Acts 10 15

Acts 10:15 kjv

And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

Acts 10:15 nkjv

And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."

Acts 10:15 niv

The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

Acts 10:15 esv

And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common."

Acts 10:15 nlt

But the voice spoke again: "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean."

Acts 10 verses

Acts 10 15 Meaning

Acts 10:15 conveys a pivotal divine declaration to Peter, asserting God's supreme authority to redefine purity. After Peter protests consuming animals deemed unclean under Old Testament law, the heavenly voice emphatically states, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." This statement directly challenges deeply ingrained Jewish dietary and purity distinctions. Its deeper meaning extends beyond food to declare that people, specifically the Gentiles, whom Jews considered ritually "unclean" or "common," have been declared clean and acceptable by God for inclusion in His covenant people. It is a fundamental theological shift affirming God's impartiality and the universality of the Gospel.

Acts 10 15 Context

Acts chapter 10 recounts the pivotal encounter between Peter, the leading apostle to the Jews, and Cornelius, a Roman centurion—a Gentile. Prior to this, salvation was largely perceived as exclusively for Jews, with Gentiles requiring conversion to Judaism, including circumcision and adherence to the Mosaic Law. Cornelius, described as a devout and God-fearing man, receives a vision instructing him to send for Peter. Concurrently, Peter, on a rooftop in Joppa, falls into a trance and experiences his own vision: a great sheet descending from heaven, filled with all manner of "unclean" animals—creeping things, wild beasts, and birds. A voice commands him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." Peter, steadfast in his adherence to Jewish dietary laws (kashrut), responds, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." It is in response to Peter's protest, and Peter's clinging to deeply ingrained cultural and religious separation, that Acts 10:15 is spoken for the second time (out of three total repetitions). This vision and command serve as a direct preparation for Peter's encounter with Cornelius's messengers, dismantling his ingrained prejudice against associating with or accepting Gentiles as part of God's people. Historically and culturally, the Jewish people defined themselves in part by these dietary and purity laws, making this vision a profound theological and practical challenge to their identity and understanding of God's chosen people.

Acts 10 15 Word analysis

• And the voice (καὶ ἡ φωνὴ, kai hē phōnē): Refers to a supernatural, authoritative voice from heaven, unequivocally understood as coming from God Himself. This underscores the divine origin and unchallengeable nature of the command.
• spake unto him again (ἐλάλησεν πάλιν αὐτῷ, elalēsen palin autō): The verb elalēsen signifies direct, spoken communication. "Again" (palin) emphasizes the repetition of the message, highlighting Peter's initial reluctance and the divine persistence required to overcome it.
• the second time (ἐκ δευτέρου, ek deuterou): Denotes the second instance of this specific divine instruction, following Peter's protest. The recurrence of the command underscores its absolute importance, its non-negotiable status, and God's patience in guiding Peter to a new understanding. The vision occurred a third time also (Acts 10:16).
• What (Ἃ, Ha): A neuter plural relative pronoun, "which things" or "whatever things." It encompasses the full variety of previously forbidden animals presented in the sheet, symbolically representing the Gentile world.
• God (ὁ Θεὸς, ho Theos): Specifies the ultimate divine authority. This is a divine decree, not a human opinion or change of heart. God, the Lawgiver, now acts to declare what is permissible, overriding previous ordinances.
• hath cleansed (ἐκαθάρισεν, ekatharisen): Aorist indicative of katharizō, meaning "to cleanse," "to purify," "to make clean." The aorist tense indicates a decisive, completed action in the past—God has already done this. This is not a permission to cleanse but a declaration that the cleansing has occurred, changing the inherent status of what was once considered "unclean." This word also applies to ceremonial purity.
• that (σύ, su): A strong emphasis on "you," the personal pronoun for Peter. It's a direct command to him, calling him to align his will and understanding with God's.
• call not thou common (μὴ κοίνου, mē koinou): A present imperative with negation (mē koinou), meaning "do not continue calling common" or "do not consider as profane."
  • common (κοίνου, koinou from koinos): In this context, it carries the sense of "unclean," "profane," "ritually impure," or "defiled"—that which is unsuitable for sacred use or for interaction with God's chosen people under the Old Covenant. It contrasts with hagios ("holy" or "set apart for God"). Peter is forbidden from applying his human, tradition-bound labels to what God has divinely purified.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "What God hath cleansed": This phrase establishes God's ultimate and unchallengeable sovereignty. God is the arbiter of purity, not human traditions or the Old Covenant laws that governed ritual purity. The verb "cleansed" (perfective in Greek) denotes a complete and irreversible action, marking a decisive shift in status. This applies theologically not only to animals but, crucially, to the status of Gentiles in God's eyes, effectively nullifying the ritual barriers that separated Jew from Gentile.
• "that call not thou common": This is a direct, imperative command to Peter, personally instructing him to cease using previous categories of distinction. It challenges Peter's internal prejudice and adherence to ancestral customs, signaling a profound change in how God's people are to view both food and fellow human beings. To "call common" implies labeling, categorizing, and maintaining separation—actions God is now revoking.

Acts 10 15 Bonus section

The profound implications of Acts 10:15 extend to the very nature of the New Covenant, signaling the obsolescence of aspects of the Mosaic Law that served to distinguish Israel from the nations. This verse foreshadows Peter's later statement in Acts 15:9 where he affirms God purified the hearts of Gentiles by faith. The repetition of the vision three times (Acts 10:16) underscores its certainty and gravity, mirroring other significant divine pronouncements in scripture to remove any doubt (e.g., God's call to Samuel, Jesus' pre-resurrection warning about Peter's denials and post-resurrection reaffirmation of Peter's ministry, John 21:15-17). This divine declaration frees the early church from entanglement in endless disputes about ritual purity and table fellowship, paving the way for the robust Gentile mission pioneered by Paul. While the moral principles of the Old Testament persist, the ceremonial laws that divided and distinguished have been fulfilled and transcended in Christ.

Acts 10 15 Commentary

Acts 10:15 represents a watershed moment in redemptive history, pivoting the mission of the nascent church from a purely Jewish focus to universal evangelism. It transcends a mere dietary decree; rather, it dismantles the ceremonial framework of the Old Covenant that created social and religious barriers between Jew and Gentile. God's declaration, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common," fundamentally redefines purity. No longer would ritual observances, ancestral customs, or ethnic distinctions render individuals unfit for God's grace or fellowship. This divine pronouncement, delivered with undeniable authority and repetition, directly confronts Peter's deeply ingrained prejudices, preparing him for the radical inclusivity of the New Covenant message where salvation is by grace through faith for all who believe, regardless of their ethnic or ritual status. It underlines God's impartiality and His desire to embrace all humanity into His family. This principle continues to challenge believers today to dismantle human-made barriers and extend fellowship to all whom God has accepted.Practical applications:

• Challenging prejudices: It calls believers to examine and overcome any cultural, racial, socio-economic, or other prejudices that prevent them from embracing others whom God loves and accepts.
• Radical inclusivity: Encourages welcoming all people into Christian community, focusing on their spiritual status before God rather than external qualifications or human-imposed distinctions.
• Discerning divine will over tradition: Reminds us that while traditions can be valuable, they must always be open to correction and redirection by the explicit revelation of God's will.