Acts 11:9 kjv
But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Acts 11:9 nkjv
But the voice answered me again from heaven, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common.'
Acts 11:9 niv
"The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'
Acts 11:9 esv
But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'
Acts 11:9 nlt
"But the voice from heaven spoke again: 'Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.'
Acts 11 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 11:17 | "If then God gave them the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God's way?” | Acts 15:8 (God giving witness through the Holy Spirit) |
| Acts 15:9 | "and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." | Rom 3:22 (Righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ) |
| Romans 10:13 | "For, 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” | Joel 2:32 (Quotation about calling on the Lord) |
| Galatians 3:28 | "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." | Gal 3:28 (Unity in Christ) |
| Ephesians 2:14 | "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility" | Eph 2:14 (Jesus as the source of peace, breaking down divisions) |
| 1 John 2:2 | "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." | 1 John 2:2 (Jesus' atoning sacrifice for all) |
| John 3:16 | "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." | John 3:16 (God's love and salvation through belief) |
| Romans 11:25 | "So that you may not presume to be wise in your own conceit, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a hardening in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." | Rom 11:25 (Mystery of Israel's hardening and Gentiles' inclusion) |
| Acts 2:38 | "And 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.” | Acts 2:38 (Peter's preaching about repentance and the Holy Spirit) |
| Luke 24:47 | "and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning with Jerusalem." | Luke 24:47 (Jesus' command to preach repentance to all nations) |
| Isaiah 43:5-6 | "Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, ‘Give up,’ and to the south, ‘Do not withhold, but bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth," | Isa 43:5-6 (Prophecy of gathering from all directions) |
| Jeremiah 31:33-34 | "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” | Jer 31:33-34 (New Covenant with internal transformation) |
| Matthew 28:19-20 | "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” | Matt 28:19-20 (The Great Commission) |
| Acts 10:47 | "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” | Acts 10:47 (Peter's recognition of Gentile's receiving the Spirit) |
| Acts 11:15 | "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning." | Acts 11:15 (The parallel of the Holy Spirit's outpouring) |
| Ephesians 3:5-6 | "which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." | Eph 3:5-6 (Gentiles as fellow heirs) |
| 1 Corinthians 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." | 1 Cor 12:13 (Unity of the body through the Spirit) |
| Genesis 12:3 | "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”" | Gen 12:3 (God's promise to Abraham) |
| Romans 4:16 | "That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all its offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who belongs to the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all," | Rom 4:16 (Promise based on faith) |
| Acts 13:47 | "For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”" | Acts 13:47 (Fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy to the Gentiles) |
| Isaiah 49:6 | "and he said, “It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”" | Isa 49:6 (Servant as a light to the nations) |
Acts 11 verses
Acts 11 9 Meaning
Peter, recalling God's word and the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit, acknowledged that the Gentiles' conversion was authentic and equal to the Jewish believers' experience. This led to a profound understanding that God grants repentance and life to all who believe, regardless of their ethnicity or adherence to the Mosaic Law. The decisive element is faith in Christ, evidenced by the bestowal of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 11 9 Context
In Acts chapter 11, Peter recounts his experience with Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and the Gentile believers in Caesarea. This account is given to the church in Jerusalem who had heard that Peter had eaten with "uncircumcised" men. The emphasis of Peter's testimony is that the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his household just as powerfully as it had upon the Jewish believers on the Day of Pentecost. This event challenged the long-standing divide between Jews and Gentiles, particularly concerning matters of ritual purity and access to God. The verse in question is Peter's conclusion and realization of God's will concerning the inclusion of Gentiles into the covenant community based solely on their faith in Jesus Christ and the received Holy Spirit, not on adherence to Jewish Law or circumcision.
Acts 11 9 Word Analysis
- “God” (θεός, theos): Refers to the one true God of Israel, Creator and Sovereign Ruler. Here, it highlights His divine action and acceptance.
- “gave” (ἔδωκεν, edōken): Aorist indicative active verb from δίδωμι (didomi), meaning to give. It signifies a completed action by God, bestowing a gift.
- “them” (αὐτοῖς, autois): Refers to the Gentiles, Cornelius and his household.
- “the same gift” (τὸ δῶρον τὸ ἴσον, to dōron to ISOn):
- “the gift” (τὸ δῶρον, to dōron): The gift of the Holy Spirit, which signifies salvation, regeneration, and empowerment for life in Christ.
- “the same” (τὸ ἴσον, to ISOn): Emphasizes equality. The gift received by the Gentiles was identical in nature and origin to the gift received by Jewish believers.
- “as” (ὥσπερ, hōsper): A comparative conjunction indicating similarity or resemblance.
- “He gave” (ἔδωκεν, edōken): Same verb as before, referring to God's action in giving the Spirit.
- “to us” (ἡμῖν, hēmin): Refers to the Jewish believers, including Peter.
- “when” (ὅτε, hote): A temporal conjunction, referring to the time of impartation.
- “we believed” (ἐπιστεύσαμεν, episteusamen): Aorist indicative active verb from πιστεύω (pisteuō), meaning to believe, to have faith. It denotes a past act of entrusting oneself to God.
- “in the Lord Jesus Christ” (εἰς τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, eis ton Kurion Iēsou'n Christon): This phrase indicates the object of belief – Jesus as Lord and Christ. Faith is placed directly upon Jesus Himself.
Group Analysis:
- "God gave them the same gift as He gave to us": This phrase underscores God's impartial grace. The use of the same verb ("gave") and adjective ("same") emphasizes the identical nature of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, sealing, and empowering for both Jews and Gentiles who believed. This directly confronts any notion of Gentile inferiority in God's sight.
Acts 11 9 Bonus Section
This event directly informs the debate addressed in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council. The inclusion of Gentiles without requiring circumcision was affirmed based on the very principle Peter articulates here – God Himself bore witness to their faith by giving them the Holy Spirit. This moment represents a significant shift from a Jewish-centric movement to a universal religion, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about Israel being a light to the nations. The debate was not merely about religious practice, but about the very nature of God's covenant people and the inclusivity of His salvific plan.
Acts 11 9 Commentary
Peter’s declaration is a pivotal moment in the early church. His explanation before the Jerusalem leaders establishes a crucial theological principle: God’s saving grace and the bestowal of the Holy Spirit are not conditional upon adherence to the Mosaic Law or Jewish ethnic identity, but solely upon faith in Jesus Christ. This revelation validated the ministry to the Gentiles and paved the way for the gospel to spread universally. It reiterates that the Spirit's work is the decisive sign of belonging to Christ.