Kisah Para Rasul 11:1-18

Peter Defends His Actions to the Jerusalem Church

11:1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted ¹  the word of God. ²  11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, ³  the circumcised believers ⁴  took issue with ⁵  him, 11:3 saying, “You went to ⁶  uncircumcised men and shared a meal with ⁷  them.” 11:4 But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, ⁸  saying, 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, ⁹  an object something like a large sheet descending, ¹⁰  being let down from heaven ¹¹  by its four corners, and it came to me. 11:6 As I stared ¹²  I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, ¹³  and wild birds. ¹⁴  11:7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; slaughter ¹⁵  and eat!’ 11:8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean ¹⁶  has ever entered my mouth!’ 11:9 But the voice replied a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider ¹⁷  ritually unclean!’ 11:10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again. 11:11 At that very moment, ¹⁸  three men sent to me from Caesarea ¹⁹  approached ²⁰  the house where we were staying. ²¹  11:12 The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers ²²  also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 11:13 He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, 11:14 who will speak a message ²³  to you by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 11:15 Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on ²⁴  them just as he did ²⁵  on us at the beginning. ²⁶  11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, ²⁷  as he used to say, ²⁸  ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ²⁹  11:17 Therefore if God ³⁰  gave them the same gift ³¹  as he also gave us after believing ³²  in the Lord Jesus Christ, ³³  who was I to hinder ³⁴  God?” 11:18 When they heard this, ³⁵  they ceased their objections ³⁶  and praised ³⁷  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ³⁸  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ³⁹ 

Kisah Para Rasul 12:1-17

James is Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12:1 About that time King Herod ⁴⁰  laid hands on ⁴¹  some from the church to harm them. ⁴²  12:2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. ⁴³  12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, ⁴⁴  he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴⁵  12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads ⁴⁶  of soldiers to guard him. Herod ⁴⁷  planned ⁴⁸  to bring him out for public trial ⁴⁹  after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly ⁵⁰  praying to God for him. ⁵¹  12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, ⁵²  Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while ⁵³  guards in front of the door were keeping watch ⁵⁴  over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly ⁵⁵  an angel of the Lord ⁵⁶  appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck ⁵⁷  Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s ⁵⁸  wrists. ⁵⁹  12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ⁶⁰  and put on your sandals.” Peter ⁶¹  did so. Then the angel ⁶²  said to him, “Put on your cloak ⁶³  and follow me.” 12:9 Peter ⁶⁴  went out ⁶⁵  and followed him; ⁶⁶  he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, ⁶⁷  but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ⁶⁸  they came to the iron ⁶⁹  gate leading into the city. It ⁷⁰  opened for them by itself, ⁷¹  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ⁷²  when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When ⁷³  Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued ⁷⁴  me from the hand ⁷⁵  of Herod ⁷⁶  and from everything the Jewish people ⁷⁷  were expecting to happen.”

12:12 When Peter ⁷⁸  realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, ⁷⁹  where many people had gathered together and were praying. 12:13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered. ⁸⁰  12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told ⁸¹  them ⁸²  that Peter was standing at the gate. 12:15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” ⁸³  But she kept insisting that it was Peter, ⁸⁴  and they kept saying, ⁸⁵  “It is his angel!” ⁸⁶  12:16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door ⁸⁷  and saw him, they were greatly astonished. ⁸⁸  12:17 He motioned to them ⁸⁹  with his hand to be quiet and then related ⁹⁰  how the Lord had brought ⁹¹  him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. ⁹² 

[11:1]  ¹ tn See BDAG 221 s.v. δέχομαι 5 for this translation of ἐδέξαντο (edexanto) here.

[11:1]  ² tn Here the phrase “word of God” is another way to describe the gospel (note the preceding verb ἐδέξαντο, edexanto, “accepted”). The phrase could also be translated “the word [message] from God.”

[11:2]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:2]  ⁴ tn Or “the Jewish Christians”; Grk “those of the circumcision.” Within the larger group of Christians were some whose loyalties ran along ethnic-religious lines.

[11:2]  ⁵ tn Or “believers disputed with,” “believers criticized” (BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 5.b).

[11:3]  ⁶ tn Or “You were a guest in the home of” (according to L&N 23.12).

[11:3]  ⁷ tn Or “and ate with.” It was table fellowship and the possibility of eating unclean food that disturbed them.

[11:4]  ⁸ tn Or “to them in logical sequence,” “to them in order.” BDAG 490 s.v. καθεξῆς has “explain to someone point by point” for this phrase. This is the same term used in Luke 1:3.

[11:5]  ⁹ tn This term describes a supernatural vision and reflects a clear distinction from something imagined (BDAG 718 s.v. ὅραμα 1). Peter repeated the story virtually word for word through v. 13. The repetition with this degree of detail shows the event’s importance.

[11:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “coming down.”

[11:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[11:6]  ¹² tn Grk “Staring I looked into it.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[11:6]  ¹³ tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate.

[11:6]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[11:7]  ¹⁵ tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.

[11:8]  ¹⁶ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts. The sentiment Peter expressed is like Ezek 4:14.

[11:9]  ¹⁷ tn Or “declare.” The wording matches Acts 10:15.

[11:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And behold.”

[11:11]  ¹⁹ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[11:11]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:11]  ²⁰ tn See BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1 for this meaning for ἐπέστησαν (epesthsan) here.

[11:11]  ²¹ tn The word “staying” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[11:12]  ²² sn Six witnesses is three times more than what would normally be required. They could confirm the events were not misrepresented by Peter.

[11:14]  ²³ tn Grk “words” (ῥήματα, rJhmata), but in this context the overall message is meant rather than the individual words.

[11:15]  ²⁴ tn Or “came down on.”

[11:15]  ²⁵ tn The words “he did” are not in the Greek text but are implied. They form an ellipsis which must be supplied for the modern English reader. Some modern translations supply “it” rather than “he” because the gender of πνεῦμα (pneuma) in Greek is neuter, but there are sufficient NT contexts that use masculine pronouns to refer to the Spirit to justify the use of a masculine pronoun here in the translation.

[11:15]  ²⁶ sn At the beginning is an allusion to Acts 2 and Pentecost. The beginning is a way to refer to the start of the period of the realization of Jesus’ promise in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. Peter was arguing that God gave Gentiles the same benefits he gave the Jews at the start of their mission.

[11:16]  ²⁷ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; here and in Luke 22:61, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[11:16]  ²⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) is taken as a customary imperfect.

[11:16]  ²⁹ sn John…Spirit. This remark repeats Acts 1:5.

[11:17]  ³⁰ tc Codex Bezae (D) and {a few other Western witnesses} here lack ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”), perhaps because these scribes considered the Holy Spirit to be the gift of Christ rather than the gift of God; thus leaving the subject implicit would naturally draw the reader back to v. 16 to see the Lord Jesus as the bestower of the Spirit.

[11:17]  ³¹ sn That is, the same gift of the Holy Spirit.

[11:17]  ³² tn Or “gave us when we believed”; or “gave us after we believed”; or “gave us who believed”; or “gave them when they believed the same gift as he also gave us.” The aorist dative plural participle πιστεύσασιν (pisteusasin) can be understood in several different ways: (1) It could modify ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “us”) or αὐτοῖς (autois, “them”). Proximity (it immediately follows ἡμῖν) would suggest that it belongs with ἡμῖν, so the last option (“gave them when they believed the same gift he also gave us”) is less likely. (2) The participle could be either adverbial or adjectival, modifying ἡμῖν. This decision is primarily a contextual one. The point Peter made is not whether or not the Gentiles believed, since both groups (“us” and “they”) had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The point was whether or not the Gentiles received the Spirit when they believed, just as Jewish Christians had received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost when they believed. Translated as an adjectival participle, πιστεύσασιν only affirms the fact of belief, however, and raises somewhat of a theological problem if one realizes, “Would God have given the Gentiles the Spirit if they had not believed?” (In other words, belief in itself is a theological prerequisite for receiving the Spirit. As such, in the case of the Gentiles, it is assumed.) Thus in context it makes more sense to understand the participle πιστεύσασιν as adverbial, related to the time of belief in connection with the giving of the Spirit. (3) The participle πιστεύσασιν as a temporal participle can refer to action antecedent to the action of the main verb ἔδωκεν (edwken) or contemporaneous with it. Logically, at least, the gift of the Spirit followed belief in the case of the original Christians, who had believed before the day of Pentecost. In the case of Cornelius and his household, belief and the reception of the Spirit were virtually simultaneous. One can argue that Peter is “summarizing” the experience of Jewish Christians, and therefore the actions of belief and reception of the Spirit, while historically separate, have been “telescoped” into one (“gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed”), but to be technically accurate the participle πιστεύσασιν should be translated “gave them the same gift as he also gave us after we believed.” A number of these problems can be avoided, however, by using a translation in English that maintains some of the ambiguity of the Greek original. Thus “if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing” is used, where the phrase “after believing” can refer either to “them” or to “us,” or both.

[11:17]  ³³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[11:17]  ³⁴ tn Or “prevent,” “forbid” (BDAG 580 s.v. κωλύω 1.a). Peter’s point is that he will not stand in the way of God.

[11:18]  ³⁵ tn Grk “these things.”

[11:18]  ³⁶ tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.

[11:18]  ³⁷ tn Or “glorified.”

[11:18]  ³⁸ sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).

[11:18]  ³⁹ sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.

[12:1]  ⁴⁰ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great). His mediocre career is summarized in Josephus, Ant. 18-19. This event took place in a.d. 42 or 43.

[12:1]  ⁴¹ tn Or “King Herod had some from the church arrested.”

[12:1]  ⁴² tn Or “to cause them injury.”

[12:2]  ⁴³ sn The expression executed with a sword probably refers to a beheading. James was the first known apostolic martyr (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1-3). On James, not the Lord’s brother, see Luke 5:10; 6:14. This death ended a short period of peace noted in Acts 9:31 after the persecution mentioned in 8:1-3.

[12:3]  ⁴⁴ tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.

[12:3]  ⁴⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[12:4]  ⁴⁶ sn Four squads of soldiers. Each squad was a detachment of four soldiers.

[12:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “guard him, planning to bring him out.” The Greek construction continues with a participle (βουλόμενος, boulomeno") and an infinitive (ἀναγαγεῖν, anagagein), but this creates an awkward and lengthy sentence in English. Thus a reference to Herod was introduced as subject and the participle translated as a finite verb (“Herod planned”).

[12:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “intended”; Grk “wanted.”

[12:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “to bring him out to the people,” but in this context a public trial (with certain condemnation as the result) is doubtless what Herod planned. L&N 15.176 translates this phrase “planning to bring him up for a public trial after the Passover.”

[12:5]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:14 and Acts 26:7.

[12:5]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God for him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to follow English style, and the somewhat awkward passive “prayer was being made” has been changed to the simpler active verb “were praying.” Luke portrays what follows as an answer to prayer.

[12:6]  ⁵² tn Grk “was going to bring him out,” but the upcoming trial is implied. See Acts 12:4.

[12:6]  ⁵³ tn Grk “two chains, and.” Logically it makes better sense to translate this as a temporal clause, although technically it is a coordinate clause in Greek.

[12:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “were guarding.”

[12:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The interjection ἰδού (idou), often difficult to translate into English, expresses the suddenness of the angel’s appearance.

[12:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “striking the side of Peter, he awoke him saying.” The term refers to a push or a light tap (BDAG 786 s.v. πατάσσω 1.a). The participle πατάξας (pataxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:7]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.

[12:8]  ⁶⁰ tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.

[12:8]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ⁶² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ⁶³ tn Or “outer garment.”

[12:9]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “And going out he followed.”

[12:9]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:9]  ⁶⁶ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[12:9]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).

[12:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

[12:10]  ⁶⁹ sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).

[12:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[12:10]  ⁷¹ tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

[12:10]  ⁷² tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).

[12:11]  ⁷³ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[12:11]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “delivered.”

[12:11]  ⁷⁵ sn Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.

[12:11]  ⁷⁶ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:11]  ⁷⁷ sn Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).

[12:12]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:12]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”

[12:12]  sn John Mark becomes a key figure in Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13; 15:37-39.

[12:13]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “responded.”

[12:14]  ⁸¹ tn Or “informed.”

[12:14]  ⁸² tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[12:15]  ⁸³ sn “You’ve lost your mind!” Such a response to the miraculous is not unusual in Luke-Acts. See Luke 24:11; Acts 26:25. The term μαίνομαι (mainomai) can have the idea of being “raving mad” or “totally irrational” (BDAG 610 s.v.). It is a strong expression.

[12:15]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “she kept insisting that the situation was thus” (cf. BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a). Most translations supply a less awkward English phrase like “it was so”; the force of her insistence, however, is that “it was Peter,” which was the point under dispute.

[12:15]  ⁸⁵ tn The two imperfect tense verbs, διϊσχυρίζετο (diiscurizeto) and ἔλεγον (elegon), are both taken iteratively. The picture is thus virtually a shouting match between Rhoda and the rest of the believers.

[12:15]  ⁸⁶ sn The assumption made by those inside, “It is his angel,” seems to allude to the idea of an attending angel (cf. Gen 48:16 LXX; Matt 18:10; Test. Jacob 1:10).

[12:16]  ⁸⁷ tn The words “the door” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see Acts 12:13).

[12:16]  ⁸⁸ sn That they were greatly astonished is a common response in Luke-Acts to God’s work (Luke 8:56; Acts 2:7, 12; 8:13; 9:21; 10:45).

[12:17]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “He gave them a signal.” Grk “Giving them a signal…he related to them.” The participle κατασείσας (kataseisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:17]  ⁹⁰ tc ‡ Most mss, including some of the most important ones (B D E Ψ Ï sy), read αὐτοῖς (autoi", “to them”) here, while some excellent and early witnesses (Ì^45vid,74vid א A 33 81 945 1739 pc) lack the pronoun. Although it is possible that the pronoun was deleted because it was seen as superfluous, it is also possible that it was added as a natural expansion on the text, strengthening the connection between Peter and his listeners. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[12:17]  ⁹¹ tn Or “led.”

[12:17]  ⁹² sn He…went to another place. This is Peter’s last appearance in Acts with the exception of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.