Acts 15:13

Acts 15:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
• New International Version (NIV)When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me.
• English Standard Version (ESV)After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me:

Context of Acts 15:13

11God saves us who are Jews when we believe in Jesus. It is not because we obey the Law of Moses. It is because the Lord Jesus is kind to us. God saves Gentiles in the same way, when they believe in Jesus.’ 12After Peter said this everybody in the group was quiet. Then Barnabas and Paul spoke to them. They said, ‘God helped us to do great miracles among the Gentiles. These showed that God was with us.’ When they had finished their report, James spoke to the group. He said, ‘Listen to me, my friends. 14Simon Peter has just described to us what happened first with the Gentile believers. He explained how God chose some of them to belong to him as his own people. 15The message of God's prophets agrees completely with this. They wrote long ago:

Acts 15:13 word by word

Μετὰ δὲ τὸ σιγῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπεκρίθη Ἰάκωβος λέγων· ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, ἀκούσατέ μου.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andδέde · thenG1161
• afterμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
• they had heldσιγάωsigaō · be silentG4601
• theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• JamesἸάκωβοςIakōbos · JamesG2385
• answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Menἀνήρanēr · manG435
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• hearkenἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• unto meἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for Acts 15:13

• 1 Corinthians 14:30Someone who is sitting in your meeting may receive a special message from God. Then, the person who is already speaking should stop.
• James 1:19Understand this, my Christian friends: We must all be careful to listen. We should not be too quick to speak. We should not get angry quickly.
• Acts 12:17Peter raised his hand towards them so that they would all be quiet. Then he explained to them how the Lord God had brought him out of the prison. He said to them, ‘Tell James and all the other believers what has happened to me.’ Then he left the house and he went away to another place.
• Acts 21:18The next day, we went with Paul to see James. The leaders of the believers were also there.
• Mark 15:40Some women were also there. They were watching these events from a long way away. Mary from Magdala was one of the women. Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses was also there. Salome was there too.
• Galatians 1:19I did not see any other apostles, except James, who is the Lord's brother.
• Galatians 2:9James, Peter and John understood that God had given this special job to me. They are the leaders that the church in Jerusalem respects. And they were happy to accept Barnabas and me as their friends. They agreed that we should teach God's message to the Gentiles. They themselves would continue to teach the Jews.
• James 1:1This letter is from me, James. I am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the 12 tribes of God's people who live in many different parts of the world. I say ‘hello’ to all of you.
• Acts 2:14Peter was there with the other 11 apostles and he stood up with them. He began to speak to the crowd with a loud voice. He said, ‘You people who are Jews like us, listen carefully to me. All of you who live here in Jerusalem, you also listen to me. I will explain to you everything that is happening.
• Acts 7:2Stephen said, ‘Men of Israel, my friends and leaders. Listen to what I say. Our great God appeared to our ancestor, Abraham, when he was still living in Mesopotamia. This happened before he went to Haran.
• Acts 22:1Paul said to the crowd, ‘Please, listen to me, you Jewish leaders and all you other people who are Jews like me. I want to explain to you what has happened here.’

Commentaries on Acts 15:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13James answered - He was evidently president of the council, and is generally called bishop of Jerusalem. The rest either argued on the subject, or gave their opinion; James alone pronounced the definitive sentence. Had Peter been prince and head of the apostles, and of the Church, he would have appeared here in the character of judge, not of mere counsellor or disputant. Thy popish writers say that "James presided because the council was held in his own…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13James answered - James the Less, son of Alpheus. See the notes on Acts 12:1. Hearken unto me - This whole transaction shows that Peter had no such authority in the church as the papists pretend, for otherwise his opinion would have been followed without debate. James had an authority not less than that of Peter. It is possible that he might have been next in age (compare 1 Corinthians 15:7); and it seems morally certain that he remained for a considerable…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-21Verses 7-21 We see from the words "purifying their hearts by faith," and the address of St. Peter, that justification by faith, and sanctification by the Holy Ghost, cannot be separated; and that both are the gift of God. We have great cause to bless God that we have heard the gospel. May we have that faith which the great Searcher of hearts approves, and attests by the seal of the Holy Spirit. Then our hearts and consciences will be purified from the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-19James, the brother of Jesus, said that the turning of the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) to God agreed with Scripture. He strongly argued that it was against God’s will to place extra rules on Gentiles who wanted to join God’s people.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. James answered, saying, &c.--Whoever this James was (see on Ga 1:19), he was the acknowledged head of the church at Jerusalem, and here, as president of the assembly, speaks last, winding up the debate. His decision, though given as his own judgment only, could not be of great weight with the opposing party, from his conservative reverence for all Jewish usages within the circle of Israelitish Christianity.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 15:13

• Antioch
• Catholicity
• Church
• Circumcision
• Council
• Doctrines
• Elder
• Gentiles
• James
• Law
• Titus

In the dictionaries

• Abstain
• Apostle
• Cause
• Choice
• Consider
• Conversion
• Council
• Declare
• Dissension
• Galatians, Epistle to

Commentaries on Acts 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings