Acts 13:29 (KJV)

What does Acts 13:29 mean?

Acts 13:29 describes how, after everything written about Jesus had been carried out, those responsible took his body down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. The verse highlights the fulfillment of what had been foretold about Jesus and the actions taken after his crucifixion.

In this verse, Paul is speaking in a synagogue, recounting the events of Jesus’s death to a Jewish audience in Antioch. He emphasizes that everything done to Jesus was in line with what had been written in the Scriptures. The mention of taking Jesus down from the "tree" (a common way to refer to a cross) and laying him in a "sepulchre" (tomb) underscores both the reality of his death and the care taken with his burial.

The Greek behind Acts 13:29

• The word "fulfilled" (τελέω, teleō) means to complete or carry out fully. Here, it stresses that all the events of Jesus’s suffering and death happened just as Scripture had said they would.
• The word "tree" (ξύλον, xylon) is often used in Greek to mean wood or a wooden object, and in this context, it refers to the cross. This echoes Old Testament language about being hanged on a tree, connecting Jesus’s death to those earlier texts.
• The word "sepulchre" (μνημεῖον, mnēmeion) means a tomb or burial place. This word shows that Jesus was given a proper burial, not left on the cross, which was significant in Jewish custom and prophecy.

Why Acts 13:29 matters

• Acts 13:29 clears up that Jesus’s death and burial were not random events but were seen as fulfillments of what had been written in the Jewish Scriptures, which would have been important for Paul’s audience.
• The verse connects the story of Jesus directly to Old Testament expectations, showing continuity between the Hebrew Scriptures and the message Paul is preaching.
• By mentioning the burial, Acts 13:29 sets up the significance of the resurrection, which Paul goes on to discuss, making the sequence of events clear for his listeners.