Acts 13 46

Acts 13:46 kjv

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 judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:46 nkjv

Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:46 niv

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:46 esv

And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:46 nlt

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, "It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.

Acts 13 verses

Acts 13 46 Meaning

Acts 13:46 signifies a pivotal moment in the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Pisidian Antioch. After the Jewish leaders and influential figures rejected the Gospel, Paul and Barnabas, filled with divine boldness, declared that according to God's plan, the good news of salvation was first presented to the Jewish people. However, since they actively spurned this divine offer and, by their own rejection, deemed themselves unfit for eternal life, the apostles would now strategically pivot their evangelistic efforts to the Gentiles. This statement marked a significant turning point, reflecting both divine necessity and human accountability in the spread of the Gospel.

Acts 13 46 Context

Acts chapter 13 begins with Paul and Barnabas being set apart by the Holy Spirit for missionary work, initiating Paul's first missionary journey. Their established practice was to go to the synagogue first in every city they visited (v. 14). In Pisidian Antioch, Paul delivered a powerful sermon (Acts 13:16-41) outlining God's historical faithfulness to Israel, culminating in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. Many Jews and God-fearing Gentiles initially welcomed the message, leading to a second large gathering on the following Sabbath (v. 42-44). However, the sight of a multitude turning to Paul and Barnabas filled the established Jewish leaders with envy, causing them to contradict and revile the apostles' teaching (v. 45). Acts 13:46 is the direct and strong response of Paul and Barnabas to this vehement opposition, marking a decisive shift in their evangelistic strategy for this particular location, driven by the Spirit and informed by the Jewish leaders' own actions.

Acts 13 46 Word analysis

• Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold (παρρησιασάμενοι – parrēsiasamenoi): This word means "to speak with boldness, freedom, or confidence." It implies courage and open declaration, especially when facing opposition. This boldness was not presumptuous but divinely enabled, essential for delivering such a consequential declaration. It signifies conviction rooted in divine truth and authority.
• and said, It was necessary (ἀναγκαῖον – anankaion): "Necessary" here carries the weight of divine appointment or decree, not merely human preference or logical conclusion. It refers to God's predetermined plan and prophetic trajectory, especially in offering salvation to Israel first. This wasn't an arbitrary choice but part of God's redemptive historical pattern.
• that the word of God (ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ – ho logos tou theou) should first (πρῶτον – prōton) have been spoken to you: "The word of God" refers to the Gospel message, the good news concerning Jesus Christ. "First" emphasizes the priority of God's outreach to His chosen people, Israel, reflecting the established covenantal relationship and numerous Old Testament prophecies. It was a divinely ordained order of evangelism.
• but seeing ye put it from you (ἀπωθεῖσθε – apōtheisthe): This Greek word denotes an active, deliberate act of rejection or pushing away. It indicates a willful refusal to accept the truth of the Gospel. It’s not passive disinterest but hostile opposition.
• and judge yourselves unworthy (κρίνετε ἑαυτοὺς ἀναξίους – krinete heautous anaxiōus) of everlasting life (αἰωνίου ζωῆς – aiōniou zōēs): This is a profound and critical phrase. "Judge yourselves" means their actions of rejecting the Gospel constitute their own self-condemnation. The apostles are not imposing judgment but stating that the Jews' very response demonstrates their spiritual unfitness or inability to inherit "everlasting life," which is the spiritual, eternal life found through Christ.
• lo (ἰδοὺ – idou): This interjection means "behold!" or "look!" It's used to draw emphatic attention to what follows, highlighting the significance of the impending shift in mission.
• we turn (στρεφόμεθα – strephometha) to the Gentiles (ἔθνεσι – ethnesi): "Turn" indicates a deliberate pivot, a redirection of focus and effort. "Gentiles" refers to all non-Jewish peoples. This is a strategic re-orientation of the apostles' evangelism from a primary focus on Jewish synagogues to an intentional focus on Gentile audiences, driven by Jewish rejection and in fulfillment of God's broader plan for universal salvation.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold": This signifies a moment of divine enablement. The Holy Spirit imparted courage and clarity, allowing them to speak a hard truth without fear, standing against powerful opposition. Their boldness underscores the gravity and divine authority behind their pronouncement.
• "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you": This highlights God's pre-ordained order for salvation, beginning with Israel. It reinforces the idea that Israel had the privilege and responsibility of receiving the Gospel first, a concept found throughout the Scriptures. This "necessity" is tied to God's covenant faithfulness and historical unfolding of His redemptive plan.
• "but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life": This is a severe indictment but crucially, it emphasizes human responsibility and self-condemnation. It was their active rejection ("put it from you") of the Gospel message and their hostility toward the apostles that amounted to them spiritually "judging themselves" unfit for eternal life. The apostles were not condemning them, but revealing the consequence of their own choices. Their actions were an implicit self-declaration of their spiritual state.
• "lo, we turn to the Gentiles": This phrase marks a strategic, divinely sanctioned redirection of the mission. It is a decisive turning point in the Book of Acts, signifying the rapid expansion of the Gospel beyond Jewish communities to the broader Gentile world. This turning was not abandonment of Israel, but a practical response to immediate, specific rejection, knowing that God's plan ultimately included the Gentiles and that Israel's rejection, in part, facilitated this outreach.

Acts 13 46 Bonus section

• Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: This verse beautifully illustrates the tension and interplay between God's sovereign plan and human free will. It was God's "necessary" design for the Gospel to go to the Jew first. However, the Jewish response was not predetermined by God to be rejection in such a way that they were merely puppets. Their choice to "put it from you" and thus "judge yourselves unworthy" highlights their genuine moral responsibility in refusing God's gracious offer.
• Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy: The pivot to the Gentiles wasn't an ad-hoc decision. It was the dynamic fulfillment of numerous Old Testament prophecies which spoke of God extending His salvation to the ends of the earth through Israel's Messiah (e.g., Isa 49:6, Ps 2:8). Paul and Barnabas are acting within this larger divine narrative.
• A Pattern in Acts: This specific event in Pisidian Antioch establishes a significant pattern throughout Paul's subsequent missionary journeys recorded in Acts. He consistently went to the synagogue first in new cities. If welcomed, he continued; if met with hardened rejection, he would "turn" to the Gentiles, establishing new churches predominantly of Gentile believers. Examples include Acts 18:6 (Corinth) and Acts 19:8-9 (Ephesus), and the climactic declaration in Acts 28:28 (Rome).
• Implication of "Everlasting Life": This refers to not merely unending existence but a quality of life—life that is spiritual, abundant, and rooted in a relationship with God through Christ. Their unworthiness, by their own judgment, was for this quality of life.

Acts 13 46 Commentary

Acts 13:46 is a watershed moment in the Book of Acts and Paul's ministry. It crystallizes the recurring pattern seen in early apostolic preaching: the Gospel is presented to the Jews first, and upon their definitive rejection in a specific locale, the apostles then intentionally shift their focus to the Gentiles. This statement is not a declaration of permanent abandonment of Israel (as Rom 11 clarifies God's continuing plan for them) but rather a strategic realignment of evangelistic priorities in that immediate context.

The "necessity" spoken of refers to God's divine order, fulfilling prophecies that spoke of salvation extending from Israel to all nations. The Jewish leaders' opposition was not merely intellectual disagreement but active "putting away" the very "word of God," an act that carried eternal consequences. By rejecting the Christ of the Gospel, they were, by their own choice, declaring themselves outside of the provision for "everlasting life" which only comes through Him. This concept of self-judgment is profound: the decision to reject God's gracious offer results in self-condemnation, making one "unworthy" not by apostolic decree, but by their own defiant choice.

The apostles' subsequent turning to the Gentiles, empowered by "boldness," was therefore not a personal whim but a divinely guided response, a dynamic implementation of God's inclusive plan to draw all peoples to Himself. This momentous pivot underscores God's unfailing commitment to His universal salvation plan and His unwavering pursuit of all who will believe, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. It serves as a reminder that the opportunity to receive the Gospel comes with the weighty responsibility to respond in faith, and willful rejection leads to a judgment freely chosen by the rejector.