The Meaning of Acts 13:26 Explained

Acts 13:26

KJV: Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

YLT: 'Men, brethren, sons of the race of Abraham, and those among you fearing God, to you was the word of this salvation sent,

Darby: Brethren, sons of Abraham's race, and those who among you fear God, to you has the word of this salvation been sent:

ASV: Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Men  [and] brethren,  children  of the stock  of Abraham,  and  whosoever among  you  feareth  God,  to you  is  the word  of this  salvation  sent. 

What does Acts 13:26 Mean?

Study Notes

salvation
.
The Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία , safety, preservation, healing, and soundness). Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification. Salvation is in three tenses:
(1) The believer has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin Luke 7:50 ; 1 Corinthians 1:18 ; 2 Corinthians 2:15 ; Ephesians 2:5 ; Ephesians 2:8 ; 2 Timothy 1:9 and is safe.
(2) the believer is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin Romans 6:14 ; Philippians 1:19 ; Philippians 2:12 ; Philippians 2:13 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ; Romans 8:2 ; Galatians 2:19 ; Galatians 2:20 ; 2 Corinthians 3:18 .
(3) The believer is to be saved in the sense of entire conformity to Christ. Romans 13:11 ; Hebrews 10:36 ; 1 Peter 1:5 ; 1 John 3:2 . Salvation is by grace through faith, is a free gift, and wholly without works; Romans 3:27 ; Romans 3:28 ; Romans 4:1-8 ; Romans 6:23 ; Ephesians 2:8 . The divine order is: first salvation, then works; Ephesians 2:9 ; Ephesians 2:10 ; Titus 3:5-8 .

Verse Meaning

Before proceeding to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, Paul paused to address his hearers by groups again (cf. Acts 13:16) and to personalize the gospel message to them. He noted that the gospel is for both Jews and Gentiles.

Context Summary

Acts 13:25-37 - Condemned By Men But Raised By God
For Paul the Resurrection was always the keystone of faith. He had taken particular care to assure himself of the reality of that foundation fact. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 he sets forth at length the testimony culminating in his own experience, on which he rested his belief. He had been allowed to see that blessed One and hear the word from His mouth. He quotes Psalms 2:7, Isaiah 55:3, and Psalms 16:10. He makes unexpected use of the first of these quotations, teaching that it was fulfilled in the Resurrection. This sheds new light on death. It is not death but birth; not an ending but a beginning. Our Lord was the first-born from the dead. We say that a saint has died; angels say that he has been born.
Notice that great word about David, Acts 13:36. He served God's counsel, or purpose, in his own generation. That should be the supreme objective of our lives. Not to get on, or to make money, or to please ourselves, but to serve the will of God who sent us forth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 13

1  Paul and Barnabas are chosen to go to the Gentiles
6  Of Sergius Paulus, and Elymas the sorcerer
13  Paul preaches at Antioch that Jesus is Christ
42  The Gentiles believe;
44  but the Jews talked abusively against Paul,
46  whereupon they turn to the Gentiles, of whom many believe
50  The Jews raise a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, who go to Iconium

Greek Commentary for Acts 13:26

To us [ημιν]
Both Jews and Gentiles, both classes in Paul‘s audience, dative of advantage. [source]
Is sent forth [εχαπεσταλη]
Second aorist passive indicative of the double compound verb εχαποστελλω — exapostellō common verb to send out It is a climacteric or culminative aorist tense. It has come to us in one day, this glorious promise. The word of this salvation (ο λογος της σωτηριας ταυτης — ho logos tēs sōtērias tautēs). The message of Jesus as Saviour (Acts 13:23), long ago promised and now come to us as Saviour. [source]
The word of this salvation [ο λογος της σωτηριας ταυτης]
The message of Jesus as Saviour (Acts 13:23), long ago promised and now come to us as Saviour. [source]
To you []
The best texts read to us. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 13:26

John 4:22 That which ye know not [ο ουκ οιδατε]
Cf. Acts 17:23. “You know whom to worship, but you do not know him” (Westcott). The Samaritans rejected the prophets and the Psalms and so cut themselves off from the fuller knowledge of God. We We Jews. Jesus is a Jew as he fully recognizes (Matthew 15:24). That which we know Neuter singular relative as before. The Jews, as the chosen people, had fuller revelations of God (Psalm 147:19.; Romans 9:3-5). But even so the Jews as a whole failed to recognize God in Christ (John 1:11, John 1:26; John 7:28). For salvation is from the Jews “The salvation,” the Messianic salvation which had long been the hope and guiding star of the chosen people (Luke 1:69, Luke 1:71, Luke 1:77; Acts 13:26, Acts 13:47). It was for the whole world (John 3:17), but it comes “out of” (εκ — ek) the Jews. This tremendous fact should never be forgotten, however unworthy the Jews may have proved of their privilege. The Messiah, God‘s Son, was a Jew. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 13:26 mean?

Men brothers sons of [the] family of Abraham and those among you fearing - God to us the message of the salvation this has been sent
Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί υἱοὶ γένους Ἀβραὰμ καὶ οἱ ἐν ὑμῖν φοβούμενοι τὸν Θεόν ἡμῖν λόγος τῆς σωτηρίας ταύτης ἐξαπεστάλη

Ἄνδρες  Men 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
ἀδελφοί  brothers 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀδελφός  
Sense: a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother.
υἱοὶ  sons 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
γένους  of  [the]  family 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: γένος  
Sense: race.
Ἀβραὰμ  of  Abraham 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἀβραάμ  
Sense: the son of Terah and the founder of the Jewish nation.
οἱ  those 
Parse: Article, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
φοβούμενοι  fearing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: φοβέομαι 
Sense: to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away).
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεόν  God 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἡμῖν  to  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
λόγος  message 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
σωτηρίας  salvation 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: σωτηρία  
Sense: deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation.
ταύτης  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
ἐξαπεστάλη  has  been  sent 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐξαποστέλλω  
Sense: to send forth.