But Peter helped him up, saying, “Stand up; I, too, am just a man.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.”
- KJV But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
- BSB But Peter helped him up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
- NKJV But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”
- NLT But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!”
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 raises Cornelius up, insisting he too is only a man. He refuses worship that belongs to God alone.
Overview
Peter's response stands in sharp contrast to those who accept divine honors (cf. Herod in 12:22-23). True servants of God deflect worship to their Maker. The verse upholds the central biblical conviction that worship is reserved for God, distinguishing the apostles' ministry from idolatry and self-exaltation; only Christ, who is both God and man, rightly receives such homage.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Rev 19:10I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
- Rev 22:8–9Now I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me these things.
- Matt 4:10Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
- Acts 14:14–15But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes, and sprang into the multitude, crying out,
- Isa 42:8“I am Yahweh. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.
- Isa 48:13Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens. when I call to them, they stand up together.
- 2 Th 2:3–4Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,
- Rev 13:8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed.
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 10:26 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.