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20 All this took[a] about 450 years. After this[b] he gave them judges until the time of[c] Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled[d] forty years. 22 After removing him, God[e] raised up[f] David their king. He testified about him:[g]I have found David[h] the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart,[i] who will accomplish everything I want him to do.’[j]

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 13:20 tn The words “all this took” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to make a complete statement in English. There is debate over where this period of 450 years fits and what it includes: (1) It could include the years in Egypt, the conquest of Canaan, and the distribution of the land; (2) some connect it with the following period of the judges. This latter approach seems to conflict with 1 Kgs 6:1; see also Josephus, Ant. 8.3.1 (8.61).
  2. Acts 13:20 tn Grk “And after these things.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  3. Acts 13:20 tn The words “the time of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
  4. Acts 13:21 tn The words “who ruled” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. They have been supplied as a clarification for the English reader. See Josephus, Ant. 6.14.9 (6.378).
  5. Acts 13:22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. Acts 13:22 sn The expression raised up refers here to making someone king. There is a wordplay here: “raising up” refers to bringing someone onto the scene of history, but it echoes with the parallel to Jesus’ resurrection.
  7. Acts 13:22 tn Grk “about whom.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the pronoun “him” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek. The verb εἶπεν (eipen) has not been translated (literally “he said testifying”) because it is redundant when combined with the participle μαρτυρήσας (marturēsas, “testifying”). Instead the construction of verb plus participle has been translated as a single English verb (“testified”).
  8. Acts 13:22 sn A quotation from Ps 89:20.
  9. Acts 13:22 sn A quotation from 1 Sam 13:14.
  10. Acts 13:22 tn Or “who will perform all my will,” “who will carry out all my wishes.”