Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 13:29
And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took [him] down from the tree, and laid [him] in a sepulcher.
29. all that was written of him ] The Greek is rather more full, “all the things which were written of him,” meaning the various prophecies which received their fulfilment in the betrayal, harsh treatment, and the other circumstances that attended on the death of Jesus.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
They took him down … – That is, it was done by the Jews. Not that it was done by those who put him to death, but by Joseph of Arimathea, and by Nicodemus, who were Jews. Paul is speaking of what was done to Jesus by the Jews at Jerusalem; and he does not affirm that the same persons put him to death and laid him in a tomb, but that all this was done by Jews. See Joh 19:38-39.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 29. They took him down from the tree] The apostle passes rapidly over several circumstances of his death, that he might establish the fact of his resurrection.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
All that was written of him; as the giving him vinegar to drink, piercing his side, &c, Psa 69:21; Joh 19:28-30.
From the tree: see Act 5:30.
They laid him in a sepulchre; Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, Mat 27:60; Joh 19:39.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
29. they took him down . . . andlaid him in a sepulchreThough the burial of Christ was an actof honor and love to Him by the disciples to whom the body wascommitted, yet since His enemies looked after it and obtained a guardof soldiers to keep watch over it as the remains of their own victim,the apostle regards this as the last manifestation on their part ofenmity to the Saviour, that they might see how God laughed all theirprecautions to scorn by “raising Him from the dead.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him,…. When they had vilified and reproached him in the most opprobrious manner; buffeted and scourged him, and pierced his hands and his feet, by nailing him to the cross; when they had crucified him between two thieves, and parted his raiment and cast lots on his vesture; when they had pierced his side, and it was sufficiently evident that his life was taken from the earth; all which were written of him in the Psalms and Prophets:
they took him down from the tree; the cross, on which he was crucified: it may be rendered impersonally, “he was taken down from the tree”; for not the same persons that desired he might be slain, and fulfilled all that was written of him, took him down, but others; though they were some of the rulers, as Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, yet such as did not consent to his death:
and laid him in a sepulchre; in a new one, in which never man lay; a sepulchre which Joseph had hewed out of a rock for himself, and which was both sealed and guarded.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
From the tree ( ). Not here strictly a tree, but wood as already in Acts 5:30; Acts 10:29 and later in Ga 3:13. Strictly speaking, it was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who took the body of Jesus down from the cross, though the Jews had asked Pilate to have the bones of Jesus broken that his body should not remain on the cross during the Sabbath (Joh 19:31). Paul does not distinguish the details here.
Laid (). First (kappa) aorist active indicative third plural of in place of the usual second aorist active plural form.
Tomb (). Memorial, common in the Gospels.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And when they had fulfilled,” (hos de etelesan) “And when they had fulfilled, finished, or completed,” Joh 19:28; Joh 19:30; Joh 19:36-37. The “they” refers to the Jews, His own people who crucified Him, Joh 1:11-12; 1Th 2:14-15; So that He “bear our sins in His body on the tree,” 1Pe 2:24.
2) “All that was written of Him,” (panta ta peri autou gegrammena) “All things that had been prophetically written concerning Him,” with regards to His earthly ministry or work during His first coming, especially regarding His suffering, humiliation, and death, Luk 18:31; Luk 24:44; Isa 53:1-12.
3) “They took Him down from the tree,” (kathelontes apo tou ksulou) “Taking Him down from the tree (of Calvary),” or when they had taken Him down from the cross of Calvary. The “they” who took Him down were Christian Jews, not the murderous ones, to be specific, it was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two converted members of the Sanhedrin council, Mat 27:57-60.
4) “And laid Him in a sepulchre.” (ethekan eis mnemeion) “They placed Him (laid Him) in a tomb,” in the garden, Joh 19:38-42; Rom 8:11.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
29. When they had fulfilled all things; to wit, which it pleased God should be done by them. For they did so handle Christ that there was nothing of the prophecies of the Scripture left unfulfilled. By this means is the stumbling-block (which the understanding of the flesh conceiveth by reason of the ignominy of the cross) taken away, that the Son of God was not laid open to the furious fury of the wicked; but he obeyed his fathers decree. Furthermore, it doth also in Scripture appear what condition was appointed for him in times past. Whereas he saith that Christ was buried by the same which had slain him, it seemeth contrary to the history of the gospel; but it may be that Luke did take the word buried indefinitely. And if it please you to refer it unto the same, it shall be synecdoche. For he was buried with Pilate’s leave; and at the appointment and pleasure of the priests there were watchmen set to watch the grave. Therefore, though Joseph and Nicodemus did bury Christ, (Mat 27:57,) that is ascribed improperly, and yet not absurdly, to the Jews; because it is not Paul’s drift in this place to commend the good deed, but to prove Christ’s resurrection; because God took him out of the grave whom his enemies had shut up there. Therefore he giveth us to understand that the body of Christ was not taken thence privily or by stealth, but that it was laid in a place both famous and known to the adversaries; and so, consequently, that even they were set to watch it; and yet for all this it was not found: whence we may gather the certainty of the resurrection.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(29) When they had fulfilled all that was written of him.The words are suggestive of much that lies below the surface. St. Paul, also, had studied in the same school of prophetic interpretation as the writers of the Gospels, and saw as they did, in all the details of the Crucifixion, the fulfilment of that which had been written beforehand, it might be, of other sufferers, but which was to find its highest fulfilment in the Christ.
They took him down from the tree.In the brief summary which St. Paul gives, it was apparently deemed unnecessary to state the fact that our Lord was taken down from the cross and laid in the sepulchre by those who were secretly disciples, like Joseph and Nicodemus. It was enough that they too were among the rulers of the Jews, and that they, in what they did, were acting without any expectation of the Resurrection. On the use of the word tree for the cross, see Note on Act. 5:30.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29. Fulfilled all written of him And so by their very slaying him demonstrated his Messiahship.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Act 13:29. They took him down from the tree, The apostle was far from being ashamed to mention the most ignominious circumstances of his Master’s sufferings to thosewho were strangers to the gospel, knowing how sufficiently he answered all that could be thence objected, by what he added and testified concerning his resurrection. See the next note.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
Ver. 29. And when they had fulfilled ] Though no thank to them, no excuse to their wickedness. Divinum consilium dum devitatur, impletur. But whereas all is fulfilled that was foretold, that plainly proves that Jesus was the Christ, and that our redemption by Christ was a plot of God’s own laying.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
29 .] The two verbs and have still the same subject, viz. of . . . De Wette rightly remarks, that Paul, in this compendious narrative, makes no distinction between friend and foe in what was done to our Lord, but regards both as fulfilling God’s purpose regarding him. I may add, that there is also a contrast between what men did to Him, and .
Joseph and Nicodemus, be it observed, were both .
Paul touches but lightly on the cross of Christ, and hastens on to the great point, the Resurrection, as the fulfilment of prophecy and seal of the Messiahship of Jesus.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 13:29 . : St. Paul was evidently acquainted with the details of the Passion as well as with the main facts of the death and burial, cf. 1Co 11:23 ; and for the verb used here Luk 18:31 ; Luk 22:37 , Joh 19:28 ; Joh 19:30 ; only here in Acts, Weiss regards the subject of ., ., as presupposed as known in accordance with the Gospel history, but St. Paul may have been speaking in general terms of the action of the Jews, although not the enemies of Christ but His friends actually took Him down and buried Him. Taken literally, St. Paul’s statement agrees with the Gospel of Peter , 21 24, as Hilgenfeld noted. But Joseph of Arimatha and Nicodemus were both Jews and members of the Council. , cf. Act 5:30 , Act 10:39 . Jngst, without any ground, as Hilgenfeld remarks, refers Act 13:29 partly on account of this expression to a reviser, and so 34 37. On , significant here and in Gal 3:13 , see Ramsay, Expositor , December, 1898. ., cf. 1Co 15:4 , the death followed by the burial, and so the reality of the death, “ ,” was vouched for.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
fulfilled = ended. Greek. teleo.
all that was = all things that were.
of = concerning. Greek. peri.
tree. Greek. xulon. See Act 5:30.
in = into. Greek. eis. App-104.
sepulchre = tomb. Greek. mnemeion. See note on Mat 27:60.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
29.] The two verbs and have still the same subject, viz. of … De Wette rightly remarks, that Paul, in this compendious narrative, makes no distinction between friend and foe in what was done to our Lord, but regards both as fulfilling Gods purpose regarding him. I may add, that there is also a contrast between what men did to Him, and .
Joseph and Nicodemus, be it observed, were both .
Paul touches but lightly on the cross of Christ, and hastens on to the great point, the Resurrection, as the fulfilment of prophecy and seal of the Messiahship of Jesus.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 13:29. , all that was written) They could do no more (nothing beyond what was written). In Jesus all things that were written were fulfilled.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
when: Act 13:27, Act 2:23, Act 4:28, Luk 18:31-33, Luk 24:44, Joh 19:28, Joh 19:30, Joh 19:36, Joh 19:37
they took: Mat 27:57-60, Mar 15:45, Mar 15:46, Luk 23:53, Joh 19:38-42, 1Co 15:4
Reciprocal: Luk 23:33 – they crucified Joh 19:42 – laid Joh 20:9 – that Act 4:10 – whom God 2Ti 3:15 – which 1Pe 2:24 – the tree
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Act 13:29. The pronoun they refers to both the enemies and the friends of Jesus, for it was the friends who placed him in the tomb. But the next verse shows that the enemies were still interested in His death, for they placed a guard about the tomb in the hope that he would not be able to come out alive. In this sense they laid him in the tomb.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 13:29. All that was written of him. That is, the various indignities predicted in those prophecies which speak of the sufferings of Messiah. Compare, for instance, Psalms 22; Isaiah 53; Zec 11:12-13; Zec 12:10 to Zec 13:7.
They took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. The burial and probably the act of taking the body from the cross, was actually performed by the hands of friends, like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea; but in Pauls rapid summary of the terrible facts, it was not judged necessary to make any distinction between the various agents in the transaction; besides which, to the letter even the statement is strictly accurate. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were both of them rulers.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes one verse 27
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 29
The tree; the cross.