“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
- KJV But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
- NKJV But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
- NASB But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.”
- NLT “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Peter refused, insisting he had never eaten anything unclean. His devotion to the law made the command hard to accept.
Overview
Peter's protest reveals his deep loyalty to the dietary laws that marked Jewish identity. His reluctance shows how revolutionary the coming change truly was. God patiently works to move him beyond old boundaries toward embracing the Gentiles in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Lev 20:25You are therefore to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and birds. Do not become contaminated by any animal or bird, or by anything that crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you.
- Ezek 4:14“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.”
- Dan 1:8But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself.
- Lev 11:1–25The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, telling them,
- Deut 14:1–29You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,
- Ezek 44:31The priests may not eat any bird or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts.
- Matt 25:9‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
- Matt 16:22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”
- Acts 10:28He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.
- Acts 9:5“Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.
- Exod 10:11No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
- Luke 1:60But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”
- Gen 19:18But Lot replied, “No, my lords, please!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 10:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.