Acts 13:18
And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
Original Language Analysis
καὶ
And
G2532
καὶ
And
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
1 of 9
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
ὡς
about
G5613
ὡς
about
Strong's:
G5613
Word #:
2 of 9
which how, i.e., in that manner (very variously used, as follows)
χρόνον
the time
G5550
χρόνον
the time
Strong's:
G5550
Word #:
4 of 9
a space of time (in general, and thus properly distinguished from g2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; and from g0165, which denotes a
αὐτοὺς
their
G846
αὐτοὺς
their
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
6 of 9
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
Cross References
Acts 7:36He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.Exodus 16:35And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
Historical Context
Paul preached this sermon in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch around AD 47-48 during his first missionary journey. He addresses both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles (v. 16), grounding the gospel in Israel's salvation history from the Exodus through David to Christ. The forty-year period (Numbers 14:33-34) was God's judgment for the generation that refused to enter Canaan at Kadesh Barnea.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's patience with Israel's wilderness rebellion inform your understanding of His forbearance with your own repeated failures?
- What does Paul's emphasis on Israel's wilderness experience teach about the necessity of both divine judgment and sustaining grace in the believer's journey?
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Analysis & Commentary
And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness—Paul recounts Israel's wilderness period from Deuteronomy 1:31, where God 'bare' (נָשָׂא, nasa) Israel like a father carries a child. The KJV 'suffered he their manners' translates Greek τροποφορέω (tropophoreō), better rendered 'bore with their ways' or 'endured their conduct'—emphasizing divine patience with Israel's chronic rebellion.
Some manuscripts read ἐτροφοφόρησεν (etrophophorēsen, 'nourished them as a nurse'), yielding opposite meanings. The textual debate aside, Paul's point is clear: Israel's forty-year wilderness experience demonstrated both God's forbearance with sin and His covenant faithfulness despite persistent rebellion—the same grace now offered to Gentiles through Christ (v. 38-39). The number forty consistently signifies testing and divine patience throughout Scripture (Moses, Elijah, Jesus).