1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, they who belonged to the circumcision group criticized him; 3 they said, “You associated with uncircumcised men and ate with them!” 4 But Peter started to explain the matter to them in detail; he said, 5 I was praying in the city of Joppa, and I had a vision of a container coming down, like a large sheet let down from heaven by its four corners. It descended to me. 6 I gazed at it and I thought about it. I saw the four-legged animals of earth, wild beasts, creeping animals, and birds of the sky. 7 Then I heard a voice say to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!” 8 I said, “Not so, Lord; for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.” 9 But the voice answered again from heaven, “What God has declared clean, do not call unclean.” 10 This happened three times, and then everything was taken back up into heaven again. 11 Behold, right away there were three men standing in front of the house where we were; they had been sent from Caesarea to me. 12 The Spirit commanded me to go with them, and that I should make no distinction regarding them. These six brothers went with me, and we went into the man's house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send men to Joppa and bring back Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will speak to you a message by which you will be saved—you and all your household.” 15 As I began to speak to them, the Holy Spirit came on them, just as on us in the beginning. 16 I remembered the words of the Lord, how he said, “John indeed baptized with water; but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.” 17 Then if God gave to them the same gift as he gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could oppose God?” 18 When they heard these things, they said nothing in response, but they praised God and said, “Then God has given repentance for life to the Gentiles also.” 19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose over Stephen spread as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word only to Jews. 20 But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and spoke also to Greeks, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them; a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News about them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with all their heart. 24 For he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord. 25 Barnabas then went out to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. It came about, that for an entire year they gathered together with the church and taught many people. The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. 27 Now in these days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, Agabus by name, stood up and indicated by the Spirit that a great famine would occur over all the world. This happened in the days of Claudius. 29 So, the disciples, as each one was able, decided to send help to the brothers in Judea. 30 They did this; they sent money to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 11 Unlocked Literal Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Agabus
A prophet who foretold a great famine in the days of Claudius and later bound his feet and hands with Paul's belt to predict Paul's arrest at Jerusalem.
Cited in the guide: Acts 11:28; Acts 21:10
Barnabas
A Levite from Cyprus named Joseph and nicknamed Barnabas, 'son of encouragement,' who sold a field for the church, brought Saul to the apostles, and traveled with him as a…
Cited in the guide: Acts 4:36; Acts 9:27; Acts 11:22
Claudius
The emperor in whose reign the great famine predicted by Agabus occurred; he ordered all Jews to leave Rome, which brought Aquila and Priscilla to Corinth.
Cited in the guide: Acts 11:28; Acts 18:2
Places
Antioch (Syrian)
The empire's third-largest city and the first major Gentile church — the launching base for Paul's journeys. (Distinct from Pisidian Antioch.)
Cited in the guide: Acts 11:26; Acts 13:1-3; Galatians 2:11
Cross references (29)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Psalm 22:27; Malachi 1:11; Romans 15:7–12; Isaiah 32:15; Acts 14:27
- 2 Acts 10:45; Acts 15:1; Galatians 2:12–14; Acts 21:20–23; Acts 10:9
- 3 Acts 10:28; Galatians 2:12; Luke 15:2; Acts 10:23; 1 Corinthians 5:11
- 4 Luke 1:3; Acts 14:27; Joshua 22:21–31; Proverbs 15:1
- 5 Acts 10:9–32; Amos 8:2; Acts 22:17; Amos 7:4–7; Acts 9:10
- 6 Luke 4:20; Acts 3:4
- 8 Romans 14:14; 1 Corinthians 7:14; Hosea 9:3; Leviticus 10:10; Leviticus 11:47
- 9 Acts 15:9; Hebrews 9:13–14; Acts 10:34–35; Acts 10:28; 1 Timothy 4:5
- 10 John 13:38; John 21:17; Numbers 24:10; 2 Corinthians 12:8
- 11 Acts 9:10–12; Exodus 4:27; Exodus 4:14; Acts 10:17–18
- 12 Acts 8:29; Romans 3:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; Acts 10:23; Acts 10:45
- 13 Acts 10:30–32; Acts 10:22; Acts 9:43; Acts 10:3–6; Acts 12:11
- 14 Acts 16:15; Acts 10:22; Acts 16:31–34; Acts 10:2; Genesis 17:7
- 15 Acts 19:6; Acts 10:34–46; Acts 2:2–12; Acts 4:31
- 16 Acts 1:5; Mark 1:8; Proverbs 1:23; Luke 3:16; Matthew 3:11
- 17 Acts 10:47; Romans 9:20–26; Romans 11:34–36; Job 33:13; Acts 15:8–9
- 18 Romans 10:12–13; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Timothy 2:25–26; Acts 20:21
- 19 Acts 15:35; Acts 15:3; Acts 21:2; Acts 4:36; Acts 15:22
- 20 Acts 13:1; Matthew 27:32; Ephesians 3:8; Acts 6:9; Acts 2:10
- 21 Acts 2:47; Luke 1:66; Acts 5:14; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; Acts 9:35
- 22 Acts 9:27; Acts 15:22; Acts 8:14; Acts 11:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:6
- 23 1 Corinthians 15:58; Acts 14:22; 1 John 2:28; Acts 13:43; 2 Timothy 3:10
- 24 Acts 5:14; Acts 11:21; Psalm 112:5; Acts 9:31; Acts 6:5
- 25 Acts 9:11; Acts 9:30; Acts 9:27; Acts 21:39
- 26 1 Peter 4:16; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:14; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 12:12
- 27 Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; Matthew 23:34; Acts 15:32
- 28 Acts 21:10; Acts 18:2; Luke 2:1; Luke 3:1; 1 Kings 17:1–16
- 29 2 Corinthians 8:12–14; 2 Corinthians 8:2–4; Galatians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 16:1–2; Romans 15:25–27
- 30 Acts 12:25; Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 5:17; Acts 15:6; Acts 15:4
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The persecution turned out to be no slight benefit as "to them that love God all things work together for good." (Rom. viii. 28.) If they had made it their express study how best to establish the Church, they would have done no other thing than this--they dispersed the teachers. Mark in what quarters the preaching was extended.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
Then the disciples, every one according to his ability, determined to send relief to the elders for the brethren which dwelt in Judæa, which also they did by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." And in the case of the necessaries presented to him, wherewith the same Apostle Paul when setting sail was laden, food seems to have been furnished …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
And ye, when there is a question of precedence, claim to take place of the whole word, forasmuch as our city first crowned itself with the name of Christian; but in the competition of chastity, ye are not ashamed to be behind the rudest cities.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians after the Lord's ascension, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles: and certain houses were afterwards called by the new names of hospices and monasteries; but the things themselves existed prior to their names, and are confirmed by religious truth, which also forms their defense against …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
For although the disciples of Christ were not yet called by such a name,--because it was after His ascension, in Antioch, first that the disciples began to be called Christians, --yet the thing itself, that afterwards assumed such a name, already existed, those who were afterwards called Christians were already disciples; and this common name, like the common faith, they …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)