Acts 13:40 kjv
Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
Acts 13:40 nkjv
Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:
Acts 13:40 niv
Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
Acts 13:40 esv
Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
Acts 13:40 nlt
Be careful! Don't let the prophets' words apply to you. For they said,
Acts 13 40 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hab 1:5 | "Look among the nations and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days..." | Directly quoted in Acts 13:41; core prophecy. |
| Deut 28:15-68 | "...if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God... all these curses shall come upon you..." | General covenant curses for disobedience. |
| Isa 28:21-22 | "For the LORD will rise up... perform his task... his alien work... do his deed... his strange deed..." | God's "strange work" of judgment. |
| Mt 23:37-39 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered your children... and you would not!" | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's rejection. |
| Lk 19:41-44 | "...if you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!... your enemies will..." | Jesus weeps over Jerusalem's destruction due to unbelief. |
| John 3:18-19 | "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already..." | Unbelief brings inherent condemnation. |
| Heb 2:1-4 | "Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away." | Warning against neglecting salvation. |
| Heb 3:7-19 | "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...' " | Warning against hardening hearts like Israel in the wilderness. |
| Heb 4:11 | "Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same example of disobedience." | Consequences of unbelief leading to failure. |
| Zeph 1:14-18 | "The great day of the LORD is near... a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress..." | Prophetic judgment of the Day of the LORD. |
| Amos 5:18-20 | "Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness..." | Warning against misinterpreting God's judgment. |
| Hos 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." | Consequences of rejecting divine truth. |
| Mal 3:1 | "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me..." | Expectation of God's coming, bringing judgment. |
| Acts 3:23 | "And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed..." | Moses' prophecy about rejecting the Prophet (Christ). |
| 1 Thess 5:1-11 | "...concerning the times and the seasons... when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction..." | Sudden judgment on the unprepared. |
| 2 Pet 3:3-7 | "...scoffers will come in the last days... these willfully forget that by the word of God the heavens..." | Warnings about end-time judgment. |
| Rom 1:18-32 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men..." | God's ongoing wrath against sin and unbelief. |
| Isa 6:9-10 | "Go, and say to this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand... lest they see with their eyes...' " | Divine hardening in response to unbelief. |
| 2 Cor 6:2 | "For he says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I helped you.'" | The urgency of the present moment of grace. |
| Deut 32:35 | "Vengeance is mine, and recompense; for the time when their foot shall slip..." | God's sovereign right to execute judgment. |
| Jer 25:27-38 | "Drink, be drunk and vomit... because I am about to bring disaster upon every inhabitant of the earth." | Extensive prophecy of divine judgment on nations. |
| Mt 24:37-39 | "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." | Warning about unexpected judgment. |
Acts 13 verses
Acts 13 40 Meaning
This verse serves as a solemn warning, urging the audience to pay serious heed lest they incur the judgment prophesied in the Old Testament, specifically the kind of judgment spoken of by the prophets concerning those who refuse to believe God's works. Paul, having presented the good news of Jesus Christ and His resurrection, now pivotally transitions to the grave consequences of rejecting this divine message.
Acts 13 40 Context
Acts 13:40 immediately follows Paul's profound sermon in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch. Having thoroughly recounted God's redemptive history from Israel's beginnings to the culmination in Jesus' resurrection and the forgiveness of sins offered through Him (Acts 13:16-39), Paul transitions from declaring good news to issuing a stark caution. This verse serves as a direct lead-in to his quoting of Habakkuk 1:5 in the subsequent verse (Acts 13:41). Historically, Paul addresses a Jewish and "God-fearing" Gentile audience who revered the Old Testament prophets. His warning is grounded in their own sacred texts, giving it immense weight and authority in their cultural and religious framework. It underscores that while God offers salvation through Christ, He also justly judges those who stubbornly reject His ultimate revelation.
Acts 13 40 Word analysis
- Beware (Greek: Blepo - βλέπετε): Literally "to see," but here in the imperative, it means "look out," "watch out," "take heed," or "be careful." It denotes an urgent and active sense of vigilance, implying a need for serious reflection and immediate caution, rather than passive observation.
- therefore (Greek: oun - οὖν): A conjunctive particle that draws a conclusion or transition. It logically links the warning to Paul's preceding discourse on Jesus as the promised Messiah and the forgiveness available through Him. Because this profound truth and offer has been made, there are significant implications for one's response.
- lest there come upon you (Greek: mē epelthē eph' hymas - μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς): A construction indicating a negative purpose or consequence, meaning "so that it does not come upon you." Epelthē (from eperchomai) means "to come upon," "to befall," or "to overtake," often used in a hostile or unwelcome sense (e.g., judgment, calamities). It suggests an external, active bringing forth of consequences, often divinely ordained.
- what is spoken of (Greek: to eirēmenon - τὸ εἰρημένον): The perfect passive participle of lego, meaning "that which has been said" or "that which stands said." The perfect tense signifies an enduring truth—a prophetic utterance that was spoken in the past and remains valid, awaiting its fulfillment. The passive voice implies that God is the ultimate speaker or inspirer of these words.
- in the Prophets (Greek: en tois prophētais - ἐν τοῖς προφήταις): This refers collectively to the Old Testament prophetic writings. For a Jewish audience, this phrase carries immense authority, as it points to the direct word of God as conveyed through His chosen messengers. The immediate reference, specified in Acts 13:41, is Habakkuk 1:5, indicating that Paul draws from specific, established prophetic warnings regarding unbelief and divine action.
Words-group analysis:
- "Beware therefore": An urgent admonition, directly tied to the preceding message. It's an exhortation to personal responsibility in light of profound spiritual truths presented. The stakes are high for rejecting God's ultimate revelation.
- "lest there come upon you what is spoken of": This phrase warns of the inevitability of prophetic fulfillment if the divine message is ignored. It underscores that God's word, whether of blessing or judgment, will be enacted. The "coming upon" indicates a direct, personal consequence.
- "what is spoken of in the Prophets": Establishes the divine authority and pre-existence of the warning. Paul isn't creating a new threat; he's reminding them of ancient, established prophetic truth from their own Scriptures. It highlights that God's patterns of dealing with rejection are consistent throughout history.
Acts 13 40 Bonus section
- The "work" referred to in Habakkuk 1:5 and implicitly here in Acts 13:40 is God's "strange" or "alien" work of judgment, often using unlikely agents (in Habakkuk's context, the Babylonians). For Paul's audience, the implicit threat could foreshadow God's judgment using Rome against a generation that rejected His Son.
- This verse underscores a consistent biblical theme: greater revelation brings greater responsibility. Having heard the Messiah proclaimed, their spiritual stakes were higher than ever before.
- Paul strategically uses the Old Testament not only to affirm Jesus as Messiah but also to enforce the gravity of the call, appealing to their knowledge and respect for the Prophets.
Acts 13 40 Commentary
Acts 13:40 encapsulates a pivotal truth often overlooked in discussions of God's grace: that while salvation is freely offered, there are severe, prophetically-foretold consequences for its rejection. Paul, having just laid out the extraordinary divine work accomplished in Jesus, transitions to a profound warning. He urges his Jewish audience to take serious heed ("beware"), grounding his admonition in the very scriptures they revered ("what is spoken of in the Prophets"). The reference, explicitly quoted in the next verse from Habakkuk 1:5, speaks of a "work" so astonishing and devastating that it defies belief. This warning serves to prevent a hardening of hearts that characterized previous generations who refused to believe God's mighty acts. It underlines that grace is not unconditional license; it's a divine offer that, if spurned, activates existing prophecies of judgment. The gravity lies in the fact that rejection of Christ—God's ultimate revelation—is not merely apathy but a dangerous act of unbelief that will certainly invite the divinely promised retribution.