And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
they.
Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 8:8 And there was great joy in that city.
glorified.
Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
and as.
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
John 10:16,26,27 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd…
John 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
ordained.
Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
Acts 20:13 And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot.
Acts 22:10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
they rejoiced
The Gentiles' rejoicing reflects their acceptance and appreciation of the message of salvation. This joy is a common response to the gospel throughout the New Testament, as seen in Acts 8:8 with the Samaritans and in Acts 16:34 with the Philippian jailer. It underscores the transformative power of the gospel and the fulfillment of Jesus' promise of joy to those who believe in Him (John 15:11).
and glorified the word of the Lord
Glorifying the word of the Lord indicates that the Gentiles recognized the divine authority and truth of the message they received. This act of glorification is a form of worship and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and grace. It parallels the response of the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, who accepted the word not as human words but as the word of God.
and all who were appointed for eternal life believed
This phrase touches on the theological concept of divine election, suggesting that those who believed were predestined by God for salvation. It aligns with passages like Ephesians 1:4-5, which speak of believers being chosen before the foundation of the world. This concept is central to understanding God's sovereignty in salvation, emphasizing that faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that His purposes are fulfilled in those He calls.
• Paul has just declared in Acts 13:47 that the Lord commanded him to be “a light for the Gentiles.” Hearing that the gospel is for them too fulfills Isaiah 49:6 and echoes Jesus’ words in John 10:16 about “other sheep.”
• Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). The moment the message reaches their ears, God is actively working, proving that His word “does not return void” (Isaiah 55:11).
• Their response reminds us of Cornelius’s household in Acts 10:44—Gentiles again receiving the word the instant it is spoken.
• Joy marks genuine reception of the gospel (Luke 2:10–11; 1 Peter 1:8).
• Salvation produces gladness because it delivers from wrath (Romans 5:9) and grants adoption (Galatians 4:5–7).
• Notice the immediate, public nature of their joy, contrasting the jealousy of many Jews in Acts 13:45. True hearing turns sorrow into singing (Psalm 126:2).
• To glorify the word is to honor the Lord Himself (John 1:1; Psalm 138:2).
• They treat the message as weighty, authoritative, and life-giving, just as the Thessalonians did: “You accepted it not as the word of men but as the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
• The gospel’s spread among unlikely people magnifies God’s grace (Ephesians 3:8–10), fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that the kingdom seed would grow in surprising soil (Matthew 13:31–32).
• Scripture speaks plainly: believing results from God’s prior appointment (Ephesians 1:4–5; 2 Timothy 1:9).
• “Appointed” underscores divine initiative; yet the call to believe remains genuine (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). Both truths stand side by side, as in John 6:37—“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.”
• Eternal life is not merely future bliss; it begins now (John 17:3). Their belief instantly secures them in Christ (John 5:24), proving Jesus’ promise that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:27–28).
• Luke’s phrasing guards the glory of God: the number of believers is not accidental but sovereignly determined, assuring us that evangelism can never fail to reach those God has prepared (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14).
Acts 13:48 reveals a chain of grace: the gospel proclaimed, ears opened, hearts rejoicing, mouths glorifying, and souls believing—all under God’s sovereign appointment. The verse invites confidence in preaching, assurance in salvation, and unrestrained joy that the promise of eternal life is certain for every one of His appointed people.
(48) They were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord.--Both verbs are in the tense of continued action. The joy was not an evanescent burst of emotion. The "word of the Lord" here is the teaching which had the Lord Jesus as its subject.As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.--Better, as many as were disposed for. The words seem to the English reader to support the Calvinistic dogma of divine decrees as determining the belief or unbelief of men, and it is not improbable, looking to the general drift of the theology of the English Church in the early part of the seventeenth century, that the word "ordained" was chosen as expressing that dogma. It runs, with hardly any variation, through all the chief English versions, the Rhemish giving the stronger form "pre-ordinate." The Greek word, however, does not imply more than that they fell in with the divine order which the Jews rejected. They were as soldiers who take the place assigned to them in God's great army. The quasi-middle force of the passive form of the verb is seen in the Greek of Acts 20:13, where a compound form of it is rightly rendered "for so he had appointed," and might have been translated for so he was disposed. It lies in the nature of the case that belief was followed by a public profession of faith, but the word "believed" does not, as some have said, involve such a profession.
Verse 48. - As for when, A.V.; God for the Lord, A.V. and T.R. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. This can only refer to the predestination or election of God, viewed as the moving cause of their faith (comp. Ephesians 1:4, 5, 11, 12; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 1:2. See the Seventeenth Article of Religion).