God’s Word Translation
Acts 13:20
20He did all this in about four hundred and fifty years. “After that he gave his people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel.
Acts 13:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
- New International Version (NIV)All this took about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
- English Standard Version (ESV)All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
Context of Acts 13:20
18and he put up with them for about forty years in the desert. 19Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as an inheritance. He did all this in about four hundred and fifty years. “After that he gave his people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. 21“Then the people demanded a king, so God gave them Saul, son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. After forty years 22God removed Saul and made David their king. God spoke favorably about David. He said, ‘I have found that David, son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’
Read all of Acts 13Acts 13:20 word by word
ὡς ἔτεσιν τετρακοσίοις καὶ πεντήκοντα· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἔδωκεν κριτὰς ἕως Σαμουὴλ τοῦ προφήτου·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- afterμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
- thatοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- he gaveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
- judgesκριτήςkritēs · judgeG2923
- about the space ofὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- four hundredτετρακόσιοιtetrakosioi tetrakosia · four hundredG5071
- fiftyπεντήκονταpentēkonta · fiftyG4004
- yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094
- untilἕωςheōs · untilG2193
- SamuelΣαμουήλSamouēl · SamuelG4545
- the prophetὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the prophetπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
Cross-references for Acts 13:20
- Judges 2:16Then the Lord would send judges to rescue them from those who robbed them.
- Judges 3:10When the Lord’s Spirit came over him, he became the judge of Israel. He went out to war. The Lord handed King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim over to him, and Othniel overpowered him.
- Ruth 1:1In the days when the judges were ruling, there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah went with his wife and two sons to live for a while in the country of Moab.
- 1 Samuel 12:11“Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel and rescued you from your enemies on every side so that you could live securely.
- 2 Samuel 7:11ever since I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. So I will give you peace with all your enemies. I, the Lord, tell you that I will make a house for you.
- 2 Kings 23:22The Passover had never been celebrated like this during the time of the judges who governed Israel or during the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah.
- 1 Chronicles 17:6In all the places I’ve moved with all Israel, did I ever ask any of the judges of Israel whom I ordered to be shepherds of my people why they didn’t build me a house of cedar?’
- 1 Samuel 3:20All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew Samuel was the Lord’s appointed prophet.
Commentaries on Acts 13:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years - This is a most difficult passage, and has been termed by Scaliger, Crux Chronologorum. The apostle seems here to contradict the account in 1 Kings 6:1; : And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, he began to build the house of the Lord. Sir Norton…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20He gave unto them judges - Men who were raised up in an extraordinary manner to administer the affairs of the nation, to defend it from enemies, etc. See Judges 2:16. About the space of four hundred and fifty years - This is a most difficult passage, and has exercised all the ingenuity of chronologists. The ancient versions agree with the present Greek text. The difficulty has been to reconcile it with what is said in 1 Kings 6:1, “And it came to pass in…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 13:20
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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