Contradiction with Numbers 14:33
Acts 13:18 states that God "suffered their manners" for forty years, while Numbers 14:33 states that the children of Israel were made to wander in the wilderness because of their parents' disobedience, implying punishment rather than patience.
Numbers 14:33: And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. [wander: or, feed]
Contradiction with Psalm 95:10
Acts 13:18 suggests patience over forty years, while Psalm 95:10 expresses God's grievance and frustration with the generation for forty years.
Psalm 95:10: Forty years long was I grieved with [this] generation, and said, It [is] a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
Contradiction with Hebrews 3:17
Acts 13:18 talks about God's enduring patience, whereas Hebrews 3:17 mentions God's wrath leading to those who sinned falling in the wilderness.
Hebrews 3:17: But with whom was he grieved forty years? [was it] not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Paradox #1
Acts 13:18 presents a minor historical inconsistency regarding the duration of time the Israelites spent in the wilderness. Some ancient manuscripts mention 40 years, while others suggest a different wording that might lead to various interpretations. This has created some debate among scholars about the exact meaning of the verse.
Paradox #2
Acts 13:18 mentions that God put up with the Israelites for about 40 years in the wilderness. Some translations mention God "cared for" them. The contradiction arises when comparing this to the timeline in other parts of the Old Testament, like Exodus and Deuteronomy, which also states they wandered for 40 years, but the phrase choice can lead to different interpretations. This is considered more as a discrepancy in translation rather than a strict numerical conflict.