Act_13:48 - Word Order Makes The Difference!

13. Acts 13:48 - Word Order Makes The Difference!

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” - Acts 13:48 This verse is used by Mr. Nettleton in his book on page 28. We would like to quote Mr. Nettleton who goes in great lengths into Greek about the word “ordained.” He takes the root which is “tasso” and gives the meaning as “to appoint, arrange, order, ordain or decree.” Then he gives the way that the word is used in the New Testament.

Now, we have no quarrel with that, whatsoever, and adhere to the definition of the word as being given correctly. But you will find in a careful study that the translation of the wording of this verse is not properly worded.  Let us quote the verse again as the King James Translation records it:

“…And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” But if this is the correct order and the wording is correct in the King James Version, then we definitely have a contradiction with other portions of Scripture. But you will find, for example, in 1 John 4:14 :

“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

He could not be the Savior of the world if He ordained only some to believe.

“For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”- 1 Timothy 4:10 He is the Savior of all men, but that is put into reality only to those who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” - John 12:47 Here the world is included again.

You will find that the Greek word for “ordained” is “tasso.” It is an idiom which means “a commonly used expression meaning to be classified as those possessing eternal life.” Of course, it is the same word translated as “determined” in Acts 15:2 and we find out in “Vine's Expository Words on the Greek New Testament,” page 68, paragraph 5, along with other translations, that the verse would be properly worded, “as many as believed, were ordained unto eternal life.”

Or;

“…as many as believed were then appointed unto eternal life.” This would be the correct translation as it agrees with every other Scripture God uses concerning eternal life.