Acts 13:30 · Bible study
Acts 13:30 Commentary: God Raised Jesus from the Dead
Greek · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Paul highlights the resurrection as God's reversal of human rejection, vindicating Jesus and fulfilling the promise of salvation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God the Father physically raised Jesus from the dead, reversing human injustice and vindicating Jesus as Messiah.
- Key words: “But God” (contrast), “raised” (ēgeiren, aorist: God's decisive act), “from the dead” (ek nekrōn: from among the deceased).
- Main debate: No significant debate; all traditions affirm the literal, bodily resurrection as God's act.
- Theological theme: Resurrection as divine vindication, fulfillment of covenant, and foundation of salvation.
- Best use: Preaching the gospel's power to overcome human failure and death; assurance of forgiveness in the risen Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But God raised Him from the dead,
WEB World English Bible 2000
But God raised him from the dead,
KJV King James Version 1769
But God raised him from the dead:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But God raised him from the dead:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and God did raise him out of the dead,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
but God raised him from among [the] dead,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But God raised him up from the dead the third day.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas Dios le levantó de los muertos.
Mas Deus o ressuscitou dos mortos.
Mais Dieu l’ a ressuscité des morts.
Aber Gott hat ihn auferweckt von den Toten;
Maar God heeft Hem uit de doden opgewekt;
Ma Iddio lo risuscitò dai morti;
Ale go Bóg wzbudził od umarłych.
Но Бог воскресил Его из мертвых.
神 卻 叫他 從 死 裡復活。
But God gave him back from the dead:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Acts 13:30
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Acts 13:30 presents the resurrection as God's decisive reversal of human injustice. Clarke calls it the fullest proof of Jesus' innocence, since only God can raise the dead, and He would not work such a miracle except for an extraordinary purpose. Gill notes that though men took Jesus' life and buried him, God the Father raised him by His power, death could not hold him. Calvin stresses that Paul dwells on the resurrection because the death of Christ alone would not persuade his hearers to seek salvation in him; the resurrection displays the power of Almighty God. The Cambridge Bible adds that the resurrection proves God has fulfilled the promise to Abraham and David, and that Jesus is declared Son of God with power (Romans 1:4). This consensus affirms the resurrection as the divine signature on Jesus' identity and the basis of the gospel.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God the Father physically raised Jesus from the dead, vindicating him and fulfilling his redemptive plan.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The nature of the resurrection | All Christians affirm that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead by God's power. | Some traditions emphasize the resurrection as a literal historical event; others also see it as the beginning of a new creation. Both agree it is more than a spiritual metaphor. |
| The agent of the resurrection | God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, as stated here. | Some also emphasize Jesus' own agency (John 10:17, 18), but this verse highlights the Father's action. |
| The purpose of the resurrection | It confirms Jesus' identity as Savior and Messiah, and secures forgiveness of sins. | Reformed and Wesleyan traditions both stress justification; Catholic and Orthodox include the resurrection as part of Christ's victory that transforms believers through grace and the sacraments. |
| Connection to the Old Testament | The resurrection fulfills God's promises to David and the prophets. | Some interpret Psalm 2:7 as referring to Jesus' eternal sonship; others see it as his enthronement at the resurrection. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul is preaching in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch during his first missionary journey. His sermon (Acts 13:16, 41) follows a pattern familiar to Jewish listeners: a rehearsal of God's acts in Israel's history, leading to the coming of Jesus as the promised Savior. Verses 27, 29 describe how the rulers in Jerusalem, though they read the prophets every Sabbath, fulfilled those prophecies by condemning Jesus and asking Pilate to kill him. They laid him in a tomb. Then verse 30 hits with the Greek conjunction de, a strong contrast: But God raised him from the dead. The word order puts theos (God) first, emphasizing that divine action overrides human rejection.
In the ancient Mediterranean world, tombs were sealed and guarded; everyone knew that dead people stayed dead. For Paul to claim that God raised a crucified man was extraordinary. The resurrection was not just a resuscitation but a victory over death itself. Paul supports this claim with two kinds of proof: eyewitnesses (v.31) and Scripture (vv.32, 37, citing Psalms 2, 16, and Isaiah 55). This dual appeal matches the apostolic kerygma seen in Acts 2:24, 32 and Acts 3:15, always presented as God's act that vindicates Jesus and opens the way for forgiveness of sins (v.38).
Paul's audience included Jews and Gentile God-fearers. For them, the resurrection meant that the crucified Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the one through whom God's covenant promises to David would be fulfilled. The contrast between human injustice and divine justice would have been deeply resonant in a synagogue where the prophets were read every Sabbath.
Textual Notes
No significant textual variants affect the meaning of Acts 13:30. The earliest Greek manuscripts (e.g., P74, Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) uniformly read “But God raised him from the dead.” Some Latin manuscripts, noted by Gill, add “the third day,” but this addition is not present in the Greek tradition and likely represents a harmonization with the broader resurrection formula (e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:4).
Reception History
From the earliest creeds (e.g., the Apostles' Creed: “the third day he rose again from the dead”) to Reformation catechisms, Acts 13:30 has been cited as the clearest biblical summary of the resurrection as an act of God the Father. Patristic writers like Augustine and Athanasius used this verse to argue that the resurrection proves Christ's divinity and secures our salvation. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther both highlighted the contrast between human rejection and divine vindication. In modern evangelical preaching, this verse is often the hinge point in sermons on Acts 13, demonstrating that the gospel rests on what God has done, not on human merit.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God's sovereign reversal. Human rulers rejected and killed Jesus; God raised him. The resurrection overturns the verdict of the world.
- Jesus' divine vindication. The resurrection proves Jesus' innocence and declares him Son of God with power (Romans 1:4).
- The basis of our salvation. Paul preaches that through the risen Jesus, forgiveness of sins is offered (Acts 13:38, 39).
Five-point outline
- Contrast: “But God” sets the resurrection against human condemnation (vv.27, 29).
- Agency: God the Father raises Jesus, this is His act, not a human achievement.
- Confirmation: The resurrection fulfills Scripture (Psalms 2, 16; Isaiah 55) and is attested by witnesses (v.31).
- Identity: The risen Jesus is the promised Savior from David's line.
- Application: Through this risen One, Paul declares justification and freedom from the Law's inability to forgive.
Illustration hooks
- An innocent person convicted and sentenced to death, then exonerated by new evidence that comes from an authority higher than the court.
- A child who is rejected by peers but later honored by a parent in full view of everyone.
- A seed buried in winter ground; in spring it pushes up through the soil, life after apparent death.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is the resurrection historically reliable, or just a spiritual idea?
- Why does the resurrection matter for my daily struggles, not just for the afterlife?
- How does Jesus' resurrection prove that God is for us even when people are against us?
Leading a Discussion
Acts 13:30 is a short verse packed with meaning. It sits inside Paul's first recorded sermon, where he shows that the God of Israel has kept His promises through Jesus, and the resurrection is the proof. This small-group guide helps you look closely at the text, understand why Paul highlights God's action, and consider how it shapes your faith today.
Discussion questions
- Read Acts 13:26, 30. What do verses 27, 29 tell us about what people did to Jesus? How does verse 30 contrast with that?
- Why does Paul call the resurrection “the word of this salvation” (v.26)? How is the resurrection connected to forgiveness of sins?
- The Greek word for “raised” (ēgeiren) is an aorist verb, a simple past action. Why is it important that this is something God did, not something Jesus did on His own?
- Paul quotes Psalm 2:7 in verse 33: “You are my Son. Today I have become your father.” How does the resurrection reveal Jesus as God's Son in a new way?
- In what ways does the resurrection answer the problem of human injustice? Can you think of a situation where you need to trust God's reversal?
- How does knowing that “God raised him” give you hope when life feels like a dead end?
- What difference does the resurrection make for how you treat others, especially those who have rejected or hurt you?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 28:6 | He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying. |
| John 2:19 | Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” |
| John 10:17 | Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. |
| Acts 2:24 | whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. |
| Acts 2:32 | This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. |
| Acts 3:13 | The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. |
| Acts 3:15 | and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses. |
| Acts 3:26 | God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
But God raised him from the dead - And thus gave the fullest proof of his innocence. God alone can raise the dead; and he would not work a miracle so very extraordinary, but on some extraordinary occasion.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes directs the reader to his earlier notes on Acts 2:23-24 for the full explanation of this phrase. His distinctive point is that the resurrection must be understood through that passage, which argues that God raised Jesus in fulfillment of His foreordained plan.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that Paul gives more attention to the resurrection than to the death of Christ because the death alone would never persuade anyone to seek salvation in it. Only the power of God displayed in raising Christ from death makes the cross effective for salvation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary presents the resurrection as God's decisive proof that he has kept his ancient promises to Abraham and David. By raising Jesus, God confirms that their descendant has come to bring blessing to all nations and to be declared the Son of God with power.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses the contrast between human action and divine power: men took Jesus's life and ensured he was dead and buried, yet death could not hold him because God the Father raised him by his own power. He also notes that the Latin Vulgate explicitly adds "the third day" to this statement.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that Paul addresses two groups as one audience: ethnic Jews and Gentile proselytes who feared God. Yet the principle of "to the Jew first" still governs, so the word of salvation is sent to both, but with the priority given to the Jewish people.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads Paul's historical review as deliberately demonstrating God's unconditional election and free grace, not merely as background. This emphasis on divine initiative sets up the apostle's later claim that justification comes through faith in Christ alone, not through the law. Lange defends the discourse as genuinely Pauline and distinct from earlier speeches.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes how Paul builds his sermon on a deliberate recital of Israel's history, showing that every event from the patriarchs through the judges and kings was God's patient preparation for sending Jesus as the promised Savior. Even the rejection of Christ by Jerusalem's rulers, Paul argues, fulfilled the very prophets they heard read every Sabbath.