New Living Translation
Acts 10:11
11He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners.
Acts 10:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
- New International Version (NIV)He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
Context of Acts 10:11
9The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
Read all of Acts 10Acts 10:11 word by word
καὶ θεωρεῖ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγμένον καὶ καταβαῖνον σκεῦός τι ὡς ὀθόνην μεγάλην τέσσαρσιν ἀρχαῖς καθιέμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- sawθεωρέωtheōreō · to see/experienceG2334
- heavenὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
- openedἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
- a certainτιςtis · oneG5100
- vesselσκεῦοςskeuos · vesselG4632
- descendingκαταβαίνωkatabainō · to come/go downG2597
- untoἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- it had been a greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
- sheetὀθόνηothonē · sheetG3607
- knitδέωdeō · to bindG1210
- at the fourτέσσαρεςtessares tessara · fourG5064
- cornersἀρχήarchē · beginningG746
- let downκαθίημιkathiēmi · to lowerG2524
- the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
Cross-references for Acts 10:11
- Acts 7:56And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
- Ezekiel 1:1On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
- Luke 3:21One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened,
- John 1:51Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”
- Revelation 4:1Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”
- Revelation 11:19Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.
- Revelation 19:11Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
- Genesis 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.
- Isaiah 11:6In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.
- Isaiah 19:23In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will both worship God.
- Isaiah 43:6I will say to the north and south, ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.
- Isaiah 56:8For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”
- Matthew 8:11And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Matthew 13:47“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind.
- John 11:52And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.
- John 12:32And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
Commentaries on Acts 10:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11And saw heaven opened - His mind now entirely spiritualized, and absorbed in heavenly contemplation, was capable of discoveries of the spiritual world; a world which, with its , or plenitude of inhabitants, surrounds us at all times; but which we are incapable of seeing through the dense medium of flesh and blood, and their necessarily concomitant earthly passions. Much, however, of such a world and its economy may be apprehended by him who is purified…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11And saw heaven opened - Acts 7:56. See the notes on Matthew 3:16. This language is derived from a common mode of speaking in the Hebrew Scriptures, as if the sky above us was a solid, vast expanse, and as if it were opened to present an opportunity for anything to descend. It is language that is highly figurative. And a certain vessel - See the notes on Acts 9:15. As it had been - It is important to mark this expression. The sacred writer does not say…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-18Verses 9-18 The prejudices of Peter against the Gentiles, would have prevented his going to Cornelius, unless the Lord had prepared him for this service. To tell a Jew that God had directed those animals to be reckoned clean which were hitherto deemed unclean, was in effect saying, that the law of Moses was done away. Peter was soon made to know the meaning of it. God knows what services are before us, and how to prepare us; and we know the meaning of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-16God gave Peter the same vision three times to confirm it was true (see Genesis 41:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-169-16. upon the housetop--the flat roof, the chosen place in the East for cool retirement. the sixth hour--noon.Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 10:11
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
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