The Meaning of Acts 13:27 Explained

Acts 13:27

KJV: For 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.

YLT: for those dwelling in Jerusalem, and their chiefs, this one not having known, also the voices of the prophets, which every sabbath are being read -- having judged him -- did fulfil,

Darby: for those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, not having known him, have fulfilled also the voices of the prophets which are read on every sabbath, by judging him.

ASV: For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him .

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For  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]. 

What does Acts 13:27 Mean?

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 13:27

Because they knew him not [τουτον αγνοησαντες]
First aorist active participle (causal) of αγνοεω — agnoeō old verb, not to know. Peter gives “ignorance” This ignorance mitigated the degree of their guilt, but it did not remove it, for it was willing ignorance and prejudice. [source]
The voices of the prophets which are read [τας πωνας των προπητων τας αναγινωσκομενας]
Object also of αγνοησαντες — agnoēsantes though it could be the object of επληρωσαν — eplērōsan (fulfilled) if και — kai is taken as “also”. The “voices” were heard as they were read aloud each Sabbath in the synagogue. In their ignorant condemnation they fulfilled the prophecies about the suffering Messiah. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 13:27

Matthew 21:3 The Lord [ο κυριος]
It is not clear how the word would be understood here by those who heard the message though it is plain that Jesus applies it to himself. The word is from κυρος — kuros power or authority. In the lxx it is common in a variety of uses which appear in the N.T. as master of the slave (Matthew 10:24), of the harvest (Matthew 9:38), of the vineyard (Matthew 20:8), of the emperor (Acts 13:27), of God (Matthew 1:20; Matthew 11:25), and often of Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 10:36). Note Matthew 8:25. This is the only time in Matthew where the words ο κυριος — ho kurios are applied to Jesus except the doubtful passage in Matthew 28:6. A similar usage is shown by Moulton and Milligan‘s Vocabulary and Deissmann‘s Light from the Ancient East. Particularly in Egypt it was applied to “the Lord Serapis” and Ptolemy and Cleopatra are called “the lords, the most great gods” Even Herod the Great and Herod Agrippa I are addressed as “Lord King.” In the west the Roman emperors are not so termed till the time of Domitian. But the Christians boldly claimed the word for Christ as Jesus is here represented as using it with reference to himself. It seems as if already the disciples were calling Jesus “Lord” and that he accepted the appellative and used it as here. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 13:27 mean?

Those for dwelling in Jerusalem and the rulers of them Him not having known the voices of the prophets that on every Sabbath are being read having condemned [Him] they fulfilled [them]
οἱ γὰρ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν τοῦτον ἀγνοήσαντες τὰς φωνὰς τῶν προφητῶν τὰς κατὰ πᾶν σάββατον ἀναγινωσκομένας κρίναντες ἐπλήρωσαν

οἱ  Those 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
κατοικοῦντες  dwelling 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: κατοικέω 
Sense: to dwell, settle.
Ἰερουσαλὴμ  Jerusalem 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: Ἰερουσαλήμ  
Sense: denotes either the city itself or the inhabitants.
ἄρχοντες  rulers 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄρχων  
Sense: a ruler, commander, chief, leader.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἀγνοήσαντες  not  having  known 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀγνοέω  
Sense: to be ignorant, not to know.
φωνὰς  voices 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: φωνή  
Sense: a sound, a tone.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
προφητῶν  prophets 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: προφήτης  
Sense: in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things.
τὰς  that 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πᾶν  every 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
σάββατον  Sabbath 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: σάββατον  
Sense: the seventh day of each week which was a sacred festival on which the Israelites were required to abstain from all work.
ἀναγινωσκομένας  are  being  read 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: ἀναγινώσκω  
Sense: to distinguish between, to recognise, to know accurately, to acknowledge.
κρίναντες  having  condemned  [Him] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: κρίνω  
Sense: to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose.
ἐπλήρωσαν  they  fulfilled  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: πληρόω  
Sense: to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full.