, one of Alexander's successors.

Ac 13:8
13:8 {4} But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by
     interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the
     deputy from the faith.

 (4) The devil makes Christ's victory more glorious in that he
     sets himself against him.

Ac 13:10
13:10 {5} And said, O full of all subtilty and all {e} mischief,
      [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all
      righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right
      ways of the Lord?

 (5) The sorcerer, who was stricken by Paul with a physical
     punishment (although extraordinarily), shows an example to
     lawful magistrates how they ought to punish those who
     wickedly and obstinately hinder the course of the Gospel.
     (e) He points out a fault of those who run eagerly and with
         great desire into all types of wickedness with the
         least bit of prompting from the world.

Ac 13:11
13:11 And now, behold, the {f} hand of the Lord [is] upon thee,
      and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.
      And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness;
      and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

      (f) His power which he shows in striking and beating down
          his enemies.

Ac 13:13
13:13 {6} Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they
      came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them
      returned to Jerusalem.

 (6) An example in one and the very same group of people both of
     singular steadfastness, and also of great weakness.

Ac 13:14
13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in
      {g} Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath
      day, and sat down.

      (g) This distinguishes between it, and Antioch which was
          in Syria.

Ac 13:15
13:15 {7} And after the reading of the law and the prophets the
      rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, [Ye] men
      [and] brethren, if ye {h} have any word of exhortation for
      the people, say on.

 (7) In the Synagogue of the Jews (according to the pattern of
     which Christian congregations were instituted) the
     Scriptures were read first, then those who were learned
     were licensed by the rulers of the Synagogue to speak and
     expound.
     (h) Literally, "If there is any word in you": this is a
         kind of speech taken from the Hebrews, by which is
         meant that the gifts of God's grace are in us, as it
         were in treasure houses, and that they are not ours,
         but God's.  In the same way David says, "Thou hast put
         a new song in my mouth"; Ps 40:3.

Ac 13:16
13:16 {8} Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with [his] hand
      said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

 (8) God bestowed many wonderful benefits upon his chosen Israel,
     but especially this, that he promised them the everlasting
     redeemer.

Ac 13:17
13:17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and
      {i} exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the
      land of Egypt, and with an {k} high arm brought he them
      out of it.

      (i) Advanced and brought to honour.
      (k) Openly and with strong power, breaking in pieces the
          enemies of his people.

Ac 13:20
13:20 And after that he gave [unto them] judges about the space
      of {l} four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the
      prophet.

      (l) There were from the birth of Isaac until the
          destruction of the Canaanites under the governance of
          Joshua four hundred and forty-seven years, and
          therefore he adds in this place the word "about", for
          three years are missing; the apostle, however, uses
          the whole greater number.

Ac 13:21
13:21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them
      Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by
      the space of {m} forty years.

      (m) In this space of forty years the time of Samuel must
          be counted and included with the days of Saul, for the
          kingdom did as it were include his administration.

Ac 13:23
13:23 {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.

Ac 13:24
13:24 When John had first preached {n} before his coming the
      baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

      (n) John as a herald did not show Christ coming from afar
          off, as the other prophets did, but right at hand and
          having already begun his journey.

Ac 13:26
13:26 {10} Men [and] brethren, children of the stock of Abraham,
      and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of
      this salvation sent.

 (10) Christ was promised and sent appropriately to the Jews.

Ac 13:27
13:27 {11} For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers,
      because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the
      prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have
      fulfilled [them] in condemning [him].

 (11) All things came to pass to Christ, which the Prophets
      foretold concerning the Messiah: so that by this also it
      appears that he is the true and only saviour: and yet
      nonetheless they are not to be excused who did not only
      not receive him, but also persecuted him most cruelly,
      even though he was innocent.

Ac 13:30
13:30 {12} But God raised him from the dead:

 (12) We must set the glory of the resurrection against the
      shame of the cross, and the grave.  And the resurrection
      is equally proved by the witnesses who saw it, and by the
      testimonies of the Prophets.

Ac 13:33
13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in
      that he {o} hath raised up Jesus again; {13} as it is also
      written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day
      have I begotten thee.

      (o) For then he appeared plainly and manifestly as the
          only Son of God, when he left behind his weakness and
          came out of the grave, having conquered death.
 (13) If Christ had remained dead, he would not have been the
      true Son of God, neither would the covenant which was made
      with David have been certain.

Ac 13:34
13:34 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 {p} sure mercies of David.

      (p) The Greeks call those things "holy things" which the
          Hebrews call "gracious bounties": and they are called
          David's bounties in the passive voice, because God
          bestowed them upon David.  Moreover, they are termed
          "sure", after the manner of speech which the Hebrews
          use, who terms those things "sure" which are steady
          and certain, and such things which never alter or
          change.

Ac 13:35
13:35 {14} Wherefore he saith also in another [psalm], Thou
      shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

 (14) The Lord was in the grace in such a way that he
      experienced no corruption.

Ac 13:38
13:38 {15} Be it known unto you therefore, men [and] brethren,
      that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness
      of sins:

 (15) Christ was sent to give them free remission of sins who
      were condemned by the Law.

Ac 13:39
13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from {q} all
      things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of
      Moses.

      (q) Whereas the ceremonies of the Law could not absolve
          you from your sins, this man absolves you, if you lay
          hold of him by faith.

Ac 13:40
13:40 {16} Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is
      spoken of in the prophets;

 (16) The benefits of God turn to the utter undoing of those
      that condemn them.

Ac 13:42
13:42 {17} And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the
      Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to
      them the next sabbath.

 (17) The Gentiles go before the Jews into the kingdom of
      heaven.

Ac 13:43
13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews
      and {r} religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas:
      who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the
      grace of God.

      (r) Who had forsaken their heathen religion, and embraced
          the religion set forth by Moses.

Ac 13:45
13:45 {18} But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were
      filled with envy, and spake against those things which
      were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

 (18) The favour on the very same Gospel is to the reprobate and
      unbelievers death, and to the elect and those who believe
      it is life.

Ac 13:46
13:46 {19} Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was
      necessary that the word of God should first have been
      spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and {s}
      judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
      to the Gentiles.

 (19) The Gospel is proclaimed to the Gentiles by the express
      commandment of God.
      (s) By this your doing you pronounce as it were sentence
          upon yourselves, and judge yourselves.

Ac 13:48
13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and
      glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were {t}
      ordained to eternal life believed.

      (t) Therefore either all were not appointed to everlasting
          life, or either all believed, but because all did not
          believe, it follows that certain ones were ordained:
          and therefore God did not only foreknow, but also
          foreordained, that neither faith nor the effects of
          faith should be the cause of his ordaining, or
          appointment, but his ordaining the cause of faith.

Ac 13:50
13:50 {20} But the Jews stirred up the {u} devout and honourable
      women, and the chief men of the city, and raised
      persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them
      out of their coasts.

 (20) Such is the craft and subtlety of the enemies of the
      Gospel, that they abuse the simplicity of some who are not
      altogether evil men, in order to execute their cruelty.
      (u) Those who embraced the Law of Moses.

Ac 13:51
13:51 {21} But they shook off the dust of their feet against
      them, and came unto Iconium.

 (21) The wickedness of the world cannot prevent God from
      gathering his Church together, and to foster and cherish
      it, when it is gathered together.