Bible Strands
Acts 26:23
that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul speaks this declaration before King Agrippa and Governor Festus during his trial defense, concluding his summary of what Moses and the prophets foretold.
The words — παθητὸς (pathētos) translates literally to "suffering" or "one who must suffer," and πρῶτος (prōtos) means "first," directly modifying the resurrection event.
The thread — The necessity of the Messiah's suffering appears in Luke 24:26, while the title of firstborn from the dead connects to Colossians 1:18, and the prophetic foundation for this message is noted in Isaiah 53:1.
Why it lands — The text asserts that the Christ's suffering and resurrection precede a universal proclamation of light to both Jews and Gentiles, demanding acknowledgment of this sequence as the core of the apostolic 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
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.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
- Luke 24:26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”
- Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.
- Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
- Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
- Zechariah 12:10 Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
- Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
- Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
- Psalms 22:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?
- Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.