Acts 11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:2

And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem ,.... From Caesarea, after he had stayed some certain days in Cornelius's house; so a journey from Caesarea to Jerusalem is called an ascending from the one to the other, Acts 25:1 because Jerusalem stood on higher ground, as well as was the metropolis of the country; and this was a journey of six hundred furlongs, or seventy five miles, for so far, according to Josephus F20 De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 3. sect. 5. , was Caesarea distant from... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:3

Saying, thou wentest into men uncircumcised ,.... Into the houses of such, and lodged with them, and familiarly conversed with them: and didst eat with them ; which, according to the traditions of the Jews, were unlawful; See Gill on Acts 10:28 they say nothing about his preaching to them, and baptizing them, because these were so manifestly agreeable to the commission of Christ, in Matthew 28:19 and yet how these could be without the other, is not easy to say. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:4

But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning ,.... Of the vision at Joppa; and expounded it by order unto them ; or related every particular, in a very methodical and orderly manner: he did not insist upon his authority as an apostle, and much less pretended to a primacy to the rest of the apostles; but submitted to have his case heard, examined, and judged of by the body of the brethren. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:5

I was in the city of Joppa ,.... And so it is called by Josephus F23 Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 2. , and in the Apocrypha: "And he pitched his tents against Joppa: but; they of Joppa shut him out of the city, because Apollonius had a garrison there.' (1 Maccabees 10:75) "The men of Joppa also did such an ungodly deed: they prayed the Jews that dwelt among them to go with their wives and children into the boats which they had prepared, as though they had meant them no hurt.' (2... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:6

Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes ,.... Not of his body, but of his mind; for this was only in vision presented to him, when he was as Paul was, not knowing whether in the body or out of it: I considered : being intent upon this object, he considered in his mind what it was, and what it should mean; it being something strange and unusual; which came down from heaven, and out of it, and came so close and near to him, that it engrossed all his thoughts, and was the subject of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:7

And I heard a voice saying unto me ,.... As he apprehended in his mind; and this voice he heard in the same sense and manner, as the Apostle Paul heard when in a trance, Acts 22:17 . arise, Peter, slay and eat ; that is, get up and slay some of these creatures upon the sheet, and dress them and eat them. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:8

But I said, not so, Lord ,.... For he took the voice he heard to be the voice of the Lord, and yet he was not obedient to the heavenly vision, and even though he was an hungry; which shows what a strict observer he was of the ceremonies of the law, and how much he was prejudiced in favour of them: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth ; he had not suffered anything to come within his lips; he had not even tasted, and much less ate anything that was... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:9

But the voice answered me again from heaven ,.... From whence the former voice came, and was the voice of the Lord, or of an angel of the Lord, and which answered him again, or a second time ; not that it said to him a second time kill and eat, but what follows; what God hath cleansed, that call not thou common ; that is, had declared to be clean and fit for use, and did not defile, and could not defile the man into whose mouth it entered, and therefore ought not to be pronounced... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:10

And this was done three times ,.... That is, the voice from heaven answered three times, and encouraged Peter to kill and eat; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "and he likewise said unto me the third time"; the words as before: and all were drawn up again into heaven ; the sheet with all the creatures upon it, by the same hands that let it down; the Syriac version renders it, "and all betook themselves to heaven"; as if it all went up to heaven of itself; and the Ethiopic version,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 11:11

And behold, immediately ,.... The moment the vision was over; there were three men already come unto the house where I was ; they stood before the gate, as in Acts 10:17 and as the Syriac and Ethiopic here have it, and were inquiring for Peter, whether he lodged there; and these men were sent from Caesarea unto me ; the Syriac version adds, "by Cornelius": now this incident being just at the close of the above vision, served greatly to explain it to the apostle, and encouraged him... read more

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