Acts 13:36

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"David did God's will during the time he lived. Then he died and was buried like all his ancestors. And his body did rot in the grave!

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Howbe it David after he had in his tyme fulfilled the will of God he slepte and was layde with his fathers and sawe corrupcion.

Hebrew Names Version
For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw decay.

International Standard Version
For David, after he had served God's purpose in his own generation, diedfell asleep">[fn] and was laid to rest with his ancestors, and so he experienced decay.1 Kings 2:10; Acts 2:29;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
"For David, after he had served God's purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, and was buried among his fathers and underwent decay;

New Century Version
David did God's will during his lifetime. Then he died and was buried beside his ancestors, and his body did rot in the grave.

Update Bible Version
For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid to his fathers, and saw corruption:

Webster's Bible Translation
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, and was laid to his fathers, and saw corruption:

English Standard Version
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,

World English Bible
For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw decay.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Now David, having served the will of God in his generation, fell asleep, and was added to his fathers, and saw corruption.

Weymouth's New Testament
For David, after having been useful to his own generation in accordance with God's purpose, did fall asleep, was gathered to his forefathers, and did undergo decay.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But Dauid in his generacioun, whanne he hadde mynstrid to the wille of God, diede, and was leid with hise fadris, and say corrupcioun;

English Revised Version
For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Contemporary English Version
When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed.

Amplified Bible
"For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried among his fathers and experienced decay [in the grave];

American Standard Version
For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Bible in Basic English
Now David, having done God's work for his generation, went to sleep, and was put with his fathers, and his body came to destruction:

Complete Jewish Bible
For David did indeed serve God's purposes in his own generation; but after that, he died, was buried with his fathers and did see decay .

Darby Translation
For David indeed, having in his own generation ministered to the will of God, fell asleep, and was added to his fathers and saw corruption.

Etheridge Translation
For David in his generation served the will of Aloha, and slept, and was added to his fathers, and saw corruption.

Murdock Translation
For David, in his generation, served the pleasure of God, and went to rest, and was added to his fathers, and saw corruption.

King James Version (1611)
For Dauid after he had serued his owne generation by the will of God, fell on sleepe, and was laide vnto his fathers, and saw corruption:

New Living Translation
This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed.

New Life Bible
David was a good leader for the people of his day. He did what God wanted. Then he died and was put into a grave close to his father's grave. His body went back to dust.

New Revised Standard
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Howbeit, Dauid after hee had serued his time by the counsell of God, hee slept, and was laid with his fathers, and sawe corruption.

George Lamsa Translation
For David, after he had served his own generation with the will of God, passed away; though he was a greater man than his fathers, yet he saw corruption.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, David, indeed, unto his own generation having done service, by the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was added unto fathers, and saw corruption;

Douay-Rheims Bible
For David, when he had served in his generation, according to the will of God, slept: and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption.

Revised Standard Version
For David, after he had served the counsel of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For Dauid, after he had serued his tyme, by the wyll of God fell on slepe, and was layde vnto his fathers, and sawe corruption:

Good News Translation
For David served God's purposes in his own time, and then he died, was buried with his ancestors, and his body rotted in the grave.

Christian Standard Bible®
For David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed,

King James Version
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Lexham English Bible
For David, after serving the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried with his fathers, and experienced decay.

Literal Translation
For having served his own generation by the counsel of God, David truly fell asleep and was added to his fathers and saw corruption. 1 Kg. 2:10

Young's Literal Translation
for David, indeed, his own generation having served by the will of God, did fall asleep, and was added unto his fathers, and saw corruption,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For Dauid, whan he in his tyme had serued the wyll of God, he fell a slepe, and was layed by his fathers, & sawe corrupcion.

Mace New Testament (1729)
for David, after he had serv'd in his time the designs of providence, died and was buryed with his fathers, and was subject to corruption.

THE MESSAGE
"David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now. But the One God raised up—no dust and ashes for him! I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised. He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

New English Translation
For David, after he had served God's purpose in his own generation, died, was buried with his ancestors, and experienced decay,

New King James Version
"For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;

Simplified Cowboy Version
"When David's ride for God was done, he fell asleep and was buried with his granddaddies. His body has decayed.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;

Legacy Standard Bible
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his fathers and saw corruption;

Contextual Overview

¹⁴And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down. ¹⁵After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: "Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, please speak." ¹⁶Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me! ¹⁷The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land. ¹⁸He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness. ¹⁹And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance. ²⁰All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. ²¹Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. ²²After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.' ²³From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

served: etc. or, in his own age served the will of God, Acts 13:22, 1 Chronicles 11:2, 1 Chronicles 13:2-4, 1 Chronicles 15:12-16, 1 Chronicles 15:25-29, 1 Chronicles 18:14, 1 Chronicles 22:1 - 1 Chronicles 29:30, Psalms 78:71, Psalms 78:72

fell: Acts 7:60, 2 Samuel 7:12, 1 Kings 2:10, 1 Corinthians 15:6, 1 Corinthians 15:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:13

and was: Acts 2:29, 1 Chronicles 17:11, 2 Chronicles 9:31, 2 Chronicles 12:16, 2 Chronicles 21:1, 2 Chronicles 26:23

and saw: Genesis 3:19, Job 17:14, Job 19:26, Job 19:27, Job 21:26, Psalms 49:9, Psalms 49:14, John 11:39, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 1 Corinthians 15:53, 1 Corinthians 15:54

Reciprocal: Genesis 15:15 - And thou Genesis 25:8 - gathered Genesis 48:21 - Behold Numbers 31:2 - gathered Deuteronomy 31:16 - thou shalt Joshua 1:1 - the death Joshua 24:33 - died Judges 2:10 - General 1 Kings 14:8 - my servant David 1 Kings 15:5 - David 2 Kings 13:14 - he died 1 Chronicles 29:28 - a good old age 2 Chronicles 8:14 - so had David the man of God commanded Psalms 71:18 - until I Zechariah 1:5 - General Matthew 25:16 - went John 3:30 - but Acts 13:25 - fulfilled Acts 13:35 - to see Romans 14:8 - we die unto 1 Corinthians 11:30 - sleep Hebrews 10:36 - after

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 36 For David, after he had served his own generation,.... Or the men of that age and generation in which he lived, the subjects of his kingdom; by governing them with wholesome laws, protecting them in their rights and properties, defending them against their enemies, and regulating and promoting the worship of God among them:

by the will of God; this clause may be read in connection with the preceding words, as it is in the Syriac version thus, "after he had in his own age served the will of God"; acted according to it, fulfilled it, and did what the Lord declared to him, or he knew to be the will of God; or with the following words, as in the Vulgate Latin version, "by the will of God fell on sleep", or died; and then the sense is, that after he had done the work of his generation, which was appointed and cut out for him, he died by the decree and counsel of God, which has set bounds to man's life, and has fixed the time of his death; no man dies before, or lives longer than the time it is the will of God he should. David lived according to the will of God's command, and he died by the will of his decree. Death is expressed by falling asleep; a way of speaking very common with the eastern nations, and which represents it in an easy and familiar manner: it is not an annihilation of men; the dead are only fallen asleep, and will wake again in the resurrection; till which time the grave is their restingplace, and out of which the saints will rise fresh and cheerful; and yet, as a time of sleep is a time of inactivity, so no work is done in the grave; and therefore whatever we find to do, should be done in life. It is a long sleep; David has been many hundred years, even thousands, in it; and there will be no awaking out of it till Christ comes again: but this is to be understood of the body only, which only is capable of sleeping the sleep of death, and not of the soul, which dies not with the body, nor continues with it in the grave in a state of insensibility and inactivity, but immediately returns to God; and being happy, is employed in the vision of God, and Christ, in the fellowship of saints and angels, and in the work of praise and thanksgiving: thus, though David is fallen asleep in his body, he is present in spirit with the Lord; and that sweet psalmist of Israel is singing the songs of God in a much better manner than when here on earth. Blessed are they that sleep in Jesus, for they not only sleep quietly and safely, but shall surely rise again, for God will bring them with him; Christ is the first fruits of them, and they shall awake in his likeness. It is further said of David, "and was laid unto his fathers", or was buried; his sepulchre is said to be in Mount Zion q, where the kings of the house of David were buried; and his sepulchre Peter says in Acts 2:29 remained till his time.

And saw corruption; his body putrefied in the grave, became the repast of worms, and was reduced to rottenness and dust; and therefore the words could not be spoken of him cited from Psalms 16:10.

q Cippi Hebr. p. 24.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For David ... - This verse is designed to show that the passage in Psalms 16:1-11; could not refer to David, and must therefore relate to some other person. In Acts 13:37 it is affirmed that this could refer to no one, in fact, but to the Lord Jesus.

After he had served his own generation - See the margin. Syriac, “David in his own generation having served the will of God, and slept,” etc. Arabic, “David served in his own age, and saw God.” The margin probably most correctly expresses the sense of the passage. To serve a generation, or an age, is an unusual and almost unintelligible expression.

Fell on sleep - Greek: “slept,” that is, “died.” This is the usual word to denote “the death of saints.” It is used of David in 1 Kings 2:10. See notes on Matthew 27:52.

And was laid unto ... - And was buried with his fathers, etc., 1 Kings 2:10.

And saw corruption - Remained in the grave, and returned to his native dust. See this point argued more at length by Peter in Acts 2:29-31, and explained in the notes on that place.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 36. David - fell on sleep - and saw corruption — David died, was buried, and never rose again; therefore, David cannot be the person spoken of here: the words are true of some other person; and they can be applied to Jesus Christ only; and in him they are most exactly fulfilled. See the notes on Acts 2:29-30, &c.