Acts 13:21

Acts 13:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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 International Version (NIV)Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)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.

Context of Acts 13:21

19He destroyed seven nations of people who lived in the land of Canaan. God gave their land to his own people so that they could live there. 20All of these things happened during about 450 years. After this, God gave to his people leaders who were called judges. They ruled Israel until the time when God's prophet Samuel was alive. Then the people of Israel asked Samuel to choose a king for them. So God gave Saul to them as their king. Saul was the son of Kish and he was from the tribe of Benjamin. He ruled Israel for 40 years. 22Then God removed Saul as king. He caused David to be their king instead. God said this about David: “I have watched David, the son of Jesse. He does things that make me happy. I know that he will do everything that I want.” 23God promised to send to the people of Israel someone who would save us. Jesus is the man that God sent to save us. He is a descendant of King David.

Acts 13:21 word by word

κἀκεῖθεν ᾐτήσαντο βασιλέα, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς τὸν Σαοὺλ υἱὸν Κίς, ἄνδρα ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμίν, ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And afterwardκἀκεῖθενkakeithen · and from thereG2547
• they desiredαἰτέωaiteō · to askG154
• a kingβασιλεύςbasileus · kingG935
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• gaveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• unto themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• SaulΣαούλSaoul · SaulG4549
• the sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of CisΚίςKis · KishG2797
• a manἀνήρanēr · manG435
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the tribeφυλήphulē · tribeG5443
• of BenjaminΒενιαμίνBeniamin · BenjaminG958
• by the space of fortyτεσσαράκονταtessarakonta · fortyG5062
• yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094

Cross-references for Acts 13:21

• 1 Samuel 8:5They said to him, ‘You are old. Your sons do not live in the way that you have done. All the other nations have kings to lead them. So choose a king to rule over us, like they have.’
• 1 Samuel 12:12But then you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, was coming to attack you. So you said to me, “Now we want a king to rule over us.” You forgot that the Lord your God is your king.
• 1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took a jar of oil and he poured the oil on Saul's head. He kissed Saul. He said: ‘The Lord has anointed you as the leader of his people. You will rule over them and you will rescue them from the power of their enemies. This is how you will know that the Lord has chosen you to be the leader of the Israelite people:
• 1 Samuel 11:15So everyone went to Gilgal. They went to the place where they worshipped the Lord. They all agreed that Saul would be their king. They offered peace offerings to the Lord. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.
• 1 Samuel 15:1Samuel said to Saul, ‘The Lord sent me to anoint you as king to rule his people, the Israelites. So now listen to this message from the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 9:1Kish was an important man from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel. Abiel was the son of Zeror. Zeror was the son of Becorath. Becorath was the son of Aphiah. Aphiah was a descendant of Benjamin.
• 1 Samuel 10:21Then each family from Benjamin's tribe went forward. God chose the family of Matri. Then God chose Kish's son Saul from the family of Matri. They looked for Saul but nobody could find him.

Commentaries on Acts 13:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Saul the son of Cis - In all proper names quoted from the Old Testament, we should undoubtedly follow, as nearly as possible, the same orthography: קיש Kish, was the name of this king's father, and so we spell it in the Old Testament, and yet have transformed it into Cis in the New, where the orthography is almost entirely lost. The space of forty years - Reckoning from the time of his anointing by Samuel to the time of his death, from a.m. 2909 to 2949.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21And afterward they desired a king - See 1 Samuel 8:5; Hosea 13:10. It was predicted that they would have a king, Deuteronomy 17:14-15. Saul, the son of Cis - is the Greek mode of writing the Hebrew name Kish. In the Old Testament it is uniformly written as “Kish,” and it is to be regretted that this has not been retained in the New Testament. See 1 Samuel 9:1. By the space of forty years - During forty years. The Old Testament has not mentioned the time…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-31Verses 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-22To establish common ground with his audience, Paul traced Jewish history starting from the Israelite exodus from Egypt. He emphasized: the Israelites' escape from Egyptian slavery, their settlement in Canaan, the establishment of the kingdom of Israel, the removal of King Saul, and the special role of King David.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2218-22. forty years suffered he their manners--rather, according to what appears the true reading, "cherished he them" (as a nurse the infant in her bosom).Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 13:21

• Antioch
• Kish
• Law
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Preaching
• Synagogue
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Benjamin
• God
• Saul
• Benjamin, Benjaminite
• Paul, Saul
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Kish
• Light
• Lo
• Ordain

Commentaries on Acts 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings