Acts 15:20

Acts 15:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
• New International Version (NIV)Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
• English Standard Version (ESV)but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
• New King James Version (NKJV)but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.

Context of Acts 15:20

18Long ago I caused people to know all these things.” ’ 19James then said, ‘So this is what I have decided about this problem. Many Gentiles are now turning to God as believers. We should not make it difficult for them. Instead of that, we should write a letter to tell them how to live as believers. We should say to them, “Do not eat any food which people have given to their idols. That food has become unclean. Do not have sex with anyone that you are not married to. If people have strangled an animal to kill it, do not eat its meat. Do not eat anything that still has blood in it.” 21These rules are important, because people have known the Law of Moses for a very long time. On every Jewish day of rest, someone teaches us about the Law in our Jewish meeting places in every city.’ 22The whole group of believers agreed with what James said. So the apostles and the other leaders decided to choose some men from among the group of believers. These men would go to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Silas and Judas, who was also called Barsabbas. The believers all respected these men as leaders.

Acts 15:20 word by word

ἀλλ᾽ ἐπιστεῖλαι αὐτοῖς τοῦ ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν ἀλισγημάτων τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ τῆς πορνείας καὶ τοῦ πνικτοῦ καὶ τοῦ αἵματος.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Butἀλλάalla · butG235
• that we writeἐπιστέλλωepistellō · to write toG1989
• unto themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• that they abstainἀπέχωapechō · to have in fullG568
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• pollutionsἀλίσγημαalisgema · defilementG234
• of idolsεἴδωλονeidōlon · idolG1497
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• fornicationπορνείαporneia · sexual sinG4202
• things strangledπνικτόςpniktos · strangledG4156
• bloodαἷμαaima · bloodG129

Cross-references for Acts 15:20

• Acts 15:29Do not eat any food that people have given to their idols. Do not eat anything that still has blood in it. If people have strangled an animal to kill it, do not eat its meat. Do not have sex with anyone that you are not married to. If you obey these rules, you will do well. Goodbye.’
• Genesis 35:2So Jacob told the people in his house and everyone who was with him, ‘Throw out all the foreign idols that you have with you. Wash your body very well and put on clean clothes.
• Exodus 20:3You must not have any other gods except me.
• Exodus 34:15Be careful not to make an agreement with the people who live in that land. They have turned away to worship their own gods. They offer sacrifices to their gods. When they do that, they may ask you to join with them. Then you will eat the food that they have offered to their gods.
• Numbers 25:2The women from Moab took Israelite men to watch them as they offered sacrifices to the gods of Moab. The Israelite men joined with the Moabite women to eat at their feasts. They also worshipped the gods of Moab.
• Psalms 106:37They even killed their sons and their daughters as sacrifices for those idols of demons!
• Ezekiel 20:30So say this to Israel's people. “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Will you continue to make yourselves unclean in the way that your ancestors did? You are not faithful to me. Instead, you worship disgusting idols.
• 1 Corinthians 8:1You asked me a question about food that people have offered to idols. You say, ‘We all know about these things.’ We know that is true. But when you know about something, that can make you proud. Love is better. Love helps people to become strong.
• 1 Corinthians 10:20But the people who offer food to idols are worshipping demons. They are not worshipping God when they do that. I do not want you to share in what they do to worship demons.
• Revelation 2:14But I have a few things to say against you. Some people among you agree with what Balaam taught long ago. He taught Balak to do a bad thing against God's people. Balak caused the Israelite people to do wrong things. As a result, they ate food that people had given to idols. They also had sex with people who were not their husbands or wives.
• Revelation 9:20But all the people that the fire, the smoke and the sulphur did not kill continued to do bad things. They did not change how they lived. They worshipped things that they had made for themselves. They worshipped demons and idols that they made from gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood. Those idols cannot see anything or hear anything. They cannot walk anywhere. But the people continued to worship them.
• Revelation 10:2He had a little book in his hand and it was open. He put his right foot on the sea and he put his left foot on the land.
• 1 Corinthians 5:11Now I am telling you this: I was talking about people who say that they are believers. If they say that, but they have sex in a wrong way, do not be friends with them. It is the same if they want many things for themselves. They may worship idols. They may insult people. They may often get drunk. They may deceive people and rob them. If one of your own group does things like that, do not even agree to eat a meal with them.
• 1 Corinthians 6:9People who do wrong things like that will never belong to God's kingdom. You surely know that. Do not think that people like this will receive God's good things: People who have sex in wrong ways. People who worship idols. People who have sex with anyone that they are not married to. Men who have sex with other men.
• 1 Corinthians 7:2That may be true, but then people may have sex in wrong ways. So every man should have his own wife and every woman should have her own husband.
• 2 Corinthians 12:21I am afraid that I may be very sad when I come back to you. My God may cause me to feel ashamed about you. Some of you may still be doing bad and disgusting things. You may be having sex with people that you are not married to, or in other wrong ways. Those are the bad things that many of you did at one time. If you have not turned away from those bad things, that will make me weep.

Commentaries on Acts 15:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20But that we write unto them - Four things are prohibited in this decree: Pollutions of idols; fornication; things strangled; blood. By the first, Pollutions of Idols, or, as it is in Acts 15:25, meats offered to idols, not only all idolatry was forbidden, but eating things offered in sacrifice to idols, knowing that they were thus offered, and joining with idolaters in their sacred feasts, which were always an incentive either to idolatry itself, or to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20That we write unto them - Expressing our judgment, or our views of the case. That they abstain - That they refrain from these things, or wholly avoid them. Pollutions of idols - The word rendered “pollutions” means any kind of “defilement.” But here it is evidently used to denote the flesh of those animals that were offered in sacrifice to idols. See Acts 15:29. That flesh, after being offered in sacrifice, was often exposed for sale in the markets, or…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. 20Eating food offered to idols is sinful when it involves active participation in idol worship (see Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8; Revelation 2:14, 20). However, Paul teaches that eating such food is not always wrong in itself. The concern is whether eating causes a fellow believer with a weak conscience to sin (1 Corinthians 8:4–13). Paul also warns against eating at a pagan temple, since that amounts to sharing in idol worship. But he permits eating food…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. But ... that they abstain from pollutions of idols--that is, things polluted by having been offered in sacrifice to idols. The heathen were accustomed to give away or sell portions of such animals. From such food James would enjoin the Gentile converts to abstain, lest it should seem to the Jews that they were not entirely weaned from idolatry. and from fornication--The characteristic sin of heathendom, unblushingly practiced by all ranks and classes…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 15:20

• Adultery
• Antioch
• Blood
• Catholicity
• Chastity
• Church
• Circumcision
• Council
• Doctrines
• Elder
• Gentiles
• Idolatry
• James
• Law
• Strangled
• Titus

In the dictionaries

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

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