Acts 11:1–18

Footnotes

1. 1 See δέχομαι 5 for this translation of ἐδέξαντο (edexanto) here.
2. 2 Here the phrase “word of God” is another way to describe the gospel (note the preceding verb ἐδέξαντο, edexanto, “accepted”). The phrase could also be translated “the word [message] from God.”
3. 3 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
4. 4 Or “the Jewish Christians”; Grk “those of the circumcision.” Within the larger group of Christians were some whose loyalties ran along ethnic-religious lines.
5. 5 Or “believers disputed with,” “believers criticized” ( διακρίνω 5.b).
6. 6 Or “You were a guest in the home of” (according to L&N 23.12).
7. 7 Or “and ate with.” It was table fellowship and the possibility of eating unclean food that disturbed them.
8. 8 Or “to them in logical sequence,” “to them in order.” καθεξῆς has “explain to someone point by point” for this phrase. This is the same term used in Luke 1:3.
9. 9 This term describes a supernatural vision and reflects a clear distinction from something imagined ( ὅραμα 1). Peter repeated the story virtually word for word through v. 13. The repetition with this degree of detail shows the event’s importance.
10. 10 Or “coming down.”
11. 11 Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
12. 12 Grk “Staring I looked into it.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
13. 13 Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25–26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate.
14. 14 Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. πετεινόν).
15. 15 Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (thuson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.
16. 16 Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akathartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts. The sentiment Peter expressed is like Ezek 4:14.
17. 17 Or “declare.” The wording matches Acts 10:15.
18. 18 Grk “And behold.”
19. 19 Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in . For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
20. 20 See ἐφίστημι 1 for this meaning for ἐπέστησαν (epestēsan) here.
21. 21 The word “staying” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
22. 22 Six witnesses is three times more than what would normally be required. They could confirm the events were not misrepresented by Peter.
23. 23 Grk “words” (ῥήματα, rhēmata), but in this context the overall message is meant rather than the individual words.
24. 24 Or “came down on.”
25. 25 The words “he did” are not in the Greek text but are implied. They form an ellipsis which must be supplied for the modern English reader. Some modern translations supply “it” rather than “he” because the gender of πνεῦμα (pneuma) in Greek is neuter, but there are sufficient NT contexts that use masculine pronouns to refer to the Spirit to justify the use of a masculine pronoun here in the translation.
26. 26 At the beginning is an allusion to Acts 2 and Pentecost. The beginning is a way to refer to the start of the period of the realization of Jesus’ promise in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. Peter was arguing that God gave Gentiles the same benefits he gave the Jews at the start of their mission.
27. 27 The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rhēma tou kuriou; here and in Luke 22:61, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
28. 28 The imperfect verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) is taken as a customary imperfect.
29. 29 John … Spirit. This remark repeats Acts 1:5.
30. 30 Codex Bezae (D) and {a few other Western witnesses} here lack ὁ θεός (ho theos, “God”), perhaps because these scribes considered the Holy Spirit to be the gift of Christ rather than the gift of God; thus leaving the subject implicit would naturally draw the reader back to v. 16 to see the Lord Jesus as the bestower of the Spirit.
31. 31 That is, the same gift of the Holy Spirit.
32. 32 Or “gave us when we believed”; or “gave us after we believed”; or “gave us who believed”; or “gave them when they believed the same gift as he also gave us.” The aorist dative plural participle πιστεύσασιν (pisteusasin) can be understood in several different ways: (1) It could modify ἡμῖν (hēmin, “us”) or αὐτοῖς (autois, “them”). Proximity (it immediately follows ἡμῖν) would suggest that it belongs with ἡμῖν, so the last option (“gave them when they believed the same gift he also gave us”) is less likely. (2) The participle could be either adverbial or adjectival, modifying ἡμῖν. This decision is primarily a contextual one. The point Peter made is not whether or not the Gentiles believed, since both groups (“us” and “they”) had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The point was whether or not the Gentiles received the Spirit when they believed, just as Jewish Christians had received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost when they believed. Translated as an adjectival participle, πιστεύσασιν only affirms the fact of belief, however, and raises somewhat of a theological problem if one realizes, “Would God have given the Gentiles the Spirit if they had not believed?” (In other words, belief in itself is a theological prerequisite for receiving the Spirit. As such, in the case of the Gentiles, it is assumed.) Thus in context it makes more sense to understand the participle πιστεύσασιν as adverbial, related to the time of belief in connection with the giving of the Spirit. (3) The participle πιστεύσασιν as a temporal participle can refer to action antecedent to the action of the main verb ἔδωκεν (edōken) or contemporaneous with it. Logically, at least, the gift of the Spirit followed belief in the case of the original Christians, who had believed before the day of Pentecost. In the case of Cornelius and his household, belief and the reception of the Spirit were virtually simultaneous. One can argue that Peter is “summarizing” the experience of Jewish Christians, and therefore the actions of belief and reception of the Spirit, while historically separate, have been “telescoped” into one (“gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed”), but to be technically accurate the participle πιστεύσασιν should be translated “gave them the same gift as he also gave us after we believed.” A number of these problems can be avoided, however, by using a translation in English that maintains some of the ambiguity of the Greek original. Thus “if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing” is used, where the phrase “after believing” can refer either to “them” or to “us,” or both.
33. 33 Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
34. 34 Or “prevent,” “forbid” ( κωλύω 1.a). Peter’s point is that he will not stand in the way of God.
35. 35 Grk “these things.”
36. 36 Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.
37. 37 Or “glorified.”
38. 38 Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7–42; 7:37–39).
39. 39 In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.