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And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
Acts 15:4 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all things that God had done with them.
  • BSB On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they reported all that God had done through them.
  • NKJV And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.
  • NASB When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.
  • NLT When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through 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

In Jerusalem they were welcomed and reported all God had done through them. The Jerusalem church received them warmly and heard the evidence of God's work.

Overview

The cordial reception by the apostles, elders, and church set a constructive tone for the coming deliberation. Again Paul and Barnabas frame their account around what God accomplished, not their own efforts. Their testimony of God's evident work among Gentiles becomes key evidence in the debate that follows.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Acts 15:12Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
  • Acts 14:27And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
  • Acts 15:3And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
  • Acts 21:17And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
  • Rom 15:18For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
  • 2 Jn 1:10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
  • Matt 10:40He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
  • 3 Jn 1:8–10We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.
  • Col 4:10Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)
  • 1 Cor 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
  • Rom 15:7Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
  • 2 Cor 6:1We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
  • Acts 21:19And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
  • Acts 18:27And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
  • 2 Cor 5:19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

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 15:4YouTube · 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 15:4 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.