Bible Strands
Acts 11:25
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative author records Barnabas's movement immediately after reporting the Antioch church's expansion to the Jerusalem leadership. He departs from Antioch to locate Saul in Tarsus.
The words — The Greek infinitive ἀναζητῆσαι (anazētēsai) literally means to seek or search for, specifying Barnabas's precise objective. The main verb ἐξῆλθεν (exēlthen) denotes a deliberate physical departure from his current location.
The thread — The narrative echoes Acts 9:30, where the Jerusalem believers previously sent Saul to Tarsus, and anticipates Acts 11:26, where Barnabas retrieves him for ministry in Antioch. This movement bookends Saul's temporary retreat and his subsequent partnership with Barnabas.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that effective ministry demands proactive pursuit of qualified laborers rather than passive expectation. It establishes a pattern of deliberate collaboration in spreading the message.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
Cross-references
- Acts 9:11 “Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
- Acts 9:27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.
- Acts 9:30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
- Acts 21:39 But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to speak to the people.”