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].

KJV (with Strong's)

For {G1063} they that dwell {G2730} at {G1722} Jerusalem {G2419}, and {G2532} their {G846} rulers {G758}, because they knew {G50} him {G5126} not {G50}, nor yet {G2532} the voices {G5456} of the prophets {G4396} which {G3588} are read {G314}{G2596} every {G3956} sabbath day {G4521}, they have fulfilled {G4137} them in condemning {G2919} him.

Complete Jewish Bible

For the people living in Yerushalayim and their leaders did not recognize who Yeshua was or understand the message of the Prophets read every Shabbat, so they fulfilled that message by condemning him.

Berean Standard Bible

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

American Standard Version

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.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
In Acts 13:27, Paul, during his sermon in Pisidian Antioch, highlights the profound irony and tragic spiritual blindness of the Jewish leaders and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Despite their regular exposure to the Old Testament prophetic writings in synagogue readings, they failed to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. Consequently, their act of condemning and crucifying Him, born of ignorance and unbelief, paradoxically served to fulfill the very prophecies they unknowingly misunderstood, thereby bringing God's redemptive plan to fruition.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Acts 13:27 is a pivotal statement within Paul's inaugural recorded sermon in a synagogue, delivered in Pisidian Antioch. Paul has just recounted God's faithfulness to Israel, from the Exodus to the anointing of David, setting the stage for the introduction of Jesus as the promised descendant of David and the Savior ([Acts 13:23](/acts/13-23 "Acts 13:23 - Jesus, the Savior from David's Line")). This verse serves as a crucial explanation for the seemingly paradoxical crucifixion of the Messiah by His own people. It bridges the historical narrative with the theological reality of prophetic fulfillment, justifying God's ultimate plan despite human rejection, and setting up Paul's subsequent declaration of salvation through Christ to both Jews and Gentiles.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Jerusalem, the spiritual and political heartland of Judaism, was the center of religious authority, home to the Temple and the Sanhedrin. The Jewish people, particularly their leaders, lived under the expectation of a Messiah, though their understanding was often colored by nationalistic and political aspirations rather than a spiritual one of a suffering servant. The regular reading of the Torah and the Prophets "every sabbath day" was a central practice in synagogues throughout the Roman Empire, including Jerusalem. This practice ensured constant exposure to the very scriptures that foretold the Messiah. The cultural expectation was for a conquering king, making Jesus's humble origins and eventual crucifixion a stumbling block for many, especially those in power who felt their authority threatened.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully underscores several key themes woven throughout Acts and the broader New Testament. Foremost is the theme of **Unbelief and Spiritual Blindness**, as the very people who should have recognized the Messiah, due to their intimate knowledge of the scriptures, remained ignorant of His true identity and mission. This ignorance, however, does not negate God's overarching plan, leading to the theme of **Divine Sovereignty and Prophetic Fulfillment**. Paul emphasizes that even the seemingly contradictory act of condemning the Messiah was part of God's predetermined will, fulfilling ancient prophecies about the suffering servant, as seen in passages like [Isaiah 53:7](/isaiah/53-7 "Isaiah 53:7 - The Suffering Servant's Silence"). Finally, there is the powerful **Irony of Religious Ritual** – those who diligently observed the reading of the prophets "every sabbath day" missed the core message of those very scriptures, highlighting that outward religious observance without inward spiritual discernment can lead to profound spiritual error, as Jesus Himself lamented over Jerusalem in [Luke 13:34](/luke/13-34 "Luke 13:34 - Jesus' Lament over Jerusalem").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **knew (Greek, _agnoéō'_):** This word signifies more than a mere lack of acquaintance; it implies a profound ignorance or a failure to comprehend. In this context, it suggests a willful or culpable ignorance on the part of Jerusalem's inhabitants and rulers, who, despite having ample opportunity (through Jesus's public ministry and the prophetic scriptures), did not truly perceive or acknowledge His divine identity and messianic claims. It's a spiritual blindness, not just a factual oversight.
* **voices (Greek, _phōnḗ'_):** While literally meaning "sound" or "voice," in this context, "voices of the prophets" refers metaphorically to the collective body of prophetic writings in the Old Testament. It emphasizes the *spoken* or *proclaimed* nature of God's word through the prophets, which was regularly read aloud in the synagogues. The irony is that these "voices" were heard physically but not understood spiritually.
* **fulfilled (Greek, _plēróō'_):** This verb means "to make replete," "to complete," or "to bring to an end," often in the sense of verifying a prediction or accomplishing a task. Here, it carries the profound theological weight of prophetic fulfillment. Even in their act of condemnation, the Jerusalemites unwittingly "filled up" or "completed" the divine predictions concerning the Messiah's suffering and death, demonstrating God's sovereign control over history, even through human sin.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers":** This identifies the primary agents of Jesus's condemnation: the residents of the capital city and, more specifically, their governing and religious authorities (the Sanhedrin, high priests, etc.). This highlights the official and public nature of the rejection.
* **"because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day":** This clause provides the reason for their actions: a profound spiritual ignorance. They failed to recognize Jesus's true identity as the Messiah, and crucially, they also failed to understand the very prophecies (the "voices of the prophets") that were read to them weekly in their synagogues, which clearly pointed to Him. Their lack of spiritual discernment rendered their religious practice hollow.
* **"they have fulfilled [them] in condemning [him]":** This is the startling conclusion. Despite their ignorance and rejection, their act of condemning Jesus paradoxically served to accomplish God's predetermined plan. Their sinful actions, rather than thwarting God's purpose, became the very means by which the prophecies concerning the Messiah's suffering and death were brought to completion. This underscores God's sovereignty, using even human rebellion to achieve His redemptive will.

#### Literary Devices
The most prominent literary device in Acts 13:27 is **Irony**. There is a profound situational irony in the fact that the very people most dedicated to studying and preserving the prophetic scriptures were the ones who failed to recognize the fulfillment of those prophecies in Jesus. Their religious devotion, expressed through the weekly reading of the prophets, became the backdrop for their spiritual blindness. This irony highlights the contrast between outward religious practice and genuine spiritual understanding. Furthermore, the verse employs **Paradox**, as the act of condemning the Messiah, seemingly a defeat, is revealed to be the very means by which God's ultimate plan of salvation was "fulfilled." This paradoxical fulfillment underscores God's ability to orchestrate His will even through human sin and opposition.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Acts 13:27 is a powerful testament to God's absolute sovereignty and the infallibility of His prophetic word, even in the face of human ignorance and opposition. It reveals that God's redemptive plan for humanity, centered on the suffering and death of His Messiah, was not an unforeseen consequence but a divinely orchestrated event, meticulously foretold and precisely fulfilled. The blindness of Jerusalem's leaders, while tragic and culpable, did not derail God's purpose but rather became the very instrument through which His eternal counsel was accomplished. This truth offers profound comfort, assuring believers that God's purposes will always prevail, regardless of human failings or resistance.

* [Acts 2:23](/acts/2-23 "Acts 2:23 - God's Predetermined Plan")
* [Luke 24:44](/luke/24-44 "Luke 24:44 - Fulfillment of the Law, Prophets, and Psalms")
* [1 Corinthians 2:8](/1_corinthians/2-8 "1 Corinthians 2:8 - The Rulers of This Age")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Acts 13:27 serves as a sobering reminder that spiritual knowledge is not merely intellectual assent or ritualistic observance, but a matter of the heart and spiritual discernment. It challenges us to examine our own lives: are we truly "knowing" Christ, or merely knowing *about* Him? Are we allowing the "voices of the prophets"—the entirety of God's Word—to truly shape our understanding of Jesus and His mission, or are we reading with preconceived notions that prevent us from seeing Him clearly? This verse calls us to humility, urging us to pray for spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear, lest we, too, miss the profound truths of God's revelation. It also encourages us with the unwavering truth of God's sovereignty; even when human sin and ignorance seem to prevail, God's purposes are always being fulfilled. This should inspire confidence in His plan and perseverance in our faith, knowing that He is working all things for His glory and our good.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what ways might I, like the Jewish leaders, be exposed to God's truth (e.g., through sermons, Bible reading, Christian community) yet fail to truly "know" or understand Christ more deeply?**
* **How does the concept of God fulfilling His purposes even through human sin and ignorance impact my understanding of difficult or confusing circumstances in my own life or in the world?**
* **What specific steps can I take to move beyond mere intellectual knowledge of scripture to a deeper, more transformative spiritual discernment of Christ at its center?**

### FAQ
**Did God cause the Jewish leaders to be ignorant so that Jesus would be crucified?**

Answer: Acts 13:27 indicates that the Jewish leaders' actions fulfilled God's prophecies, but it does not state that God *caused* their ignorance or forced their hand. Instead, it highlights God's sovereign ability to work through human choices, even sinful ones, to accomplish His predetermined plan. Their ignorance was culpable, a result of their own spiritual blindness and rejection of Jesus's claims, despite ample evidence and the very scriptures they studied. God, in His infinite wisdom, incorporated their free, yet sinful, decision into His larger redemptive purpose, demonstrating His ultimate control over history. This is consistent with other New Testament passages, such as [Acts 2:23](/acts/2-23 "Acts 2:23 - God's Predetermined Plan"), which affirms that Jesus was delivered up "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," yet by "wicked hands" He was crucified.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Acts 13:27 is profoundly Christ-centered, even in its description of His rejection. It underscores that Jesus's crucifixion was not a tragic accident or a defeat, but the divinely ordained culmination of centuries of prophecy, meticulously fulfilled by the very people who failed to recognize Him. This verse powerfully portrays Jesus as the ultimate **fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets**, the one to whom all Old Testament scriptures ultimately point ([Luke 24:44](/luke/24-44 "Luke 24:44 - Fulfillment of the Law, Prophets, and Psalms")). His suffering and death, though orchestrated by human hands in ignorance, were the means by which God's plan for salvation was accomplished, making Him the **Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world** ([John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God")). The "voices of the prophets" that were read every Sabbath day spoke of His birth ([Isaiah 7:14](/isaiah/7-14 "Isaiah 7:14 - Prophecy of Immanuel")), His ministry ([Isaiah 61:1-2](/isaiah/61-1-2 "Isaiah 61:1-2 - The Spirit of the Lord on the Messiah")), His suffering ([Isaiah 53:5](/isaiah/53-5 "Isaiah 53:5 - The Suffering Servant")), and His resurrection ([Psalm 16:10](/psalm/16-10 "Psalm 16:10 - You Will Not Abandon My Soul to Sheol")). Thus, Acts 13:27, while lamenting human blindness, ultimately magnifies Christ as the sovereign Lord over history, whose rejection paradoxically secured the salvation of all who believe in Him, demonstrating that God's redemptive purpose in Christ cannot be thwarted by human sin or ignorance ([Romans 8:28](/romans/8-28 "Romans 8:28 - God Works All Things for Good")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Acts 3:17

And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did [it], as [did] also your rulers.

Acts 26:22

Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

Acts 26:23

That Christ should suffer, [and] that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

Luke 24:20

And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

Luke 24:24

And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found [it] even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

Luke 24:27

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Acts 15:21

For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.