Acts 13:27

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.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(27) For they that dwell at Jerusalem.—The implied reason of the mission to the Gentiles and more distant Jews is that the offer of salvation had been rejected by those who would naturally have been its first recipients, and who, had they received it, would have been, in their turn, witnesses to those that were “far off,” in both the local and spiritual sense of those words.

The voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day.—See Note on Acts 13:15. The Apostle appeals to the synagogue ritual from which the discourse started, as in itself bearing witness, not to the popular notions of a conquering Messiah, but to the true ideal of the chief of sufferers, which had been realised in Jesus.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:14-31 When we come together to worship God, we must do it, not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God. The bare reading of the Scriptures in public assemblies is not enough; they should be expounded, and the people exhorted out of them. This is helping people in doing that which is necessary to make the word profitable, to apply it to themselves. Every thing is touched upon in this sermon, which might best prevail with Jews to receive and embrace Christ as the promised Messiah. And every view, however short or faint, of the Lord's dealings with his church, reminds us of his mercy and long-suffering, and of man's ingratitude and perverseness. Paul passes from David to the Son of David, and shows that this Jesus is his promised Seed; a Saviour to do that for them, which the judges of old could not do, to save them from their sins, their worst enemies. When the apostles preached Christ as the Saviour, they were so far from concealing his death, that they always preached Christ crucified. Our complete separation from sin, is represented by our being buried with Christ. But he rose again from the dead, and saw no corruption: this was the great truth to be preached.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Because they knew him not - The statement in this verse is designed, not to reproach the Jews at Jerusalem, but to introduce the fact that Jesus had died, and had risen again. With great wisdom and tenderness, Paul speaks of the murderers of the Saviour in such a manner as not to exasperate, but, as far as possible, to mitigate their crime. There was sufficient guilt in the murder of the Son of God to fill the nation with alarm, even after all that could be said to mitigate the deed. See Acts 2:23, Acts 2:36-37. When Paul says, "They knew him not," he means that they did not know him to be the Messiah (see 1 Corinthians 2:8); they were ignorant of the true meaning of the prophecies of the Old Testament; they regarded him as an impostor. See the notes on Acts 3:17.

Nor yet the voices of the prophets - The meaning of the predictions of the Old Testament respecting the Messiah. They expected a prince and a conqueror, but did not expect a Messiah that was poor and despised; that was a man of sorrows and that was to die on a cross.

Which are read every sabbath-day - In the synagogues. Though the Scriptures were read so constantly, yet they were ignorant of their true meaning. They were blinded by pride, and prejudice, and preconceived opinions. People may often in this way read the Bible a good part of their lives and never understand it.

They have fulfilled them ... - By putting him to death they have accomplished what was foretold.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

27. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, &c.—The apostle here speaks as if the more immediate guilt of Christ's death lay with the rulers and people of the metropolis, to which he fondly hoped that those residing at such a distance as Antioch would not set their seal.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

They; the common people, and their rulers; great council, both had a hand in our Saviour’s death. But if so great a fault was capable of any alleviation, the apostle gladly mentions it. that it was done out of ignorance; they knew neither Christ the Word, nor the word (of the Gospel) concerning Christ, though, that they may be made sensible that this their ignorance was not invincible, he minds them that it was their sin, having had means whereby they might have come unto the knowledge of Christ.

Fulfilled them: see Acts 4:28 Luke 24:25,26.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For they that dwelt at Jerusalem, and their rulers,.... The inhabitants of that city, and the great sanhedrim which sat there: because they knew him not; that is, either Jesus the Saviour, whom God had raised of the seed of David, and to whom John bore witness; and which must be understood, not of all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and members of the sanhedrim; for though some were ignorant, yet there were others that knew that Jesus was the Messiah, and notwithstanding rejected him; but the apostle chooses to take no notice of these, because he would not irritate and provoke, but rather of others, that were really ignorant of Christ: or else this may be understood of the Gospel, the word of salvation, that the Jews knew not "that"; and so the Syriac version renders it; and to which agrees the Ethiopic version, which reads thus, "they knew not this word of the prophets", joining the word of salvation, and what follows, together:

nor yet the voices of the prophets: "or the writings of the prophets", as the Syriac version, and some copies read; their prophecies concerning the Messiah, particularly in Psalm 22:1 which are read every sabbath day; See Gill on Acts 13:15.

they have fulfilled them; the word, of the prophets:

in condemning him; Jesus Christ, for these prophets testified, in the places referred to, of the sufferings and death of Christ, to which he was condemned by them.

Geneva Study Bible

{11} 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.

(11) All things came to pass to Christ, which the Prophets foretold concerning the Messiah: so that by this also it appears that he is the true and only saviour: and yet nonetheless they are not to be excused who did not only not receive him, but also persecuted him most cruelly, even though he was innocent.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 13:27. Γάρ] Chrysostom leads to the correct interpretation: δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν ἀποσχισθῆναι τῶν τὸν φόνον τετολμηκότων. In accordance with the contrast: ὑμῖν and οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Ἱερουσ., the logical sequence is: “To you was the doctrine of salvation sent; for in Jerusalem the Saviour has been rejected;” therefore the preaching must be brought to those outside in the διασπορά, such as you are. It does not conflict with this view, that at all events the preaching would come to them as Jews (objection of de Wette); since the fundamental idea rather is, that, because Jerusalem has despised Christ, now in place of the inhabitants of Jerusalem the outside Jews primarily are destined for the reception of salvation. They are to step into the place of those as regards this reception of salvation; and the announcement of salvation, which was sent to them, was withdrawn from those and their rulers, the members of the Sanhedrim, on account of the rejection of the Saviour. Thus there is in γάρ the idea of divine retribution, exercised against the seat of the theocracy, and resulting in good to those outside at a distance (comp. τοῖς εἰς μακράν, Acts 2:39); the idea of a Nemesis, by which those afar off are preferred to the nearest children of the kingdom. Comp. Matthew 21:43. Most of the older commentators are silent on γάρ here. According to Erasmus, it is admonitory, according to Calvin, exhortatory to yet greater compliance; but in this case the special point must first be read between the lines. Contrary to the contrast of ὑμῖν and οἱ κατοικ. Ἱερουσ., γάρ, according to de Wette, is designed to introduce the exposition of the idea of σωτηρία; according to Baumgarten, to convey the hint that the informal (?) way, outwardly considered, in which the λόγος had reached Antioch, had its reason in the fact that the centre of the theocracy had resisted Jesus.

τοῦτον ἀγνοήσαντες κ.τ.λ.] not having known Him (i.e. Jesus, as the self-evident subject), they have also (καί, the also of the corresponding relation) fulfilled by their sentence (by the condemnation of Jesus) the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day. This fulfilment they effected involuntarily in their folly. But the prophecies had to be fulfilled, Luke 24:35 f.; 1 Corinthians 15:3.

ἀγνοήσαντες] a mild judgment, entirely in the spirit of Jesus (Luke 23:34). Comp. on Acts 3:17; see also 1 Corinthians 2:8. Therefore not too lenient for Paul (Schneckenburger). Luther, Calvin, Grotius, Rosenmüller, Kuinoel, Hackett, and others refer ἀγνοήσ. not only to τοῦτον, but also to καὶ τὰς φ. τ. προφ.: “qui hunc non norant, nec prophetarum oracula … intelligebant, eo condemnando effecerunt, ut haec eventu comprobarentur.” Unnecessarily harsh, as κρίναντες and ἐπλήρ. require different supplements.

τὰς κ. π. σάββ. ἀναγινωσκ.] a mournful addition; what infatuation!

κρίναντες] judging, namely, Jesus. Following Homberg, others have referred it to the φωνὰς τ. πρ.: “and although judging, correctly valuing the voices of the prophets, they nevertheless fulfilled them.” Incorrect, because at variance with history, and because the resolution of the participle by although is not suggested by the context, but rather (τοῦτον ἀγνοήσαντες) forbidden.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 13:27. Both A. and R.V. take ἀγνοήσαντες as governing τοῦτον and τὰς φωνάς. But καί may be not copulative but intensive—not only did they not recognise the Christ, but even condemned Him to death; so Rendall. Meyer rendered καί = “also,” and makes τὰς φωνάς the direct object of ἐπλήρ. Wendt renders as A. and R.V., see critical notes.—ἀγνοήσαντες, cf. Acts 3:14, it is very doubtful how far we can see in the expression an excuse in the former passage, and guiltiness here. Paul speaks of himself as acting ἀγνοῶν and yet obtaining mercy, 1 Timothy 1:13, cf. also for the use of the word by Paul Acts 17:23, and frequently in his Epistles.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not] Cp. the very similar language of St Peter at the Temple gate (Acts 3:17), “I wot that through ignorance ye did it as did also your rulers.”

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 13:27-28. Καὶ τὰς—καὶ μηδεμίαν) Καὶ, καὶ, as well, as also: φωνὰς depends on ἐπλήρωσαν, not on ἀγνοήσαντες.—τὰς φωνὰς, the voices) clear, harmonious, numerous.—ἀναγινωσκομένας, which are read) The hearers are hereby admonished. With this comp. Acts 13:15, “If ye have any word of exhortation.”—κρίναντες) in having condemned Him in judgment.—ἐπλήρωσαν) The compound follows, ἐκπεπλήρωκε Acts 13:33 (32 in Bengal’s text), with Epitasis (the emphatic addition of the ἐκ).

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 27. - In for at, A.V.; nor for nor yet, A.V.; sabbath for sabbath day, A.V.; fulfilled... by for they have fulfilled... in, A.V. For they, etc. It is not clear what is the force of the γὰρ in this verse. Meyer (following Chrysostom), Alford, and others, make it mark the contrast between the Jews addressed by Paul and the Jews at Jerusalem. "This salvation is sent forth to you [according to Bengel, 'from Jerusalem,' according to others, 'from God'], for the Jerusalem Jews have rejected Christ. And in consequence of their rejection, you, who had no share in crucifying the Lord of glory, are invited to take their place. But it maybe taken as expressing the cause why this salvation is complete and capable of being offered to them. This salvation is preached to you because, through the instrumentality of those that dwell at Jerusalem, all that was written in the Scriptures concerning Christ has been fulfilled. Christ has been crucified and raised from the dead, and so now remission of sins is proclaimed to you through him (vers. 38, 39; comp. Acts 3:13-20). Which are read every sabbath. Note the value of the constant reading of Holy Scripture in the congregation. Acts 13:27