The Meaning of Acts 13:21 Explained

Acts 13:21

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.

YLT: and thereafter they asked for a king, and God did give to them Saul, son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years;

Darby: And then they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul, son of Kis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, during forty years.

ASV: And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Acts 13:21 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 13:13-24 - The Savior According To Promise
It was very natural that the missionary party should sail for Cyprus, partly because it was the first and nearest outpost of the great heathen world that lay to the west, and partly because Barnabas was a native of the island and had owned land there, which he had sold for the benefit of his poorer brethren in the church, Acts 4:36.
In visiting a new city, it was the custom of the Apostles to go first to the Jewish synagogue, where such was to be found. "To the Jew first, and also to the Gentile," was the divine order, Romans 2:10. The journey from Cyprus to the mainland was easily made; but the journey up to this inland city of Antioch was very perilous, 2 Corinthians 11:26.
Acts 13:16 gives us the Apostle's favorite attitude, Acts 21:40; Acts 26:1. Ye that fear God, referred to the Gentile proselytes. This first address contained the seed-thoughts of the Apostle's ministry. He loved to show that the gospel was the white flower that grew on the ancient stock of Judaism. Whatever his starting point, he was sure to come, by a direct path, to Jesus Christ. Observe throughout how Paul attributes all of the great events and movements of history to the direction and agency of God. God chose the fathers; God gave Saul; God brought unto Israel a Savior. [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 13:21

They asked [ηιτησαντο]
First aorist indirect middle indicative, they asked for themselves. They were tired of a theocracy. Cf. 1 Samuel 8:5; 1 Samuel 10:1. Paul mentions with pride that Benjamin was the tribe of Saul (his name also), but he does not allude to Saul‘s sin (Furneaux). [source]
For the space of forty years [ετη τεσσερακοντα]
Accusative of extent of time. Not in the O.T., but in Josephus, Ant. VI. 14, 9. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 13:21 mean?

Then they asked for a king and gave to them - God - Saul son of Kish a man of [the] tribe of Benjamin years forty
κἀκεῖθεν ᾐτήσαντο βασιλέα καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς Θεὸς τὸν Σαοὺλ υἱὸν Κίς ἄνδρα ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμίν ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα

ᾐτήσαντο  they  asked  for 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Plural
Root: αἰτέω  
Sense: to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require.
βασιλέα  a  king 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: βασιλεύς  
Sense: leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king.
ἔδωκεν  gave 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεὸς  God 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Σαοὺλ  Saul 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: Σαούλ  
Sense: the Jewish name of the apostle Paul.
υἱὸν  son 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
Κίς  of  Kish 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Κίς  
Sense: the father of Saul, the first king of Israel.
ἄνδρα  a  man 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
ἐκ  of  [the] 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
φυλῆς  tribe 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: φυλή  
Sense: a tribe.
Βενιαμίν  of  Benjamin 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Βενιαμείν 
Sense: Jacob’s twelfth son.
ἔτη  years 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: ἔτος  
Sense: year.
τεσσεράκοντα  forty 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: τεσσαράκοντα 
Sense: forty.