Acts 11:8
What does Acts 11:8 mean?
A plain-English look at Acts 11:8 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Acts 11:8 means
Peter's immediate response to the divine command was a firm refusal, stating that nothing "common or unclean" had ever entered his mouth. This highlights his devout adherence to Jewish law, particularly the Mosaic dietary restrictions. His protest underscores the deep-seated cultural and religious training that made it difficult for him to accept this new revelation. It also emphasizes the transformative nature of the vision, as God had to directly challenge Peter's established beliefs to prepare him for the mission to the Gentiles.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.
KJV
King James Version · 1611But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949But I said, No, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever come into my mouth.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and I said, Not so, Lord; because anything common or unclean hath at no time entered into my mouth;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And I said: Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And I said, In no wise, Lord, for common or unclean has never entered into my mouth.
Context
This verse presents Peter's faithful Jewish response to the divine command, revealing his strict adherence to dietary laws. His protest is essential for understanding the magnitude of the change God was bringing about. It directly precedes God's counter-response, setting up the profound theological lesson that would reinterpret the concepts of clean and common, which is the crux of the entire vision.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Leviticus 10:10
and that ye may make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean;
- Mark 7:2
and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.
- 1 Corinthians 7:14
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
- Hosea 9:3
They shall not dwell in Jehovah’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.
- Ezra 9:11
which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their filthiness:
- Romans 14:14
I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself: save that to him who accounteth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
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