Bible Strands
Acts 13:22
After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the synagogue audience in Antioch, summarizing Israel’s monarchical history. He interrupts the narrative to record God’s direct testimony regarding David’s appointment.
The words — The participle μεταστὴσας (metastēsas) literally means “having removed,” denoting God’s action against Saul. The verb ἤγειρεν (ēgeiren) translates to “He raised up,” marking David’s installation as king over them.
The thread — The claim that David will carry out God’s will in its entirety aligns with the assessment in 1 Kings 15:5. The succession from Saul to David also corresponds to the anointing account in 1 Samuel 16:13.
Why it lands — The text presents David’s kingship as divinely initiated rather than humanly demanded. It requires the reader to recognize that God’s sovereign choice and moral standard precede and supersede human political requests.
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
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 13:13 “You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
- 1 Kings 15:5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
- 1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
- Psalms 78:70 He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
- 1 Samuel 16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”
- 1 Samuel 15:26 “I will not return with you,” Samuel replied. “For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and He has rejected you as king over Israel.”
- 1 Samuel 15:28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
- Ezekiel 37:24 My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.
- Psalms 89:19 You once spoke in a vision; to Your godly ones You said, “I have bestowed help on a warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
- Hosea 13:10 Where is your king now to save you in all your cities, and the rulers to whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”?