It is not clear why Paul and Barnabas did not spend more time in Perga, but went quickly on to Pisidian Antioch. Some suggest that Paul may have contracted malaria, and that he was eager to reach the higher elevations of central Anatolia for some kind of relief (see Galatians 4:13).1 Another option is that there were some connections between the Roman proconsul in Paphos, Sergius Paulus, and a man called Sergii Paulli who had estates in Antioch. It is possible that Paul had some kind of letter of introduction which he was following up on.2 Most likely, the decision to go to Pisidian Antioch was motivated by the fact that Paul knew that the town had a synagogue and a fair-sized Jewish population.3 There is no evidence of a synagogue having existed in Perga.
14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.