Acts 13:46,47 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Then Paul and Barnabas Perceiving that no good impression could be made upon them; waxed bold Used great freedom of speech; and said, It was necessary According to the general instructions of our Divine Master; that the word of God should first be spoken to you He shows that he had not preached to them from any confidence of their believing; but seeing ye put it from you, and By that very action, in effect; judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life Persons unfit to have it offered to you. This text plainly shows that persons may be said to be self-condemned, who furnish out matter of condemnation from their own words, though they do not actually pass sentence on themselves: for nothing was further from the thoughts of these Jews than to declare themselves unworthy of eternal life, because they did not believe the gospel; for they rather expected that life by rejecting it. They, indeed, judged none but themselves worthy of it; yet their conduct in rejecting the gospel, was the same as saying, We are unworthy of eternal life; as it effectually precluded their obtaining it. Lo, we turn to the Gentiles Not that they intended entirely to desist from preaching to the Jews, for we find they continued to address them first in other places wherever they came; but they now determined to lose no more time at Antioch on their ungrateful countrymen, but to employ themselves wholly in doing what they could for the conversion of the Gentiles there. For so hath the Lord commanded us See Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; in consequence of that prediction which was uttered by Isaiah in the name of God; saying To his Son, the Messiah; I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles, &c.