ISB ~ Acts 26 v23

the first to rise:Israel’s hope in the resurrection (24:15) has become history in the personal experience of the Messiah (25:19), who is the first of an entire company of saints to be raised again in glory (1 Cor 15:20-23).

he would proclaim light:A probable allusion to Is 49:6, excerpted earlier by Paul in 13:47.

• Isaiah hears Yahweh sending out his messianic Servant, first to restore the scattered tribes of Israel and then to shine his light on the nations. The sequence of the prophecy explains why the apostles, who share in this mission of the Messiah (1:8; 9:15), carried the gospel to Israel before systematically evangelizing the Gentiles (3:26; 13:46; 26:20). See note on Acts 13:5.