So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him
Parallel translations
- WEB When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him,
- KJV And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
- NKJV And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,
- NASB And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, the Jewish believers took issue with him,
- NLT But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.
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
When Peter returns to Jerusalem, the circumcision party challenges him. His association with Gentiles troubles some Jewish believers.
Overview
Believers who held strongly to Jewish customs confront Peter, revealing tension in the early church over Gentile inclusion. Their concern was not malicious but rooted in deep convictions about the law. The episode shows the church working through, by testimony and Scripture, how the gospel relates to Israel's heritage.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Acts 10:45All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
- Acts 21:20–23When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
- Acts 10:9The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
- Gal 2:12–14For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.
- Acts 15:1Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
- Acts 15:5But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and declared, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”
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 11:2 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
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