Acts 13:21
New International Version
Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.

New Living Translation
Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

English Standard Version
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.

Berean Literal Bible
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

King James Bible
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 forty years.

New King James Version
And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

New American Standard Bible
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

NASB 1995
“Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

NASB 1977
“And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Amplified Bible
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Christian Standard Bible
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they asked for a king, so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.

American Standard Version
And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And then they asked for themselves a King, and God gave them Shaul, son of Qish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Contemporary English Version
but the people demanded a king. So for 40 years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And after that they desired a king: and God gave them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, forty years.

English Revised Version
And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Then the people demanded a king, so God gave them Saul, son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. After forty years

Good News Translation
And when they asked for a king, God gave them Saul son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin, to be their king for forty years.

International Standard Version
When they demanded a king, God gave them Kish's son Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.

Literal Standard Version
and thereafter they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul, son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years;

Majority Standard Bible
Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.

New American Bible
Then they asked for a king. God gave them Saul, son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

NET Bible
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.

New Revised Standard Version
Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

New Heart English Bible
Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Webster's Bible Translation
And afterward they desired a king: and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

Weymouth New Testament
Next they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who reigned forty years.

World English Bible
Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Young's Literal Translation
and thereafter they asked for a king, and God did give to them Saul, son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
In Pisidian Antioch
20All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. 22After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’…

Cross References
1 Samuel 8:5
"Look," they said, "you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations."

1 Samuel 9:1
Now there was a Benjamite, a powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.

1 Samuel 9:15
Now on the day before Saul's arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel,

1 Samuel 10:1
Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?

1 Samuel 10:21
Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for him, they could not find him.


Treasury of Scripture

And afterward they desired a king: and God gave to them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

they.

1 Samuel 8:5-22
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations…

1 Samuel 12:12-19
And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king…

Saul.

1 Samuel 10:1,21-26
Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? …

1 Samuel 11:15
And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

1 Samuel 15:1
Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

Cis.

1 Samuel 9:1,2
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power…

1 Samuel 10:21
When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.

Kish.

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Afterward Benjamin Benjamite Desired Family Forty Kish Reigned Request Saul Space Thereafter Tribe
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Afterward Benjamin Benjamite Desired Family Forty Kish Reigned Request Saul Space Thereafter Tribe
Acts 13
1. Paul and Barnabas are chosen to go to the Gentiles.
6. Of Sergius Paulus, and Elymas the sorcerer.
13. Paul preaches at Antioch that Jesus is Christ.
42. The Gentiles believe;
44. but the Jews talked abusively against Paul,
46. whereupon they turn to the Gentiles, of whom many believe.
50. The Jews raise a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, who go to Iconium.














(21) Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin.--It is natural to think of the Apostle as dwelling on the memory of the hero-king of the tribe to which he himself belonged. (Comp. Philippians 3:5.) The very fact that he had so recently renounced the name, would bring the associations connected with it more vividly to his recollection.

Forty years.--The duration of Saul's reign is not given in the Old Testament, but Ish-bosheth, his youngest son (1Chronicles 8:33), was forty years old at the time of Saul's death (2Samuel 2:10), and Saul himself was a "young man" when chosen as king (1Samuel 9:2). A more definite corroboration of St. Paul's statement is given by Josephus (Ant. vi. 14, ? 9), who states that he reigned eighteen years before Samuel's death and twenty-two after it.

Verse 21. - Asked for for desired, A.V.; Kish for Cis, A.V.; for for by, A.V. The forty years assigned to Saul may very probably include the seven years and six months (2 Samuel 5:5) which elapsed before David's kingdom was established over all Israel, while the house of Saul was still in power. The first twenty or thirty years of his reign after the rescue of Jabesh-gilead are passed over in absolute silence. The narrative from 1 Samuel 13. to 31. relates only to about the last ten years of his life (for the correction of the A.V. of 1 Samuel 13:1, see 'Speaker's Commentary').

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Then
κἀκεῖθεν (kakeithen)
Conjunction
Strong's 2547: And thence, and from there; and then afterwards. From kai and ekeithen; likewise from that place.

[the people] asked for
ᾐτήσαντο (ētēsanto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 154: To ask, request, petition, demand. Of uncertain derivation; to ask.

a king,
βασιλέα (basilea)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 935: A king, ruler, but in some passages clearly to be translated: emperor. Probably from basis; a sovereign.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

gave
ἔδωκεν (edōken)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1325: To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give.

them
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

forty
τεσσεράκοντα (tesserakonta)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 5062: Forty. The decade of tessares; forty.

years
ἔτη (etē)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2094: A year. Apparently a primary word; a year.

[under] Saul
Σαοὺλ (Saoul)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4549: Of Hebrew origin; Saul, the Jewish name of Paul.

son
υἱὸν (huion)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5207: A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.

of Kish,
Κίς (Kis)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2797: Kish, the father of Saul. Of Hebrew origin; Cis, an Israelite.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

[the] tribe
φυλῆς (phylēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5443: A tribe or race of people. From phuo; an offshoot, i.e. Race or clan.

of Benjamin.
Βενιαμίν (Beniamin)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 958: Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob, founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Of Hebrew origin; Benjamin, an Israelite.


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NT Apostles: Acts 13:21 Afterward they asked for a king (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 13:20
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