Limitless Word
God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
Acts 5:31 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.
  • KJV Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
  • NKJV Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
  • NASB He is the One whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
  • NLT Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven.

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

God exalted Jesus as Prince and Savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness. The risen Christ now gives the very salvation the leaders reject.

Overview

Jesus' exaltation to God's right hand fulfills Psalm 110 and confirms His royal, saving authority. Repentance and forgiveness are presented as gifts He grants, not human achievements. The offer extends even to those who crucified Him, displaying the breadth of gospel grace.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 40

  • Luke 24:47and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
  • Acts 2:33Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
  • Heb 2:10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
  • Acts 11:18When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
  • Luke 2:11Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!
  • 1 Jn 4:14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.
  • Rev 1:5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
  • Isa 9:6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  • Titus 3:4–6But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
  • Heb 12:2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
  • Matt 28:18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
  • Acts 3:15You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact.
  • Ezek 36:25–38I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
  • 2 Pet 1:11and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
  • Matt 1:21She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
  • Zech 12:10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
  • 2 Tim 2:25–26He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.
  • Jer 31:31–33Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
  • Acts 2:38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
  • Jude 1:25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.
  • Ps 89:24My faithfulness and loving devotion will be with him, and through My name his horn will be exalted.
  • Ezek 37:25They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.
  • Acts 4:11This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’
  • Dan 10:21But first I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. Yet no one has the courage to support me against these, except Michael your prince.
  • 2 Pet 1:1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
  • Isa 45:21Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.
  • Acts 3:26When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
  • Isa 43:11I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no Savior but Me.
  • Isa 43:3For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.
  • Acts 13:38–39Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
  • John 20:21–23Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”
  • Phil 3:20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
  • Ezek 34:24I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.
  • Acts 13:23From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.
  • 1 Pet 3:22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.
  • Mark 2:10But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic,
  • Ps 89:19You once spoke in a vision; to Your godly ones You said, “I have bestowed help on a warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
  • Acts 3:19Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,
  • Isa 49:26I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
  • Acts 2:36Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (10)

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 5:31YouTube · 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 5:31 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.