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

19After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave his people their land as an inheritance. 20All this took about four hundred fifty years. After this he gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 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. 22After removing him, God raised up David their king. He testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, who will accomplish everything I want him to do.’ 23From the descendants of this man God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he promised.

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, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead us, just like all the other nations have.”
• 1 Samuel 12:12“When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king will rule over us’ – even though the Lord your God is your king!
• 1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head. Samuel kissed him and said, “The Lord has chosen you to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the Lord’s people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the Lord has chosen you as leader over his inheritance.
• 1 Samuel 11:15So all the people went to Gilgal, where they established Saul as king in the Lord’s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the Lord’s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.
• 1 Samuel 15:1Then Samuel said to Saul, “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord says.
• 1 Samuel 9:1There was a Benjaminite man named Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He was a prominent person.
• 1 Samuel 10:21Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. At last Saul son of Kish was chosen by lot. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.

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