Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, see, we turn to the Gentiles.
waxed.
Acts 4:13,29-31 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus…
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Romans 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
It was.
Acts 13:26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
Acts 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
seeing.
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Exodus 32:9,10 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: …
Deuteronomy 32:21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
turn.
Acts 18:6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Isaiah 55:5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first:
This statement underscores the priority of the Jewish people in God's redemptive plan, as seen in Romans 1:16. The Jews were the original recipients of God's promises (Romans 9:4-5), and Jesus Himself ministered primarily to them (Matthew 15:24). The necessity reflects a fulfillment of prophecy and a respect for the covenantal relationship between God and Israel.
But since you reject it:
The rejection by the Jewish audience is a recurring theme in Acts (Acts 18:6, 28:25-28). This rejection was prophesied in Isaiah 6:9-10 and is echoed in Jesus' ministry (John 12:37-41). It highlights the hardness of heart that can occur despite clear evidence and fulfillment of prophecy.
and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life:
This phrase indicates a self-imposed exclusion from the blessings of the gospel. Eternal life, a central theme in the New Testament, is offered through faith in Christ (John 3:16). The Jewish audience's rejection is not due to a lack of opportunity but a refusal to accept the message of salvation.
we now turn to the Gentiles:
This turning point marks a significant shift in the early church's mission strategy, aligning with Jesus' command in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses "to the ends of the earth." It fulfills Old Testament prophecies about the inclusion of the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6). Paul's ministry to the Gentiles becomes a major theme in Acts and his epistles, emphasizing the universal scope of the gospel (Ephesians 3:6).
• Boldness marks Spirit-filled witness (Acts 4:13; 2 Timothy 1:7).
• The apostles refuse to be intimidated by opposition in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:45).
• Truth sometimes demands direct speech, just as Jesus spoke plainly to religious leaders (Matthew 23:13).
• “Necessary” underscores divine priority: the gospel was to go “to the Jew first” (Romans 1:16).
• God’s covenant promises to Israel (Genesis 12:3) require that they hear the Messiah’s message before it spreads wider.
• This pattern appears throughout Acts—Peter preaches to Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2); Paul always starts in the synagogue (Acts 17:1-2).
• Rejection is active: they “contradicted and blasphemed” (Acts 13:45).
• Jesus foretold such resistance (John 15:18-20).
• God honors human responsibility; persistently closing the door leads to loss of further opportunity (Hebrews 3:7-8).
• Worthiness isn’t about merit but receptivity. By refusing Christ, they deem themselves unfit (John 3:36).
• Eternal life remains God’s gracious gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), yet it must be embraced.
• Similar language appears when Paul shakes off dust at Corinth: “Your blood be on your own heads!” (Acts 18:6).
• This pivot fulfills Isaiah 49:6, cited in the very next verse (Acts 13:47).
• The gospel’s worldwide reach had always been God’s plan (Luke 2:32; John 10:16).
• Paul repeats this move in later cities (Acts 19:9; 28:28), showing both inclusivity and accountability.
• For Gentile believers, this moment signals welcome into God’s family apart from becoming Jewish proselytes (Galatians 3:28).
Paul and Barnabas, empowered by the Spirit, confront Jewish opposition with courageous clarity. God’s covenant order demanded the gospel reach Israel first, but persistent rejection shifts the mission field toward the Gentiles, fulfilling Scripture and revealing God’s heart for all nations. The verse reminds us that receiving the word determines one’s share in eternal life; rejecting it forfeits unimaginable blessing, while the open door of salvation continues for any who will listen.
(46) It was necessary.--The preachers recognised the necessity of following what they looked on as the divine plan in the education of mankind, and so they preached "to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile" (Romans 2:9-10). The former were offered, as the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham, the high privilege of being the channel through which "all families of the earth should be blessed" by the knowledge of Christ (Genesis 22:18). When they rejected that offer, it was made, without their intervention, to the Gentiles.Judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life.--There is a touch of righteous indignation, perhaps something like irony, in the words. The preacher had thought them "worthy" of the highest of all blessings, the life eternal which was in Christ Jesus, but they, in their boastful and envious pride, took what was really a lower estimate of themselves, and showed that they were "unworthy." They passed sentence, ipso facto, on themselves.
Lo, we turn to the Gentiles.--We have to remember (1) that the words were as an echo of those which the Apostle had heard in his trance in the Temple at Jerusalem (Acts 22:21); (2) that they would be heard, on the one hand, by the Gentiles with a joy hitherto unknown, and, on the other, by the Jews as a new cause of irritation.
Verse 46. - And for then, A.V. and T.R.; spake out boldly for waxed bold, A.V.; be for have been, A.V.; seeing for but seeing, A.V. and T.R.; thrust for put, A.V.; eternal for everlasting, A.V. Spake out boldly. Observe that Barnabas as well as Paul resented the unseemly opposition of the Jews. It was necessary. The necessity arose from the command of Christ (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; Acts 3:26). It is in accordance with this purpose of God that St. Paul says of the gospel that "it is the power of God unto salvation... to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Compare, too, our Lord's saying (Matthew 15:24) and the woman's reply (ibid. 27). In point of fact, this had been the practice of Paul and Barnabas no less than of Peter, and was the very motive that had brought them to Antioch. Lo, we turn to the Gentiles. These were, indeed, bold words to speak in a Jewish synagogue; the speakers had doubtless sought courage from the Holy Ghost (see Acts 4:29).