Acts 3 18

Acts 3:18 kjv

But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

Acts 3:18 nkjv

But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

Acts 3:18 niv

But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.

Acts 3:18 esv

But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.

Acts 3:18 nlt

But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah ? that he must suffer these things.

Acts 3 verses

Acts 3 18 Meaning

Acts 3:18 conveys that Jesus' suffering and crucifixion were not an unforeseen tragedy but a divinely predetermined and explicitly foretold event, announced centuries prior through the collective witness of all the Hebrew prophets. God meticulously planned for His Messiah to endure these trials, and this divine purpose was precisely fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Acts 3 18 Context

This verse is part of Peter's sermon to the Jewish crowd in the Temple courts, immediately following the miraculous healing of a lame man (Acts 3:1-10). Peter uses the miracle as a springboard to preach about Jesus Christ, whom they, the people of Israel and their leaders, had delivered up and denied (Acts 3:13-15). The crowd expected a triumphant Messiah, not one who would be rejected and suffer a humiliating death. Peter, however, turns their perceived failure (Jesus' death) into the ultimate sign of divine purpose and fulfillment. Verse 18 is a crucial apologetic point: far from being a defeat or an accident, Christ's suffering was the precise outcome God had planned and prophesied. It serves to address their skepticism or confusion regarding a crucified Messiah, presenting it as an essential component of God's redemptive scheme. Peter then calls them to repentance (v.19-20).

Acts 3 18 Word analysis

• "But" (Δὲ - De): A strong transitional particle in Greek. It often indicates a contrast or an important shift in thought. Here, it contrasts the crowd's ignorant rejection of Jesus (v.17) with God's intentional foretelling and fulfillment, introducing a profound theological truth that corrects their understanding.
• "those things, which" (ἃ - ha): Refers specifically to the events of Jesus' passion and death. It emphasizes that these very occurrences, not some other vague events, were foretold.
• "God" (ὁ Θεὸς - ho Theos): Emphasizes the supreme, sovereign orchestrator of events. His involvement signifies ultimate authority, purpose, and control, underscoring that the crucifixion was not happenstance but divine will.
• "before had showed" / "foretold" (προκατήγγειλεν - prokatēngeilen): From pro (before) and kataggello (to proclaim, declare, announce). This compound verb stresses prior divine declaration and announcement. It means "to declare beforehand" or "to announce as pre-ordained," highlighting God's pre-knowledge and active revelation of His plan.
• "by the mouth of" (διὰ στόματος - dia stomatos): Signifies direct and authoritative verbal revelation. The message came directly from God, communicated through human instruments. It points to the divine origin and reliability of the prophetic words.
• "all his prophets" (πάντων τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ - pantōn tōn prophētōn autou): "All" indicates the collective and universal testimony of the Old Testament prophetic tradition. It’s not just one obscure prophecy but a pervasive theme across multiple prophetic voices (e.g., David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Daniel), emphasizing the comprehensive nature of God's revelation.
• "that Christ" (τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ - ton Christon autou): "The Christ," or "His Anointed One." Refers to the long-awaited Messiah. The designation "His" emphasizes God's personal selection and appointment of this unique figure, whose identity is inextricably linked to the divine plan.
• "should suffer" (παθεῖν - pathein): To experience, endure, undergo. In theological context, it specifically refers to the suffering, passion, and death of Jesus. This was the most counter-cultural and stumbling block aspect for a Jewish audience expecting a conquering king. Peter highlights this specific suffering as foretold.
• "he hath so fulfilled" (ἐπλήρωσεν οὕτως - eplērōsen houtōs): eplērōsen (from plēroō) means "he filled up, brought to completion, fulfilled precisely." It denotes the perfect execution of prophecy, not merely a casual correlation. houtōs (thus, in this manner) emphasizes the exact way the prophecies were realized, down to the details.

Words-Group by Words-Group Analysis:

• "God before had showed... that Christ should suffer": This phrase encapsulates the central theological point: God Himself initiated and revealed this seemingly contradictory plan (Messiah suffering) long before its realization. It refutes any notion of divine unpreparedness or reactive measure.
• "by the mouth of all his prophets": This phrase asserts the pervasive, unified, and ancient witness of the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the suffering Messiah. It underscores the undeniable prophetic basis for Christ's passion, silencing potential objections about the validity or scope of the prophecy.
• "he hath so fulfilled": This climactic phrase declares the perfect, precise, and certain accomplishment of God's long-standing, prophetically revealed will in Jesus Christ. It presents the crucifixion not as a tragic end but as the sovereign, decisive act of God, bringing His plan to fruition.

Acts 3 18 Bonus section

The early Christian understanding of the suffering Messiah was profoundly shaped by passages like Acts 3:18. It solidified the teaching that Christ's path to glory necessarily included suffering, drawing directly from the wellspring of Old Testament prophecy, especially Isaiah 53. This verse demonstrates a key aspect of early apostolic preaching: applying Old Testament Scriptures to Jesus to prove His messiahship, particularly in ways that countered popular misconceptions. It portrays God as an active participant in history, predetermining and guiding events to their appointed end for redemptive purposes, even through human opposition and ignorance. The "so fulfilled" highlights the incredible precision with which God brings His word to pass.

Acts 3 18 Commentary

Acts 3:18 is a foundational statement for understanding Christian theology regarding Jesus' death. Peter, speaking to a Jewish audience struggling to reconcile the crucified Jesus with their expectations of a glorious Messiah, declares that Jesus' suffering was not an accidental or regrettable outcome, but the meticulous fulfillment of God's long-revealed purpose. This verse dismantles the "stumbling block" of the cross for Jews, presenting it as divinely necessary and extensively foretold by "all his prophets." This underscores God's sovereign control over history, His faithfulness to His word, and the undeniable continuity between the Old Testament prophetic witness and the person and work of Jesus Christ. It transitions their understanding from human fault in Jesus' death to divine design for salvation.