Acts 13 27

Acts 13:27 kjv

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.

Acts 13:27 nkjv

For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.

Acts 13:27 niv

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

Acts 13:27 esv

For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

Acts 13:27 nlt

The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets' words that are read every Sabbath.

Acts 13 verses

Acts 13 27 Meaning

Acts 13:27 explains that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders, through their failure to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and their inability to understand the prophecies regularly read in their synagogues, unknowingly fulfilled these very prophecies by condemning Him to death. Their ignorance and hostility led them to reject the Savior, thereby executing God's preordained plan for salvation through the crucifixion.

Acts 13 27 Context

Acts 13:27 is part of Paul's inaugural recorded sermon in Antioch of Pisidia, delivered in the synagogue. Paul is addressing a mixed audience of Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. This sermon functions as a miniature theological history, tracing God's faithfulness from the calling of Israel through Moses, David, and ultimately to the Messiah, Jesus. The immediate verses (13:23-26) establish Jesus's Davidic lineage and John the Baptist's preparatory ministry, leading to the crucial assertion of Jesus as the promised Savior. Verse 27 serves as the explanation for the apparent paradox: if Jesus was the promised Messiah, why was He crucified by His own people? Paul presents the crucifixion not as an accidental defeat, but as the deliberate, albeit ignorant, fulfillment of divine prophecy by those who should have recognized Him. This sets the stage for Paul to present Jesus's resurrection as God's vindication of Him and the culmination of God's redemptive plan.

Acts 13 27 Word analysis

• For those who live in Jerusalem: This phrase specifies the geographical and cultural locus of the events. It implicitly refers to the collective population and particularly their established religious and political institutions.
• and their rulers: (Greek: archontes) This explicitly highlights the leaders – the Sanhedrin, priests, and Roman authorities (Pilate acting on their demands). These were the figures with authority to condemn and execute. Their actions were decisive in Jesus's death.
• because they did not recognize Him: (Greek: agnoēsantes) Means "being ignorant of," "not knowing," "not perceiving." This denotes a profound lack of spiritual discernment. It was not merely an informational gap, but a culpable spiritual blindness and failure to comprehend Jesus's true identity, despite His words, deeds, and the testimonies of the prophets. Their preconceived notions of the Messiah clouded their judgment.
• nor understand the utterances of the prophets: (Greek: gnontes, from ginōskō, to know, and phōnas tōn prophētōn, "voices/utterances of the prophets") This phrase underscores the deep irony. The very people entrusted with guarding and teaching the Hebrew scriptures, which were replete with prophecies concerning the Messiah, failed to comprehend them when these prophecies were literally fulfilled before their eyes. "Utterances" refers to the written prophetic word that they regularly read.
• which are read every Sabbath: This emphasizes their consistent, public exposure to the very scriptures that testified about Jesus. The synagogue custom of reading sections from the Law and the Prophets meant these messages were constantly before them, making their lack of understanding even more poignant and spiritually significant.
• fulfilled these: (Greek: eplērōsan, from plēroō, to fill, complete, fulfill) This is a crucial theological point. Despite their ignorance and wicked intent, their actions served God's sovereign plan. Their condemnation of Jesus, an act of rejection and sin, paradoxically accomplished what God had purposed – the pre-written prophetic narrative concerning the suffering Messiah.
• by condemning Him: (Greek: krinantes, from krinō, to judge, decide, condemn) Refers to their legal verdict against Jesus, leading to His crucifixion. This act was both a legal judgment (though flawed and unjust) and a moral condemnation, sealed by their decision to call for His death.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers": Identifies the primary agents of Jesus's condemnation, indicating collective responsibility within the Jewish leadership in the capital.
• "did not recognize Him nor understand the utterances of the prophets": Explains the root cause of their actions: a spiritual and intellectual failure to grasp divine truth, coupled with the tragic irony that they had access to the very revelation that would have guided them.
• "which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him": This climactic phrase encapsulates the paradox: their regular religious practice, intended for spiritual growth, was juxtaposed with their ultimate act of sin, yet even this sinful act was used by God to fulfill His overarching prophetic purpose.

Acts 13 27 Bonus section

The concept of spiritual blindness despite outward exposure to truth is a recurring theme in the Bible (e.g., Jer 5:21, Mk 8:17-18). Acts 13:27 powerfully demonstrates this: the Jewish leaders were not illiterate or ignorant of their scriptures; on the contrary, they were experts. Their "ignorance" (agnosia) was therefore not a passive lack of information, but an active rejection stemming from a hardened heart or adherence to traditions that superseded God's true revelation in Christ. This "ignorance" also connects to the theological concept in 1 Corinthians 2:8 where Paul states that if the "rulers of this age" had understood God's wisdom, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Luke (and Acts) often portrays ignorance as both culpable (as it arises from an unwillingness to perceive) and, paradoxically, as a condition through which God’s broader redemptive plan unfolds. The divine paradox is that wicked human intentions are providentially overruled to accomplish God’s righteous purposes without excusing the sin itself.

Acts 13 27 Commentary

Acts 13:27 stands as a poignant commentary on human blindness and divine sovereignty. Paul argues that the Jewish leaders’ failure to recognize Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah was not due to a lack of evidence, but rather a lack of spiritual discernment and an inability to understand their own sacred texts. Despite hearing the prophetic words “every Sabbath,” their preconceived notions of a triumphant Messiah blinded them to the suffering servant portrayed in scriptures like Isaiah 53. Yet, in this very act of condemning Him, they unwittingly became instruments of God’s redemptive plan, fulfilling the precise prophecies concerning the Messiah's suffering and death. This highlights that while human responsibility for sin is absolute, God’s sovereign plan cannot be thwarted, even being accomplished through the very acts intended to oppose Him. This serves as a sober warning that ritualistic adherence to scripture without spiritual understanding can lead to rejection of divine truth, while simultaneously testifying to God's unfailing ability to bring His purposes to fruition.