New English Translation
Acts 10:28
28He said to them, “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile, yet God has shown me that I should call no person defiled or ritually unclean.
Acts 10:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
- New International Version (NIV)He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Context of Acts 10:28
26But Peter helped him up, saying, “Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.” 27Peter continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together. He said to them, “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile, yet God has shown me that I should call no person defiled or ritually unclean. 29Therefore when you sent for me, I came without any objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?” 30Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and suddenly a man in shining clothing stood before me
Read all of Acts 10Acts 10:28 word by word
ἔφη τε πρὸς αὐτούς· ὑμεῖς ἐπίστασθε ὡς ἀθέμιτόν ἐστιν ἀνδρὶ Ἰουδαίῳ κολλᾶσθαι ἢ προσέρχεσθαι ἀλλοφύλῳ· κἀμοὶ ὁ θεὸς ἔδειξεν μηδένα κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον λέγειν ἄνθρωπον,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andτεte · and/bothG5037
- he saidφημίphēmi · to assertG5346
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Yeσύsu · youG4771
- knowἐπίσταμαιepistamai · to know/understandG1987
- how thatὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- it is an unlawful thingἀθέμιτοςathemitos · unlawfulG111
- for a manἀνήρanēr · manG435
- that isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- a JewἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
- to keep companyκολλάωkollaō · to joinG2853
- orἤē · orG2228
- come untoπροσέρχομαιproserchomai · to come near/agreeG4334
- one of another nationἀλλόφυλοςallophulos · foreignG246
- butκαίkai · andG2532
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- hath shewedδεικνύωdeiknuō · to showG1166
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- I shouldλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- notμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
- any manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- commonκοινόςkoinos · common: unsanctifiedG2839
- uncleanἀκάθαρτοςakathartos · uncleanG169
Cross-references for Acts 10:28
- Acts 11:2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him,
- Acts 22:21Then he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
- John 4:9So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you – a Jew – ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)
- John 18:28Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s residence. (Now it was very early morning.) They did not go into the governor’s residence so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal.
- Galatians 2:12Until certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this and separated himself because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision.
- Acts 10:15The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!”
- Acts 11:9But the voice replied a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!’
- Acts 15:8And God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
- Isaiah 65:5They say, ‘Keep to yourself! Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’ These people are like smoke in my nostrils, like a fire that keeps burning all day long.
- Luke 18:11The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.
- Ephesians 3:6namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
Commentaries on Acts 10:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing, etc. - He addressed the whole company, among whom, it appears, there were persons well acquainted with Jewish customs; probably some of them were Jewish proselytes. But God hath showed me, etc. - He now began to understand the import of the vision which he saw at Joppa. A Gentile is not to be avoided because he is a Gentile; God is now taking down the partition wall which separated them from the Jews.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28It is an unlawful thing - This was not explicitly enjoined by Moses, but it seemed to be implied in his institutions, and was, at any rate, the common understanding of the Jews. The design was to keep them a separate people. To do this, Moses forbade alliances by contract, or marriage, with the surrounding nations, which were idolatrous. See Leviticus 18:24-30; Deuteronomy 7:3-12; compare Ezra 9:11-12. This command the Jews perverted, and explained it as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-33Verses 19-33 When we see our call clear to any service, we should not be perplexed with doubts and scruples arising from prejudices or former ideas. Cornelius had called together his friends, to partake with him of the heavenly wisdom he expected from Peter. We should not covet to eat our spiritual morsels alone. It ought to be both given and taken as kindness and respect to our kindred and friends, to invite them to join us in religious exercises…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 25-2925-29. as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him--a mark of the highest respect. fell down at his feet, and worshipped him--In the East this way of showing respect was customary not only to kings, but to others occupying a superior station; but among the Greeks and Romans it was reserved for the gods. Peter, therefore, declines it as due to no mortal [Grotius]. "Those who claim to have succeeded Peter, have not imitated this part of his conduct" [Alford]…Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 10:28
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Acts 10
- 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
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- 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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries