Acts 10:44 kjv
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
Acts 10:44 nkjv
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Acts 10:44 niv
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
Acts 10:44 esv
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
Acts 10:44 nlt
Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message.
Acts 10 44 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 2:1-4 | When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound... And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them... And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues... | Pentecost: Jewish reception of Spirit. |
| Acts 2:38 | Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." | Promise of Spirit for believers. |
| Acts 2:17 | "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh..." | Prophecy of Spirit for all. |
| Acts 8:14-17 | Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit... | Samaritan reception of Spirit. |
| Acts 10:1-8 | At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion... An angel of God came in and said to him, "Cornelius." | Cornelius' vision preceding Peter's visit. |
| Acts 10:9-16 | The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour... | Peter's vision of unclean animals. |
| Acts 10:28 | He said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation..." | Jewish segregation from Gentiles. |
| Acts 10:34-35 | So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." | God's impartiality. |
| Acts 10:45-47 | And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles... | Jewish amazement at Gentile Spirit reception. |
| Acts 11:15-17 | "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" | Peter's testimony, comparing to Pentecost. |
| Acts 15:7-9 | And after much debate, Peter rose and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us..." | Peter's evidence for Gentile inclusion. |
| Joel 2:28-29 | "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh..." | Prophecy of universal Spirit outpouring. |
| Isa 44:3 | For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. | OT prophecy of Spirit blessing. |
| Ezek 36:26-27 | "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you... And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes..." | New Covenant promise of indwelling Spirit. |
| Rom 8:9 | You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. | Holy Spirit indwells believers. |
| Rom 10:12-13 | For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. | No distinction between Jew and Greek in Christ. |
| Eph 2:13-14 | But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility... | Unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ. |
| Eph 2:18 | For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. | Common access to God for both. |
| Gal 3:26-28 | For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith... There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. | Unity and equality in Christ through faith. |
| Tit 3:5-6 | he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior... | Holy Spirit for salvation and renewal. |
| Heb 8:10-12 | For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people... | New Covenant applies to hearts and includes knowing God. |
| 1 Cor 12:13 | For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. | Unity of body through Spirit baptism. |
Acts 10 verses
Acts 10 44 Meaning
Acts 10:44 signifies the groundbreaking moment when the Holy Spirit was poured out on Gentiles who believed the message of the Gospel, immediately and visibly, without any prior requirement of circumcision or adherence to the Mosaic Law. This event mirrored the Jewish Pentecost, confirming God's universal salvation and validating the inclusion of Gentiles into the new covenant as full recipients of the Holy Spirit, making them fellow heirs in Christ. It revealed God's impartiality, demonstrating that salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is available to all, regardless of ethnic background.
Acts 10 44 Context
Acts chapter 10 marks a monumental shift in the early church's understanding of its mission, moving beyond a purely Jewish focus to include Gentiles fully. The preceding verses establish divine preparation: Cornelius, a devout Roman centurion, receives a vision instructing him to send for Peter (Acts 10:1-8). Concurrently, Peter receives a visionary experience on a rooftop, seeing "unclean" animals lowered in a sheet, with a divine command to "kill and eat," repeatedly telling him, "What God has made clean, do not call common" (Acts 10:9-16). This vision was crucial for Peter, a Jew bound by Mosaic food laws, to overcome his deeply ingrained cultural and religious prejudice against Gentiles. Prompted by the Spirit, Peter journeys to Caesarea and enters Cornelius' Gentile household, a shocking act for a strict Jew (Acts 10:23-29). Before verse 44, Peter preaches a sermon, beginning by declaring "God shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34) and explaining that Jesus is Lord of all, fulfilling prophecies, crucified, resurrected, and now offers forgiveness of sins to "everyone who believes in him" (Acts 10:36-43). Acts 10:44 then describes the dramatic interruption of Peter's sermon, demonstrating God's sovereign hand validating this new direction.
Acts 10 44 Word analysis
While Peter was still speaking: (Greek: Eti lalountos tou Petrou)
- While still: (Eti) Emphasizes immediacy and the uncompleted nature of Peter's sermon. The Spirit's action was not a result of a full, complete presentation or a ritual, but an interruption by divine initiative.
- Peter was speaking: (lalountos tou Petrou) Highlights Peter's active role as the preacher of the Gospel, as commissioned by Christ (Acts 1:8). This divine interruption validated his words and presence among Gentiles.
these words: (Greek: ta rhemata tauta)
- these words: Refers directly to the Gospel message Peter had just proclaimed, specifically about Jesus Christ, His death, resurrection, Lordship, and the forgiveness of sins offered through His name to all who believe (Acts 10:34-43). It was the truth of the Gospel, not Jewish rituals, that prompted the Spirit's outpouring.
the Holy Spirit: (Greek: to Pneuma to Hagion)
- the Holy Spirit: The third person of the Trinity. He is the divine agent, God Himself, working actively in the world and in believers. His descent signifies divine presence, empowerment, and indwelling. This phrase clearly identifies the source of the supernatural event.
fell upon: (Greek: epepesen epi)
- fell upon: A powerful, descriptive verb signifying a sudden, unbidden, and undeniable divine descent or outpouring. It is an act of sovereign power, indicating possession, endowment, and enveloping presence. It parallels the language used for the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:2-3, ekcheo 'poured out' and katabatatos 'came down'). This immediate and dramatic action left no room for doubt among the observers regarding its divine origin.
all who heard the message: (Greek: epana tas akouontas ton logon)
- all: (Pantas) This term is profoundly significant. It includes every Gentile present—men, women, children (implied, by common Jewish custom to bring the whole family to an event), bond and free—without distinction. This challenges deeply ingrained Jewish belief that only circumcised Jews (or proselytes) could be covenant people of God.
- who heard: (akouontas) Denotes receptive hearing, listening with understanding and likely initial belief or openness to Peter's message.
- the message: (ton logon) Refers to the divine word, specifically the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The emphasis is that their reception of the Spirit was connected to their hearing and initial belief in the proclaimed Logos, not on any pre-condition or human ritual.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- While Peter was still speaking these words: This highlights the direct, immediate connection between the preaching of the Gospel (the "words") and the divine response. It shows God initiating the Spirit's reception based on faith in the spoken word, before Peter could even instruct them on any further actions or rites.
- the Holy Spirit fell upon: This phrase conveys the irresistible and sovereign nature of God's action. The Holy Spirit is an active agent, not merely an influence, powerfully intervening and directly bestowing spiritual life and presence.
- all who heard the message: This crucial phrase emphasizes the universality of the Spirit's gift for those who believe, transcending ethnic, social, and religious barriers that had previously separated Jews from Gentiles. It establishes that Gentiles could be full recipients of God's grace and Spirit without first becoming Jews.
Acts 10 44 Bonus section
The spontaneous outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:44 functions as God's personal, irrefutable stamp of approval on Gentile salvation, bypassing traditional Jewish entry requirements. It provided Peter with empirical evidence that convinced even the "circumcised believers" who had accompanied him, prompting their astonishment (Acts 10:45) and leading to the immediate command for water baptism (Acts 10:47-48) after the Spirit's descent. This sequence underscores that salvation and the gift of the Spirit are by grace through faith alone, with water baptism as an obedient response and public declaration of what God has already done. This "Gentile Pentecost" was critical in shifting the early Church's mission to a global, rather than exclusively Jewish, focus. It provided the theological basis for the decisions at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, preventing the imposition of the full Mosaic Law on Gentile converts and allowing the gospel to spread freely throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.
Acts 10 44 Commentary
Acts 10:44 is a pivotal moment in the New Testament narrative, marking the undeniable inclusion of Gentiles into God's covenant people. Before Peter finished preaching the good news of Jesus, the Holy Spirit "fell upon" all the Gentile listeners. This miraculous outpouring directly demonstrated God's approval of Peter's mission and Cornelius' household, confirming that the gift of the Spirit was now for all flesh, echoing Joel's prophecy (Joel 2:28).
The immediate and unmediated giving of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, prior to water baptism or any discussion of circumcision or law observance, directly mirrored the Jewish Pentecost experience in Acts 2. This divine validation was so profound that it utterly disarmed the accompanying Jewish believers (Acts 10:45) and later served as decisive evidence for the apostles in Jerusalem to embrace Gentile inclusion without requiring adherence to Mosaic law (Acts 11:15-17; 15:7-9).
This event dramatically broadened the understanding of salvation beyond ethnic or religious boundaries. It demonstrated God's impartiality, establishing that justification and new life come by faith in Jesus Christ, and are accompanied by the Holy Spirit, irrespective of background. It was not dependent on human rituals but on divine grace responding to genuine faith in the Gospel message. The visible manifestation of the Spirit's presence (Acts 10:46, "speaking in tongues and extolling God") further solidified its authenticity, proving to the Jewish witnesses that Gentiles could indeed receive the Spirit just as they had. This marked the definitive beginning of the global, multicultural Church.