Acts 10 28

Acts 10:28 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.

Acts 10:28 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.

Acts 10:28 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.

Acts 10:28 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.

Acts 10:28 nlt

Peter told them, "You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.

Acts 10 verses

Acts 10 28 Meaning

Peter articulates a foundational shift in understanding, declaring that God has revealed to him that no human being should be deemed ritually "common" or "unclean" simply by their ethnic origin or social standing. This pronouncement directly challenges deeply ingrained Jewish customs and interpretations of the Law that had historically mandated separation from Gentiles, effectively dismantling perceived barriers between people groups within God's sight. It marks a pivotal moment where the gospel's universal reach, initially hinted at in Christ's ministry, becomes unmistakably clear for the early Church's mission to all nations.

Acts 10 28 Context

Acts 10:28 is a pivotal statement made by the Apostle Peter upon entering the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, in Caesarea. This event is a critical juncture in the early church's mission, signaling a dramatic expansion beyond its Jewish roots. The preceding verses (10:1-27) describe Cornelius, a devout Gentile, receiving a divine vision to send for Peter. Concurrently, Peter, while praying, receives a repeated vision of a sheet descending from heaven, containing all kinds of "unclean" animals, with a divine command to "kill and eat." When Peter protests based on Jewish dietary laws, a voice declares, "What God has made clean, you must not call common." This experience, coupled with the arrival of Cornelius's messengers, forces Peter to journey to a Gentile home, a radical departure from established Jewish custom. The statement in verse 28 serves as Peter's explanation, both to the Gentiles present and implicitly to himself and his Jewish companions, for why he is violating centuries of tradition. It directly follows the narrative where he steps into a space historically deemed "unclean" for a Jew, demonstrating his personal acceptance of God's new revelation.

Acts 10 28 Word analysis

• And he said to them: Peter addresses Cornelius's household and company, including his kinsmen and close friends (Acts 10:24), signifying a public declaration.
• You yourselves know: Peter acknowledges their awareness of the strong Jewish traditions, which were widely recognized in the Roman world. This serves as common ground for understanding the gravity of his statement.
• how unlawful it is: (Greek: hōs athemiton estin - ὡς ἀθέμιτον ἐστὶν).
  • Athemiton means "contrary to divine law, unlawful, forbidden," but also "contrary to custom" or "taboo." It denotes something prohibited by a combination of Mosaic Law and firmly established Jewish tradition, specifically the Halakha, which elaborated on legal interpretations beyond the written Torah.
  • Significance: It points to the Jewish perspective that such association was not merely culturally undesirable but deeply wrong from a religious standpoint. This reflected deeply held convictions, reinforced by centuries of self-preservation of their unique identity amidst pagan cultures.
• for a Jew: (Greek: andri Ioudaio - ἀνδρὶ Ἰουδαίῳ). Specifies the cultural and religious identity central to this custom. A male Jew was particularly concerned with purity laws due to ritual participation.
• to associate with or visit anyone of another nation: (Greek: kollasthai ē proserchesthai allophylo - κολλᾶσθαι ἢ προσέρχεσθαι ἀλλοφύλῳ).
  • Kollasthai (associate with): "to join, cleave to, attach oneself," implies deep, sustained interaction or fellowship, often including shared meals and lodging. This was strictly avoided to prevent ritual defilement and assimilation into paganism (cf. Ex 34:15-16, Deut 7:3-4).
  • Proserchesthai (visit): "to come near, approach, draw close to." This might imply even a temporary entry into a Gentile home or social proximity.
  • Allophylo (anyone of another nation/Gentile): "one of another tribe or race," a clear designation for non-Jews. In Greek culture, allophylos sometimes carried a derogatory connotation (stranger, enemy), reflecting a deep division.
  • Significance: The combination emphasizes a wide range of prohibited interactions, from casual approach to deep fellowship.
• but God has shown me: (Greek: kago emoi o Theos edeixen - κἀμοὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἔδειξεν).
  • "But I myself, God showed." The personal pronoun emoi (me) emphasizes Peter's direct, personal divine instruction. This isn't Peter's own deduction but a divine revelation, grounding the change in God's authority.
  • Significance: Peter attributes his changed perspective not to personal preference or a re-interpretation of the Law, but to a direct, incontrovertible divine encounter (his vision). This makes the pronouncement authoritative for the fledgling church.
• that I should not call any person common or unclean: (Greek: mē kalein koinon ē akatharton anthropon - μὴ καλεῖν κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον ἄνθρωπον).
  • Mē kalein (not call): To refrain from designating or labelling.
  • Koinon (common): Ritual defilement from contact with something impure, but also "ordinary," "profane." In Jewish thought, it means rendered ritually impure by lack of purification or by contact with forbidden things. This concept was central to maintaining ceremonial purity.
  • Akatharton (unclean): This term specifically refers to ritual impurity, often used in the Torah for prohibited animals or bodily discharges that rendered one unfit for temple worship or community life (Leviticus 11-15).
  • Anthropon (person/human): This is the crucial application. Instead of animals (as in Peter's vision), the direct revelation applies the terms koinon and akatharton to people.
  • Significance: This is the revolutionary heart of the verse. God's declaration transcends the earlier Jewish legal and traditional boundaries, removing the theological basis for spiritual or social segregation of human beings. It asserts the intrinsic worth and potential for holiness in all people in God's sight, regardless of their ethnic, cultural, or religious background before faith. It's a statement about people being made clean by God, enabling fellowship.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone of another nation": This phrase precisely summarizes the rigid legal and social barrier between Jews and Gentiles established by tradition, which intensified over time, building upon the Torah's commands for separation from pagan practices (Deut 7:3-4). This wasn't explicitly outlawed by Mosaic Law for all contact, but rabbinic interpretations had severely restricted interaction, especially commensality and home entry, to avoid defilement from pagan idols and foods.
• "but God has shown me": This introduces a divine counter-revelation, indicating that the preceding "unlawful" status, though long-held, is now being superseded by a higher divine command. Peter is not acting on his own initiative but under direct divine authority, validating the drastic change.
• "that I should not call any person common or unclean": This is the theological breakthrough. It redefines purity not by ethnic background or previous religious adherence, but by God's decree. The vision about food, though the immediate trigger, was fundamentally about people. God's cleansing is now available to all humanity, and therefore no person, by virtue of their birth or cultural background, is inherently "unclean" in a way that would prohibit fellowship with God's people. This directly addresses the deep-seated prejudices and re-establishes a universal scope for God's grace and the gospel's reach.

Acts 10 28 Bonus section

The impact of Acts 10:28 extends beyond mere dietary regulations or social etiquette. It addresses the very concept of otherness within the people of God. Historically, many cultures have categorized "others" as less than, inferior, or ritually contaminated. Jewish identity, in part, was defined by its separation from the nations. Peter's revelation fundamentally challenges this worldview, proclaiming that in God's eyes, every human possesses a dignity and potential for relationship with God that no human custom or previous legal interpretation can negate. This teaching provided a critical theological underpinning for the future growth of the early Church, validating Paul's extensive missionary work to the Gentiles, and affirming that salvation in Christ is genuinely offered without prejudice to anyone, anywhere. It established an early theological principle for inclusivity and anti-prejudice, reflecting the image of God in all humanity, which would later be more fully developed by Paul.

Acts 10 28 Commentary

Acts 10:28 serves as Peter's theological declaration stemming from his vision and the subsequent divine guidance. It explains the monumental shift occurring within the nascent Christian faith: the abrogation of traditional Jewish-Gentile purity laws as they pertained to social interaction. For centuries, Jewish people maintained a distinct identity by meticulously adhering to purity laws and customs that, over time, broadened into strict separation from non-Jews. Peter’s statement acknowledges this long-held "unlawful" status for Jews engaging deeply with Gentiles but directly contrasts it with God’s explicit, personal revelation to him. This redefines what is "clean" or "common," transferring the concept from ritual items to individual people, asserting that no human should be designated as ritually impure by their inherent being. This verse lays the groundwork for the Gentile mission, dissolving barriers of prejudice and opening the door for a universal Church where ethnic background no longer dictates acceptance or separation from God or His people. It highlights God's impartiality and the transformative power of the New Covenant that transcends Old Testament ceremonial boundaries to include all of humanity.