The Meaning of Acts 13:48 Explained

Acts 13:48

KJV: And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

YLT: And the nations hearing were glad, and were glorifying the word of the Lord, and did believe -- as many as were appointed to life age-during;

Darby: And those of the nations, hearing it, rejoiced, and glorified the word of the Lord, and believed, as many as were ordained to eternal life.

ASV: And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when the Gentiles  heard this,  they were glad,  and  glorified  the word  of the Lord:  and  as many as  were  ordained  to  eternal  life  believed. 

What does Acts 13:48 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 13:38-52 - Jews Reject, Gentiles Accept, The Gospel
The doctrine of justification by faith, so closely associated with the work of Paul, is here stated for the first time. In Jesus there is forgiveness. For those who trust in Him past sins are absolutely put away, never to be named again, never to be brought up at any future judgment day. Our record is as clear as the sand which has been swept smooth by the ocean waves. We are not only forgiven, but justified. We are treated as though we had never sinned, and are justified from all things. It is a present fact. You may not feel justified or forgiven, but if you are trusting in Jesus, you are at this moment as certainly and as fully justified as have been the saints in heaven.
Pride, as well as jealousy of the Gentiles who were crowding into the fold, stirred the Jews to antagonism, but they could not eradicate the seed which had been so profusely scattered. Large numbers believed, and as they experienced salvation in Christ, they discovered that they were in line with an eternal purpose. This is the meaning of ordained in Acts 13:48. If with such slight opportunities, the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit, Acts 13:52, should we not possess the same experience? [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 13:48

As the Gentiles heard this they were glad [ακουοντα τα ετνη εχαιρον]
Present active participle of ακουω — akouō and imperfect active of χαιρω — chairō linear action descriptive of the joy of the Gentiles. [source]
Glorified the word of God [εδοχαζον τον λογον του τεου]
Imperfect active again. The joy of the Gentiles increased the fury of the Jews. “The synagogue became a scene of excitement which must have been something like the original speaking with tongues” (Rackham). The joy of the Gentiles was to see how they could receive the higher blessing of Judaism without circumcision and other repellent features of Jewish ceremonialism. It was the gospel of grace and liberty from legalism that Paul had proclaimed. Whether Galatians 4:13 describes this incident or not (the South Galatian theory), it illustrates it when Gentiles received Paul as if he were Christ Jesus himself. It was triumph with the Gentiles, but defeat with the Jews. As many as were ordained to eternal life (οσοι ησαν τεταγμενοι εις ζωην αιωνιον — hosoi ēsan tetagmenoi eis zōēn aiōnion). Periphrastic past perfect passive indicative of τασσω — tassō a military term to place in orderly arrangement. The word “ordain” is not the best translation here. “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 Summary or constative first aorist active indicative of πιστευω — pisteuō 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. [source]
As many as were ordained to eternal life [οσοι ησαν τεταγμενοι εις ζωην αιωνιον]
Periphrastic past perfect passive indicative of τασσω — tassō a military term to place in orderly arrangement. The word “ordain” is not the best translation here. “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. [source]
Believed [επιστευσαν]
Summary or constative first aorist active indicative of πιστευω — pisteuō 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. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 13:48

Acts 18:27 Helped them much [συνεβαλετο πολυ]
Second aorist middle indicative of συνβαλλω — sunballō used in Acts 17:18 for “dispute,” old verb to throw together, in the N.T. always in the active save here in the middle (common in Greek writers) to put together, to help. Through grace (δια της χαριτος — dia tēs charitos). This makes sense if taken with “believed,” as Hackett does (cf. Acts 13:48; Acts 16:14) or with “helped” (1 Corinthians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 1:12). Both are true as the references show. [source]
Acts 18:27 Through grace [δια της χαριτος]
This makes sense if taken with “believed,” as Hackett does (cf. Acts 13:48; Acts 16:14) or with “helped” (1 Corinthians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 1:12). Both are true as the references show. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 13:48 mean?

Hearing [it] then the Gentiles were rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord believed as many as were appointed to life eternal
Ἀκούοντα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη ἔχαιρον καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπίστευσαν ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον

Ἀκούοντα  Hearing  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
ἔθνη  Gentiles 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: ἔθνος  
Sense: a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together.
ἔχαιρον  were  rejoicing 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: χαίρω  
Sense: to rejoice, be glad.
ἐδόξαζον  glorifying 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: δοξάζω  
Sense: to think, suppose, be of opinion.
λόγον  word 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
τοῦ  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Κυρίου  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
ἐπίστευσαν  believed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: πιστεύω  
Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.
ὅσοι  as  many  as 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ὅσος  
Sense: as great as, as far as, how much, how many, whoever.
τεταγμένοι  appointed 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: τάσσω  
Sense: to put in order, to station.
ζωὴν  life 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ζωή  
Sense: life.
αἰώνιον  eternal 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: αἰώνιος  
Sense: without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be.