The Pentecostal Commentary: Acts 13-28

By Billy Prewitt

• The distinctive Pentecostal pneumatology is sustained
• Key doctrines are identified and expounded
• Important cross references within Scripture are noted
• Historical connections in Church history are mentioned
• Erroneous teachings are scrutinized
• Comments are based on the King James Version
• The KJV text is printed in the body of the commentary

With a modern style of readability, this commentary series is appropriate for anyone seeking to grow and understand the truths of Scripture and is especially helpful to pastors as well as college and seminary students.

Author’s Foreward
As a Pentecostal student attending a Pentecostal Bible college, I went to the college bookstore to purchase my textbooks without knowing that the commentaries on my book list were written by non-Pentecostals. Even though my classes required commentaries from various publishers, none of the publishers were Pentecostal. I often wondered why a Pentecostal Bible school would use non-Pentecostal commentaries for class. What I did not know at the time was that there really was no such thing as a Pentecostal commentary written for and by Pentecostals. Since then, there have been a few Pentecostals who have written on individual books, but there are significant portions of even the New Testament that have had little or no Pentecostal voice. As a result, serious Pentecostal students have no other choice but to learn at the feet of non-Pentecostals.

I am not opposed to non-Pentecostal commentaries. Indeed, I have gained considerable insights from reading such, but there are two points of theology that I must consciously filter out every time I read them. The most important concern to a Pentecostal is that the pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit) presented by non-Pentecostals is very different than that of a Pentecostal. The second point is the emphasis on Calvinistic doctrines especially eternal security with which most Pentecostals do not agree. In addition, there are other theological differences and substantially different hermeneutical principals that can dramatically alter the interpretation of texts in non-Pentecostal ways.

In my studies, I have always desired to have a commentary that was thoroughly Pentecostal, but I never imagined that I would write one. From one Pentecostal to another, I hope you will find this series to be a breath of fresh Spirit anointed air.

Series Preface
While it is hoped that Bible students from other theological traditions will study and benefit from its contents, it is first and foremost Pentecostal. As such, this commentary does not include surveys of other viewpoints unless such inclusion is necessary for clarity of argument. In addition, with all due respect to our Charismatic brethren, it may be said that this series is not meant to be inclusive of Charismatic interpretations related to pneumatology.

The Pentecostal Commentary series intentionally excludes views of Scripture that do not hold to its inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility, and also excludes modern liberal arguments of authorship, date, purpose, and so on. Traditional viewpoints on these subjects will be discussed without confusing the issue. In addition, 19th century criticism methods and concerns over source documents will not often be discussed. In other words, this series assumes that the Biblical text is as God wants it to be and that it was written by the person and at the time traditionally ascribed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Billy Prewitt
• Release date: Aug 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215440360

Billy Prewitt

Billy M. Prewitt holds a PhD in Biblical Studies, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership, a Master of Arts in Theology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Music. His most recent accomplishments include authoring three Pentecostal Commentaries: Matthew, Galatians, and Acts 1-12. Additionally, along with his professional teaching experience in both the private and public sectors, he has served in the Church as a youth pastor, associate pastor, and currently serves as the pastor of Family Fellowship Church in Lake City, Florida.

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Acts 13

Barnabas and Saul Called (13:1-3)

13:1 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.

13:2 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.

13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

13:1 As was seen in Acts 11:19-21, there had been a church established in Antioch since about the time of the persecution that followed the death of Stephen. We are told here that there were both prophets and teachers in that church, and a list is given to confirm their identities. We are not told which were prophets and which were teachers, but there need be no such classification because it is obvious throughout the New Testament that a man can be used of the Spirit in both offices.

The first and last names in the list, Barnabas and Saul, are the only names given that bear familiarity with us. Simeon who was called Niger was a Jew. Other than what is written in this text, we have no information about him. The word Niger means black, but we have not the slightest clue as to why he went by this name. Some commentators have suggested that he was an African proselyte, but McClintock and Strong argue,

The name was a common one among the Romans; and the conjecture that he was an African proselyte, and was called Niger on account of his complexion, is unnecessary as well as destitute otherwise of any support. His name, Symeon, shows that he was a Jew by birth.¹

Lucius of Cyrene very well may have been a kinsman of Paul (see Romans 16:21). The fact that he was from Cyrene likely indicates that he was Jewish. Cyrene was a Greek city on the northern coast of Africa with a large Jewish population.² There can be no doubt of the accuracy of this because it is corroborated by the New Testament. Simon, who carried the cross of Jesus was from there (Matthew 27:32). Jews from Cyrene were also present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10) and also had something to do with the synagogue in Jerusalem mentioned in Acts 6:9. The fact that Lucius was from Cyrene very likely indicates that he was among those who had first brought the Gospel to Antioch (Acts 11:20).

Manaen is the Greek form of a Hebrew name indicating that he was a Jew.³ He was brought up with Herod the tetrarch. This refers to Herod Antipas who beheaded John the Baptist. Commentators suggest that Manaen’s mother was probably Herod’s nurse.⁴ How differently did these two foster brothers turn out.⁵ How this man became a Christian is uncertain, but it is clear from Luke 8:3 that even the household of Herod was significantly influenced by Jesus.

It was argued in the commentary on Acts 11:20 that the Grecians were Hellenistic Jews. It adds weight to this argument to notice that all of the men listed here were Jews.

13:2a These men ministered to the Lord. This phrase included prayer, preaching, and any other duty related to their offices of prophets and teachers.⁶ They were fasting as they carried out these duties for what would appear to have been an agreed upon season as they were all involved. I. Howard Marshall argues that it is likely that the whole church in Antioch participated in this fast and that the events of this verse took place during an assembly of the whole.⁷

In this environment of unified consecration, the Holy Ghost spoke. It is reasonable to understand that He did so through one of the prophets listed in verse one rather than through an audible voice from Heaven; however, some commentators have left that possibility open. If He spoke through a prophet, it is still perfectly acceptable to understand the message as being directly from the Holy Ghost. In Acts 21:11, Agabus introduced his words by saying, Thus saith the Holy Ghost. There have been numerous occasions in which God has spoken through an audible voice even in modern times; however, He most often chooses to speak through the agency of men.

13:2b The content of the message was clear. Barnabas and Saul were to be separated for the work. John Wesley observes that This was not ordaining them. St. Paul was ordained long before, and that not of men, neither by man.⁸ Paul’s ordination had happened at his conversion in Acts 9. We are not told how Barnabas received his calling for this service.

The work that Saul was to do had been defined in his experience with Ananias in Acts 9:15 and confirmed directly by Jesus while he was in a trance in the Temple (see Acts 22:17, 21, and comments on Acts 9:30). He was told that he would be sent to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21), but until this point, he had been waiting for that word.

13:3 They either continued fasting or started a new fast. Either way, they had an extra time of fasting and prayer directly related to this purpose. At the end of that time, they laid hands on them. The apostles in Jerusalem had laid hands on the Seven in Acts 6:6. It was a significant event and not simply a customary expression. It did not express the calling of Barnabas and Saul because that was done by the Holy Ghost, but it did express the support and endorsement of the Church. Later in the New Testament, we learn that this endorsement was not to be given lightly (1 Timothy 5:22). We also learn later that the Church considered the laying on of hands an important doctrine (Hebrews 6:2). This is a doctrine that is very rapidly losing its place in modern worship.

First Missionary Journey: Cyprus (13:4-12)

13:4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

13:5 And 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.

13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:

13:7 Which 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.

13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

13:10 And 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?

13:11 And 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.

13:12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

13:4 Other than the fact that the Holy Ghost was leading, we do not know how they knew where to go. More on this will be discussed in the commentary on Acts 16:6-7.

Seleucia was the seaport of Antioch. Sailing from there, they came to Cyprus, the home country of Barnabas (Acts 4:36).

13:5 The fact that there was more than one synagogue indicates that Salamis had a thriving Jewish community. No indication is given that they preached to any Gentiles in this location. The city is located on the east side of Cyprus.⁹

John, known to us as Mark, was the writer of the second Gospel. He was introduced in Acts 12:12 and shortly after accompanied Barnabas and Saul as they went back to Antioch (Acts 12:25). Now, we learn that he had also ventured to go with them on their missionary travels. The fact that he was a nephew of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) is an important detail in the events related to him.

13:6 Paphos was located on the west end of Cyprus.¹⁰ The team had traveled through the island to get there. In Paphos, they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet. Spirit-filled people often find themselves confronted by the most outlandish people imaginable. We should expect it. They serve in the kingdom of Satan to prevent the advancement of the Gospel. The name Barjesus simply means that his father was named Jesus, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua. It was a common name.

Even though sorcery was forbidden by the Law (Deuteronomy 18:9-14), there were numerous Jewish magicians throughout the Roman Empire at that time, and they had significant influence upon even the Roman Caesars.¹¹ This is exactly what this man was attempting to do in Paphos with the deputy.

Fausset observes, As belief in religion declined under the Roman empire, belief in eastern magic increased.¹² Even though the circumstances are very different, the same can easily be observed in our day.

13:7 This false prophet positioned himself to affect the government. This is another easily recognizable pattern of the enemy.

Sergius Paulus is described as prudent meaning that he was wise in worldly matters and intelligent. His readiness to call for Barnabas and Saul had to do with the culture in which he lived. Their liberal views led them to be willing to obtain knowledge from any source.¹³ This, however, is a very dangerous way to live. It is not to be assimilated by Christians (Colossians 2:8).

13:8 Luke chose to interpret the name Elymas as sorcerer. We are not told exactly what he did to withstand Barnabas and Saul, but from the context, it seems that he disrupted their presentation of the Gospel in some way. Based on verse 10, it would seem that he tried to do so with disguised deceit.

13:9a Contrary to what is often said, Saul’s name was never changed. He simply had a second name like so many other men in the New Testament. McClintock and Strong observe,

It was exceedingly common for Jews to bear, besides their own Jewish name, another borrowed from the country with which they had become connected. Thus we have Simeon also named Niger, Barnabas also named Justus, John also named Marcus. There is no reason therefore why Saul should not have borne from infancy the other name of Paul.¹⁴

From this point forward in the New Testament, Saul would be called Paul even in his relations with other Jews. The singular exception was in his own retelling of his conversion testimony (see Acts 22:7, 13, and 26:14).

13:9b There can be no question based on the context that Paul became angry at this false teacher, but he did so in the context of being filled with the Holy Ghost. At this point, his entire attention was taken away from Sergius Paulus and was focused on Barjesus. Holy anger is not a sin. Even Jesus became angry in this way (Mark 3:5). Would to God that more of His servants would become angry in the right circumstances!

13:10 It is often said that we must love the sinner and hate the sin, but there are times when the sinner himself should become the direct object of spiritual aggression. Let us not be confused about this. There are times to show the most despised of men the love of Christ, but when a man interferes with the proclamation of the Gospel, it is another story.

Paul stopped his discourse to deal with the problem directly. How many times are we tempted to simply let things go? When the devil through the means of one of his servants is parading around in some way or another, we must stop whatever we are doing and deal with him directly. The strongman must be bound first (Mark 3:27).

Subtilty was the weapon of choice for the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). The cunning trickery of this sorcerer would have been effective on some men, but Paul, by the Holy Ghost, saw straight through it. It is very important to notice that neither Paul nor Barnabas attempted to debate with this man. There are times for that, but this was not one of those times. This man had to be confronted immediately and sharply (Titus 1:13). Once engaged, Paul set out to thoroughly identify the root of the situation so that everyone could see.

As a child of the devil, Barjesus operated in deceit. When someone is found to be deliberately deceitful, they are speaking their father’s language (John 8:44). As a result, he was the enemy of righteousness. No man can oppose the purposes of God without coming into league with the devil.

The last clause is a question, but like many of the questions asked in spiritual confrontations, it was not meant to be answered (see Acts 5:3-4). As such, it was more of an accusation than a question. Barjesus had perverted the right ways. This is similar to what the modern cults do.

13:11 Paul announced, The hand of the Lord is upon thee." This was a pronouncement of divine judgment. Then, Paul prophesied that Barjesus would become temporarily blind. His blindness would not be partial but absolute.

No sooner had Paul uttered these words than the fulfillment came to pass. Immediately Barjesus began to lose his sight. Luke uses a medical term achlus (G887) which is translated as mist, but Luke’s medical description in no way discounts the miraculous nature of the incident. Before anything else could be said or done, Barjesus was totally blind. Not even Albert Barnes, who often explains away miracles, tries to attribute this event to natural causes. This was not the first time that blindness was used by God to incapacitate enemies (see Genesis 19:11 and 2 Kings 6:18).

Commentators have generally assumed that the temporary nature of the blindness was God’s mercy in trying to lead this man to repentance.¹⁵ That may have been so, but we are not told.

13:12 As a direct result of witnessing the miracle, the deputy believed. He was amazed at the doctrine of the Lord. This was no passive doctrine. It was doctrine with power.

Sergius Paulus became the first convert (at least in the text) to the Christian faith of this missionary journey, and it shows us that the Gospel is not limited to class on any level.

First Missionary Journey:

Arrival in Antioch (13:13-15)

13:13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

13:15 And 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.

13:13 Perga was near the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. We are not told that Paul preached there at this time, but he did so later (Acts 14:25). Pamphylia was the name of the province. Men from Pamphylia had been present on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10).  

John (Mark), departed the company to go back to Jerusalem. We are not told why he did so, but the decision displeased Paul (see Acts 15:38) so much that many years would pass before the breach was healed (see Colossians 4:10, Philemon 24, and 2 Timothy 4:11).

13:14 This Antioch must not be confused with the Antioch which was in Syria. Paul and Barnabas had left Antioch of Syria in verse three and were now in Antioch of Pisidia in modern Turkey.

There is an interesting discussion concerning the identification of Antioch as a city of Pisidia. According to William Smith,

Pisidia was a district in Asia Minor north of Pamphylia, and reached to and was partly included in Phrygia. Thus Antioch in Pisidia was sometimes called a Phrygian town.¹⁶

According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, during Paul’s time, Antioch was also considered a city of Galatia.¹⁷ It is the opinion of this commentary that the church at Antioch as well as all of the other churches formed during this phase of Paul’s first missionary journey were the original recipients of his epistle to the Galatians. For more on this, see the introduction to The Pentecostal Commentary: Galatians.

Assuming that Antioch could properly be called either Pisidian, Phrygian, or even Galatian depending on the context, it could very well have been possible that Jews from this location were in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:10. Certainly, Paul and Barnabas found a significant community of Jews in this city, so it is not difficult to imagine.

For the second time in the early part of Paul’s ministry (see verse 5), we see him attend the synagogue for the purpose of preaching to the Jews first. This was his pattern that seemed to deviate only when no synagogue was available. He later expressed this deliberate method in Romans 1:16.

13:15 It was a common practice for synagogue services to include a reading from the Law and another from the Prophets (see Luke 4:16-19). It was also common for this to be followed by some form of exhortation. Commentators are quite hesitant to claim that inviting strangers to speak was customary; however, the opportunity afforded Jesus and Paul to speak in the synagogues very strongly suggests that there was generally an open door (see Matthew 4:23, 9:35, Mark 1:39, Luke 4:44, Acts 9:20, 13:5, 14:1,  17:1-2, 17:10-11, 17:17, 18:4, 18:19, 18:26 [Apollos], and 19:8). Some of those occasions allowed for extended times of preaching lasting weeks and even months (Acts 17:2 and 19:8). It may not have been necessary, as some suppose, for Paul to acquaint himself with the rulers prior to the service.

Paul’s Sermon in Antioch: Israel’s History (13:16-22)

13:16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

13:17 The 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.

13:18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

13:19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

13:20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

13:21 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.

13:22 And 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.

13:16 Knowing that he would likely have opportunity to speak, Paul was ready. He began his speech with the customary beckoning of the hand (Acts 12:17) and addressed two distinct elements of his audience. The men of Israel were obviously Jews. Those that feared God were Gentiles who had forsaken their heathen practices in order to serve the God of the Jews but had not submitted themselves to circumcision. Cornelius serves as an example of such a man (Acts 10:2).

13:17 It is very interesting that the first sermon we have from Paul is very similar to the speech Stephen gave before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7). Like Stephen, Paul briefly traces the history of Israel (see Excursus: Stephen’s Summary of Israel’s History in The Pentecostal Commentary: Acts 1-12). Paul begins his sermon with a summary statement of Israel’s election which is recorded in the Genesis accounts of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs then condenses Exodus 1-14.

13:18 All of the events of Numbers and Deuteronomy are comprehended in this one statement.

13:19 This is a summary of Joshua. For the seven nations, see Joshua 3:10.

13:20 This is a summary of Judges to the beginning of 1 Samuel. Paul’s phrase about the space of four hundred and fifty years, has baffled commentators (see comments on Galatians 3:17). There is no easy answer to this, but we can be certain that the answer many commentators choose is the wrong one because they attempt to move the clause to the previous verse and apply it to the Egyptian captivity instead of to the Judges. One of the reasons they opt for this view is because they simply cannot reconcile 450 years with the period of the Judges, but this is because many of them assume that the Exodus happened under Rameses II in 1250 BC. This would make the period of the Judges only about 200 years, but what if that period was longer? For the great majority of modern scholars, there is no question about the late date (i.e. 1250 BC) of the Exodus even though it unashamedly contradicts Scripture. 1 Kings 6:1 states,

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 over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

Using a date of 967 as the beginning of Solomon’s 4th year as king,¹⁸ the Exodus would have taken place in 1446 BC. The 480th year was not expired. 1446 (the date of the Exodus) – 479 (the number of expired years) = 967 (the 4th year of Solomon’s reign). Any view that places the Exodus as  happening during the reign of Ramases II in the 13th Century BC is wrong because it blatantly disagrees with inspired Scripture. 1446 BC agrees with the inspired text.

As can be seen, this makes the period of the Judges much longer than most scholars are willing to allow. Our text says that the 450 years were until Samuel. Could this have meant his death rather than his birth? He was the last of the line of Judges and should probably be considered as one of them. Samuel died late in the reign of Saul. For estimation purposes it will be assumed that he died around 1020 BC. 1020 + 450 = 1470 BC. The period of the Judges, by our understanding, properly began after the death of Joshua, but it is easily conceivable that both he and Moses could be considered Judges as well (Exodus 2:14 and 18:13). The text certainly means to include Joshua’s later years at the very least because it was not his death but the division of the land that was the subject of verse 19. Moses was alive in 1470 BC, and there is a good possibility that Joshua had already been born by that time as well. Also, we must remember that Paul clearly indicated that his number was an estimate. He never meant to provide a number for the use of arguing against Old Testament chronology.

As an interesting point, Paul’s number, even though an estimate, validates the 480 years that are mentioned in 1 Kings 6:1 against all the criticism it has received. Perhaps, it was this very number from which Paul quickly derived his estimate.

13:21 1 Samuel 8-31 describes the events of Saul’s reign. The Old Testament does not tell us how long Saul ruled Israel. We only learn this here.

13:22 The Lord removed Saul