“You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said.
Parallel translations
- WEB saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men, and ate with them!”
- KJV Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
- BSB and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
- NKJV saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
- NASB saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
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
They object that Peter went in to and ate with uncircumcised men. Table fellowship with Gentiles was the heart of their concern.
Overview
Eating with Gentiles violated the boundary markers that had long set Israel apart. The objection shows how radical Peter's action seemed to tradition-minded believers. Peter's coming defense will demonstrate that God Himself authorized this fellowship, foreshadowing the larger truth that in Christ the dividing wall is removed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 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.
- Gal 2:12For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
- Luke 15:2The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”
- 2 Jn 1:10If anyone comes to you, and doesn’t bring this teaching, don’t receive him into your house, and don’t welcome him,
- Acts 10:23So he called them in and provided a place to stay. On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
- 1 Cor 5:11But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortionist. Don’t even eat with such a person.
- Acts 10:48He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay some days.
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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 11:3 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.