Charles Spurgeon Commentary Acts 13

Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.

They would be noticed as strangers who had come there. The synagogue did not generally contain a very large assembly, and the Jews of the place would be well known to one another, and they would notice that two or three men had come in whom they were not accustomed to seeing in their company.

And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand, said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

They always liked to hear the story of their people. It was sure to win their attention.

Notice how expressly Paul puts it that, though they were a favored people, it was by the election of divine grace that they were so: The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers.

The Lord chooses whom he will, and he chose the fathers of the house of Israel: and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt. God took care of them when they were aliens and foreigners under a cruel power in the land of Egypt: and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

This was the glory of Israel; the Jews always delighted to hear of Egypt, and of the Exodus, and of the great things that God did for them in the day of their redemption when, by the sprinkling of the blood of the paschal lamb, they were protected from the sword of the destroying angel.

Now when Paul and his company departed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

"John" – that is, John Mark, as we see in Acts 15:37.

But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue went unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

The rulers of the synagogue had noticed them as strangers coming in, and perceived that they were Jews, probably by their wearing the same kind of garments as other Jews did.

But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after reading of the law and the prophets, (Acts 13:14–15)

From which there were always two appointed lessons, one from the writings of Moses, and another from one of the prophets; and on this day it was probably the first chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, or the first chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah – the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them. (Acts 13:15)