Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 13]
"Appointed," as Hackett shows, is better. The Jews here had
voluntarily rejected the word of God. On the other side were
those Gentiles who gladly accepted what the Jews had rejected,
not all the Gentiles. Why these Gentiles here ranged themselves
on God's side as opposed to the Jews Luke does not tell us. This
verse does not solve the vexed problem of divine sovereignty and
human free agency. There is no evidence that Luke had in mind an
_absolutum decretum_ of personal salvation. Paul had shown that
God's plan extended to and included Gentiles. Certainly the
Spirit of God does move upon the human heart to which some
respond, as here, while others push him away. {Believed}
(\episteusan\). Summary or constative first aorist active
indicative of \pisteu•\. The subject of this verb is the relative
clause. By no manner of legerdemain can it be made to mean "those
who believe were appointed." It was saving faith that was
exercised only by those who were appointed unto eternal life, who
were ranged on the side of eternal life, who were thus revealed
as the subjects of God's grace by the stand that they took on
this day for the Lord. It was a great day for the kingdom of God.
13:49 {Was spread abroad} (\diephereto\). Imperfect passive of
\diapher•\, to carry in different directions (\dia\). By the
recent converts as well as by Paul and Barnabas. This would seem
to indicate a stay of some months with active work among the
Gentiles that bore rich fruit. {Throughout all the region} (\di'
hol•s t•s ch•ras\). Antioch in Pisidia as a Roman colony would be
the natural centre of a Roman _Regio_, an important element in
Roman imperial administration. There were probably other
_Regiones_ in South Galatia (Ramsay, _St. Paul the Traveller and
Roman Citizen_, pp. 102-12).
13:50 {Urged on} (\par•trunan\). First aorist (effective) active
of \par-otrun•\, old verb, but here alone in the N.T., to incite,
to stir up. The Jews were apparently not numerous in this city as
they had only one synagogue, but they had influence with people
of prominence, like "the devout women of honourable estate" (\tas
sebomenas gunaikas tas eusch•monas\), the female proselytes of
high station, a late use of an old word used about Joseph of
Arimathea (Mr 15:43). The rabbis went after these Gentile women
who had embraced Judaism (cf. Ac 17:4 in Thessalonica) as Paul
had made an appeal to them. The prominence of women in public
life here at Antioch is quite in accord with what we know of
conditions in the cities of Asia Minor. "Thus women were
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