And the word of the Lord was published throughout the whole country.
διεφερετο δε ο λογος του κυριου δι ολης της χωρας
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
See how quickly, according to his account, this brought benefit: "and the word of the Lord was being spread throughout the whole region." That is, it was spreading. It is as though he said: they did not stop with zeal alone, but added works. They preached not only in the city, but also throughout the region. When the Gentiles heard of this, they soon began to come themselves.
Thus Barnabas and Paul, together with the believing Gentiles, left the synagogue and chose another place for the assembly of believers and of those expressing a desire to believe. From there Christianity spread throughout the whole surrounding area. But the Jews succeeded in stirring up the most distinguished inhabitants of the city against them through proselyte women. Through the women's influence on their husbands, they raised an open persecution against Paul and Barnabas, so that they were forced to leave the city.
From Paphos Paul and his companions sailed to the peninsula of Asia Minor and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John Mark returned from there to Jerusalem, while Paul, with his other companions, continued the journey and went deeper into the interior regions of Asia Minor. He came to Antioch of Pisidia.
Here the preaching of the Apostle Paul concerning Christ made a powerful impression on the inhabitants of the city and turned many Jews and Gentiles to Christ.
Yet the majority of the Jews remained deaf to the apostles’ preaching. They even stirred up a disturbance against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the city.
Therefore the apostles went on farther, shaking off the dust from their feet against them, according to Christ’s commandment (Mt 10:14).
With joy and thanksgiving the Gentiles welcomed the preaching, by which great blessings were now offered especially to them, without the legalistic demands of Judaism. All who, by the grace of God, resolved to enter the ranks of those thirsting for eternal life accepted the faith. The word of the Lord began to spread more and more.
The word of the Lord, that is, the preaching of the Gospel, was spreading throughout the whole Pisidian region, or generally throughout this southern part of Asia Minor. The expression presents Pisidian Antioch as the center from which the light of Christian illumination went forth. It spread through the whole surrounding region, drawing Gentiles to faith in Christ, and certainly Jews and proselytes as well, in the neighboring settlements.
The conversion of the Gentiles in Antioch of Pisidia was most abundant, and not only in the city, but throughout the whole region.
It is worthy of note here that the writer of Acts says that those believed who had been appointed beforehand. That is, they had been predestined by God and prepared for this through their personal life and disposition of soul (see Jn 6:44; Rom 8:29-30).
This partly shows that the number of those who believed was apparently much greater than the number of those who proved worthy of being received into the bosom of the Church.
It follows from this that incorporation into the Church was carried out with great circumspection. The measure of this preparation was readiness to receive eternal life and eternal salvation. The expression of this readiness was joy in the Lord and the good tidings about Him as Savior of all men.
Throughout the whole region the Gospel was evidently spread by the newly converted. They zealously transmitted what they had heard. By their rapture at receiving the teaching, they prepared many other Pisidians to receive it.
Therefore the seeds of Christian teaching sown here were like a field upon which seed is scattered, so that it may grow and in due time yield proper fruit. This indeed happened here afterward.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 10 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS