“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and 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.
- 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.”
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 20:25“‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and you shall not make yourselves abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean for you.
- Ezek 4:14Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, my soul has not been polluted; for from my youth up even until now I have not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn of animals; neither came there abominable meat into my mouth!”
- Dan 1:8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
- Lev 11:1–25Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,
- Deut 14:1–29You are the children of Yahweh your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
- Ezek 44:31The priests shall not eat of anything that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it is bird or animal.
- Matt 25:9But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
- Matt 16:22Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”
- Acts 10:28He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean.
- Acts 9:5He said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
- Exod 10:11Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve Yahweh; for that is what you desire!” They were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
- Luke 1:60His mother answered, “Not so; but he will be called John.”
- Gen 19:18Lot said to 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.