New Living Translation
Acts 15:1
1While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Acts 15:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
- New International Version (NIV)Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Context of Acts 15:1
While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.
Read all of Acts 15Acts 15:1 word by word
Καί τινες κατελθόντες ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐδίδασκον τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ περιτμηθῆτε τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως, οὐ δύνασθε σωθῆναι.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- certain menτιςtis · oneG5100
- which came downκατέρχομαιkaterchomai · to descendG2718
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- Judeaὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- JudeaἸουδαίαIoudaia · JudeaG2449
- taughtδιδάσκωdidaskō · to teachG1321
- the brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- ·ὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- Exceptἐάνean · ifG1437
- ·μήmē · notG3361
- ye be circumcisedπεριτέμνωperitemnō · to circumciseG4059
- after the mannerἔθοςethos · customG1485
- of MosesΜωϋσῆς, ΜωσῆςMōseus Mōsēs Mōusēs · MosesG3475
- yeδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
- cannotοὐou · noG3756
- savedσῴζωsōzō · to saveG4982
Cross-references for Acts 15:1
- Acts 21:20After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously.
- Galatians 2:4Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations.
- Acts 15:23This is the letter they took with them: “This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!
- Acts 15:5But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”
- Romans 4:8Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
- Galatians 5:1So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
- Philippians 3:2Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.
- Colossians 2:8Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
- Genesis 17:10This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised.
- Leviticus 12:3On the eighth day the boy’s foreskin must be circumcised.
- John 7:22But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.)
- Acts 15:24“We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them!
- 1 Corinthians 7:18For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now.
- Galatians 2:1Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too.
- Galatians 5:6For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
- Galatians 6:13And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.
Commentaries on Acts 15:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Except ye be circumcised, etc. - The persons who taught this doctrine appear to have been converts to Christianity; but, supposing that the Christian religion was intended to perfect the Mosaic, and not to supersede it, they insisted on the necessity of circumcision, because, by that, a man was made debtor to the whole law, to observe all its rites and ceremonies. This question produced great disturbance in the apostolic Church; and, notwithstanding the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1And certain men - These were undoubtedly men who had been Jews, but who were now converted to Christianity. The fact that they were willing to refer the matter in dispute to the apostles and elders Acts 15:2 shows that they had professedly embraced the Christian religion. The account which follows is a record of the first internal dissension which occurred in the Christian church. Hitherto the church had been struggling against external foes. Violent…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The dispute raised by Judaizing teachers. (1-6) The council at Jerusalem. (7-21) The letter from the council. (22-35) Paul and Barnabas separate. (36-41) Verses 1-6 Some from Judea taught the Gentile converts at Antioch, that they could not be saved, unless they observed the whole ceremonial law as given by Moses; and thus they sought to destroy Christian liberty. There is a strange proneness in us to think that all do wrong who do not just as we do…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1These men from Judea were Jewish Christians who taught that circumcision and conversion to Judaism were necessary for salvation. The main issue was how to welcome non-Jews into the Christian community. Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians around this time to oppose the same teaching in Galatia (see Galatians Book Introduction, “Date of Writing”).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-351-2. certain men--See the description of them in Ga 2:4.Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 15:1
In the dictionaries
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
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