Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 13:24
When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
24. the baptism of repentance ] Cp. Mar 1:4.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
When John had first preached … – After John had preached and prepared the way, Mat. 3:
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 24. John – preached – the baptism of repentance] On the nature and effects of John’s preaching, See Clarke on Mt 3:1, &c., and Lu 3:10-15.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
John the Baptist did not speak of Christs coming, as the other apostles had done, as of a thing a great way off, or at a distance of time; but he spake of it as of a present matter, before his and their faces, and in their view;
Behold the Lamb of God! Joh 1:29,36.
The baptism of repentance; so it is called, Mat 3:2,8; Mr 1:4; Luk 3:3; repentance being a due qualification for such as hope to receive the mercies of God in Christ unto life eternal.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
When John had first preached before his coming,…. Or, “before the face of his entrance”; that is, on his public ministry; for John did not preach before the coming of Christ in the flesh, being born but half a year before him; but before he came forth and was manifest to Israel; before he entered upon his work and office, as a prophet and teacher of the people: and this points out the business of John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Christ, and went before his face to prepare his way, who gave notice of his coming, and bore testimony to him; and whose testimony the apostle here produces, as being what the Jews could not well reject and deny, he being of so much probity and integrity, and so great a prophet, as he was accounted by all the people; and whom he prepared for the reception of the Messiah, by first preaching;
the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel: he not only administered the ordinance of baptism, but he preached the doctrine of it, opened the nature and design of it, and required repentance and fruits meet for it, in those who came to have it administered to them: for which reason it is called the baptism of repentance; and this he did publicly before all the people, when the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, came unto him; see Mr 1:4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When John had first preached ( ). Literally, John heralding beforehand, as a herald before the king (Lu 3:3). Genitive absolute of first aorist active participle of , old verb to herald beforehand, here alone in the N.T., though Textus Receptus has it also in Ac 3:20.
Before his coming ( ). Literally, before the face of his entering in (here act of entrance as 1Th 1:9, not the gate as in Heb 10:19). See Mal 3:1 quoted in Mt 11:10 (Lu 7:27) for this Hebrew phrase and also Lu 1:76.
The baptism of repentance ( ). Baptism marked by, characterized by (genitive case, case of kind or species) repentance (change of mind and life). The very phrase used of John’s preaching in Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3. It is clear therefore that Paul understood John’s ministry and message as did Peter (Acts 2:38; Acts 10:37).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Before his coming [ ] . Lit., before the face of his entrance. A Hebrew form of expression.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “When John had first preached,” (prokeruksantos loannou) “When (after) John had previously preached or proclaimed;- This proclaimer was John the Baptist who was the herald and, forerunner of the coming of the messiah-Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The people ‘regarded him as a prophet of God and went to hear him in great numbers, Mat 3:1-3.
2) “Before His coming,” (pro prosopou tes eishodou autou) “Prior to His entrance,” His coming as Saviour or deliverer, in fulfillment of prophecy, Isa 40:3; Mal 31; Mat 11:10; Luk 7:27; Mar 1:1-3; Joh 1:15-18; Joh 1:26-34.
3) “The baptism of repentance,” (baptisma melanoias) “A baptism of repentance,” that required or called for repentance for sin, before John, sent from God to baptize, in preparing a people for the Lord, would baptize them, Mat 3:5-12; Mar 1:4-8; Luk 3:3-8.
4) “To all the people of Israel, “ (panti to lao Israel) “To or incumbent upon all the people of Israel;” All were required to repent, before they were heaven-approved candidates, or proper subjects for baptism, See? Neither an unsaved person, an infant, nor a mentally and emotionally incompetent person, is a proper subject for baptism. Proper subjects for heaven approved baptism must be old enough, and mentally and emotionally competent enough, to repent of their sins and believe on Jesus Christ for themselves. This has always been God’s order for salvation and any other order is out of order, Luk 13:3; Luk 13:5; Mat 28:19-20; Joh 4:1-2; Act 2:38; Act 10:43; Act 20:20-21; Rom 1:16; Rom 10:9-13; 2Co 7:10.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
24. We know what office John had, to wit, to prepare the way of the Lord. Therefore Paul bringeth in his testimony, that he may prove to the Jews that he preached no false Christ, but the true Christ of God, whom that most famous forerunner had before commended; not that man’s testimony is sufficient to prove so weighty a matter; but there was another respect to be had to John whom all men almost did think to be a prophet of God. Therefore hence cometh the authority of the testimony, that a crier sent from heaven, and no private man, speaketh of Christ. And Paul reciteth two things summarily concerning John, that he taught the baptism of repentance before Christ’s coming. Secondly, that casting from him of his own accord the title and honor of the Messiah, he submitted himself to Christ.
The baptism of repentance. Baptism brought in contrary to the rite and custom of the law was a token of great alteration. For it was unlawful to renew anything before Christ’s coming. The Jews had indeed in the law their baptisms or washings, which were also exercises of repentance, but John was the author of new and strange baptism, or rather the minister, who put them in hope of the restoring long looked-for and desired. When he calleth it the baptism of repentance he doth not exclude remission of sins, but he speaketh according to the circumstance of the place, because this baptism was a preparation unto the faith of Christ. And we must note the phrase, that he preached baptism. Whereby we are taught that the sacraments are then rightly administered, when doctrine is joined with the visible figure; for the mouth of the baptizer must not be dumb, because the sign is vain without doctrine.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(24) The baptism of repentance.See Notes on Mat. 3:1-12.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Jesus grounded upon John the Baptist , Act 13:24 , Act 13:25 .
We do not suppose that even here, in distant Pisidian Antioch, the name of Jesus was wholly unknown. And John the Baptist, whom all the people of Palestine held to be a prophet, was a familiarly known and revered authority.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Act 13:24. When John had first preached St. Paul mentions the preaching of John the Baptist in this incidental manner, as a thing already known to them, because it gave so universal an alarm to the whole Jewish nation, that it might probably be heard of in foreign countries, at least as remote as Pisidia. Raphelius has taken pains to prove, from similar passages in the Greek classics, that both the clauses in the next verse, Whom think ye that I am?I am not he, may be considered as united in an affirmation, and rendered, “I am not the person whom you suppose me to be, that is, the Messiah.” See Annot. ex Herodot. p. 251. The reader will refer for what follows to the passages in the margin.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
Ver. 24. The baptism of repentance ] See Trapp no “ Luk 3:3 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
24. ] referring to above his coming forward publicly.
Act 13:24 . . not in LXX or Apocrypha, but in classical Greek, cf. also Josephus, Ant. , x., 5, 1, and also in Plut., Polyb. : “before the face of his entering in,” R.V. margin, cf. Luk 1:76 ; here used temporally, really a Hebraistic pleonasm, cf. Mal 3:1 , an expression used as still under the influence of that passage, Simcox, Language of the N. T. , p. 154, and also Dalman, Die Worte Jesu , p. 23. : the entry of Jesus upon His public Messianic ministry, a word which may also have been suggested by Mal 3:2 , LXX.
When John, &c. = John having before proclaimed. Greek. prokerusso. See note on Act 3:20.
His coming. Literally the face of His entering in (Greek. eisodos), i.e. upon public life.
24. ] referring to above-his coming forward publicly.
Act 13:24. , before the presence [face] of His entry [His coming among us]) L. de Dieu observes the remarkable emphasis expressed on account of the nearness of the Messiah, already then present. With this comp. Num 19:4, , before the presence of the tabernacle of witness.
Act 1:22, Act 10:37, Act 19:3, Act 19:4, Mat 3:1-11, Mar 1:2-8, Luk 1:76, Luk 3:2, Luk 3:3-20, Joh 1:6-8, Joh 1:15-18, Joh 3:25-36, Joh 5:33-36
Reciprocal: Mal 3:1 – and he Mat 3:11 – baptize Mat 17:12 – and they Mar 1:4 – did Luk 3:16 – I indeed
4
Act 13:24. John had first preached refers to the work of John as the forerunner of Jesus, baptizing people in preparation for His service. Baptism of repentance means that John baptized those only who repented. (See Mat 3:7-8.)
Act 13:24. When John had first preached before his coming. The literal translation of the Greek gives a clearer meaning: John having preached before His coming. Paul mentions this preaching and testimony of the Baptist to Jesus as a thing well known. A vast number of the Jews seem to have acknowledged Johns authority as a prophet. His mission created a great stir in the Holy Land; and later we read of his disciples at Ephesus, some twenty-five years after the death of the Baptist (Act 19:3).
See notes one verse 17
Verse 24
John; John the Baptist.
13:24 When John had first preached {n} before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
(n) John as a herald did not show Christ coming from afar off, as the other prophets did, but right at hand and having already begun his journey.
Most of the Jews of the dispersion knew of John the Baptist’s ministry. Often the early Christian preachers began the message of Jesus with John the Baptist, who announced and prepared for His coming (cf. Mar 1:2-8). John clarified that he was not the Messiah but was His forerunner (Luk 3:15-18).
"It may be that followers of John the Baptist, believing him to have been the Messiah, and constituting a sect which had spread outwards from Palestine, presented more of a problem to Christian missionaries about this time than the NT evidence would suggest; a hint of this is given in Act 19:3-5. If such were the case, it would account for Paul’s strong emphasis here on John’s role as merely the herald of the Messiah." [Note: Neil, pp. 158-59.]
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)