So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
Parallel translations
- WEB So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus.
- KJV So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
- NKJV So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
- NASB So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
- NLT So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus.
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
Sent out by the Holy Spirit, the two go down to Seleucia and sail to Cyprus. The Spirit, not merely the church, is the true sender.
Overview
Luke stresses that it is the Holy Spirit who sends them, though the church laid hands on them; divine call and human commissioning work together. Seleucia was Antioch's seaport, and Cyprus, Barnabas's home region (4:36), is the natural first destination. The journey that will carry the gospel across the Roman world begins under the Spirit's direction.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Acts 4:36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),
- Acts 13:2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
- Acts 11:19Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.
- Acts 20:23I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me.
- Acts 27:4After putting out from there, we sailed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 13:4 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.