Limitless Word
Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.
Acts 11:4 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying,
  • KJV But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,
  • BSB But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:
  • NKJV But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:
  • NASB But Peter began and explained at length to them in an orderly sequence, saying,

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 responds by explaining the whole matter to them in order. He answers objection with a careful account of God's leading.

Overview

Rather than asserting his authority, Peter patiently recounts the events step by step. His orderly explanation models how disputes in the church are best settled by appealing to what God has clearly done and said. The detailed retelling that follows lets the facts of God's action carry the argument.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Luke 1:3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;
  • Acts 14:27When they had arrived, and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations.
  • Josh 22:21–31Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel,
  • Prov 15:1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 11:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 11:4 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.