But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
Parallel translations
- WEB But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
- BSB “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure 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 20:25Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
- Ezek 4:14Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
- Dan 1:8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
- Lev 11:1–25And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
- Deut 14:1–29Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
- Ezek 44:31The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.
- Matt 25:9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
- Matt 16:22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
- Acts 10:28And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
- Acts 9:5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
- Exod 10:11Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
- Luke 1:60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
- Gen 19:18And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.