Limitless Word
but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.
Acts 13:37 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But he whom God raised up saw no decay.
  • KJV But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
  • BSB But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
  • NKJV but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.
  • NLT No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

But the one God raised did not see decay. The prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus alone.

Overview

In contrast to David, Jesus, whom God raised, did not undergo decay, proving that Psalm 16 speaks of him. The argument anchors the resurrection in Scripture and history together. Jesus' incorruptible risen body marks him out as the promised Holy One, the foundation of the salvation Paul now offers.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 2

  • Acts 13:30But God raised him from the dead,
  • Acts 2:24whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 13:37YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 13:37 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.