Chapter Text
Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
On Cyprus
4So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
6And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
7Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
10And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Paul's Sermon in Antioch of Pisidia
13Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
14But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
20And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21And 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.
22And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
23Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
24When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
26Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
27For 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.
28And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
29And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30But God raised him from the dead:
31And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
42And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
43Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Paul and Barnabas Turn to the Gentiles
46Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
50But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
Summary
The church at Antioch sends Barnabas and Saul on their first missionary journey, accompanied by John Mark. They travel to Cyprus, where they encounter the sorcerer Bar-jesus, whom Paul strikes with temporary blindness. The proconsul Sergius Paulus believes. Sailing to Perga, John Mark departs for Jerusalem. Paul preaches in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus and offering forgiveness of sins through Him.
Meaning
The first missionary journey marks a decisive new phase as the church intentionally sends workers into unreached territory. The Holy Spirit's role in calling and sending missionaries establishes the pattern that all gospel work originates in divine initiative, not human strategy.
Paul's confrontation with the sorcerer and his synagogue sermon reveal two dimensions of apostolic ministry: opposing spiritual darkness and proclaiming saving truth. His message at Antioch of Pisidia presents the gospel as the fulfillment of Israel's entire history, demonstrating that Jesus is the promised Saviour of David's lineage.
Background
Antioch in Syria was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and became the first major center of Gentile Christianity. Cyprus was Barnabas's homeland. Sergius Paulus was the Roman governor of Cyprus; inscriptions bearing his name have been discovered. Antioch of Pisidia was a Roman colony in central Asia Minor. John Mark's departure became a later point of contention between Paul and Barnabas.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-3Commissioning at Antioch
- vv. 4-12Cyprus and the blinding of Elymas
- vv. 13-15Arrival in Pisidian Antioch
- vv. 16-25Paul rehearses Israel's history
- vv. 26-37Christ crucified, risen, foretold
- vv. 38-41Forgiveness, justification, and warning
- vv. 42-49Gentiles receive the word
- vv. 50-52Persecution and joyful departure
Key Verses
“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”— 13:2
The Spirit's commissioning of the first organized Gentile mission, foundational for the church's understanding of missionary calling and the Spirit's active role in sending laborers.
“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:”— 13:38
The climax of Paul's first recorded sermon, declaring the gospel of forgiveness through Christ as the heart of apostolic preaching.
“And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”— 13:39
An early and explicit Pauline statement of justification by faith, anticipating the doctrine he would later expand in Romans and Galatians.
“For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”— 13:47
Paul applies Isaiah 49:6 to the apostolic mission, marking the decisive turn toward the Gentiles and grounding it in prophetic Scripture.
People & Places
People
- Barnabas — Cypriot Levite and leader at Antioch, set apart with Saul for the first missionary journey.
- Simeon called Niger — A prophet and teacher in the Antioch church.
- Lucius of Cyrene — A North African prophet or teacher among the Antioch leadership.
- Manaen — Foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, now numbered among the Antioch prophets.
- Saul (Paul) — The former persecutor, here renamed Paul, commissioned as apostle to the Gentiles.
- John (Mark) — Junior companion of Barnabas and Saul who departs from them at Perga.
- Bar-jesus (Elymas) — A Jewish sorcerer and false prophet on Cyprus, struck blind for opposing the gospel.
- Sergius Paulus — Roman proconsul of Cyprus who believes after witnessing Elymas's judgment.
- Herod the tetrarch — Mentioned as the foster brother of Manaen, ruler of Galilee.
- David — Israel's king, cited as the ancestor of Jesus and a man after God's own heart.
- Saul son of Cis — Israel's first king, of the tribe of Benjamin, given for forty years.
- Samuel — The prophet who marked the end of the period of the judges.
- Jesse — Father of David, named in Paul's recital of Israel's history.
- John the Baptist — Forerunner who preached repentance before Christ's coming.
- Jesus — The promised Saviour of David's seed, crucified, raised, and proclaimed by Paul.
- Pilate — Roman governor whom the Jerusalem rulers petitioned for Jesus' death.
Places
- Antioch (in Syria) — The sending church from which Barnabas and Saul are commissioned.
- Seleucia — Port city of Syrian Antioch from which the missionaries embark.
- Cyprus — Island and Barnabas's homeland, the first missionary destination.
- Salamis — Eastern port of Cyprus where the apostles preach in the synagogues.
- Paphos — Western city of Cyprus and seat of the Roman proconsul.
- Perga in Pamphylia — Mainland Asia Minor port where John Mark turns back to Jerusalem.
- Antioch in Pisidia — Inland city of Asia Minor where Paul delivers his first recorded sermon.
- Egypt — Land of Israel's bondage, recalled in Paul's historical survey.
- Canaan — The promised land where seven nations were destroyed before Israel.
- Jerusalem — City whose rulers fulfilled prophecy by condemning Jesus.
- Galilee — Region from which the witnesses of the risen Christ came.
- Iconium — City to which Paul and Barnabas withdraw after persecution in Pisidian Antioch.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Paul's sermon is a sustained argument from prophetic fulfillment. He cites Psalm 2:7 ('Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee') in verse 33 and Psalm 16:10 ('Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption') in verse 35 as proofs of the resurrection, arguing that David himself saw corruption but Christ did not. He invokes Isaiah 55:3 ('the sure mercies of David') in verse 34 to ground the resurrection in covenant promise, and applies Isaiah 49:6 in verse 47 to justify the turn to the Gentiles. Verse 41 warns the despisers with Habakkuk 1:5.
Devotional
The Spirit speaks while the church is worshiping and fasting — not while it is idle. Significant callings often come to those already faithful in ordinary devotion.
Notice too how Paul rehearses Israel's whole story before naming Jesus. The gospel is not a self-help slogan; it is the climax of a long history of God's patient dealing with His people. When we share our faith, we can trust the larger story to do its work.
And when doors close, as in Pisidian Antioch, the disciples are not crushed but 'filled with joy.' Joy in the Spirit is not the absence of opposition but the presence of God within it.
Literary Style
Historical narrative framing an extended apostolic sermon. The chapter pairs travelogue and miracle account with a formal synagogue homily that employs Old Testament citation, typological argument, and prophetic warning, modeled on the speeches of Stephen and Peter earlier in Acts.