How does Paul begin rehearsing Israel's history in Acts 13?
Paul begins Israel’s history with Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob, tracing the nation from Genesis 12. Like Stephen in Acts 7, he rehearses the whole Jewish national history, showing the promises repeated to the patriarchs and carried through Jacob’s twelve sons before the prophets spoke of Christ’s first coming.
Les explains that Paul, now at Antioch of Pisidia, follows Stephen’s pattern from Acts 7 and rehearses the whole history of the Jewish nation. He starts with Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob, so the account goes all the way back to Genesis 12. The promises were repeated to Isaac and Jacob, and the twelve sons of Jacob carried it on through their sojourn, after which the prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel—spoke of His first coming.