Acts 10:9-16

10:9 About noon ¹  the next day, while they were on their way and approaching ²  the city, Peter went up on the roof ³  to pray. 10:10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. ⁴  10:11 He ⁵  saw heaven ⁶  opened ⁷  and an object something like a large sheet ⁸  descending, ⁹  being let down to earth ¹⁰  by its four corners. 10:12 In it ¹¹  were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles ¹²  of the earth and wild birds. ¹³  10:13 Then ¹⁴  a voice said ¹⁵  to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter ¹⁶  and eat!” 10:14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” ¹⁷  10:15 The voice ¹⁸  spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ¹⁹  ritually unclean!” ²⁰  10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven. ²¹ 

Acts 10:28

10:28 He said to them, “You know that ²²  it is unlawful ²³  for a Jew ²⁴  to associate with or visit a Gentile, ²⁵  yet God has shown me that I should call no person ²⁶  defiled or ritually unclean. ²⁷ 

Acts 10:34-35

10:34 Then Peter started speaking: ²⁸  “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, ²⁹  10:35 but in every nation ³⁰  the person who fears him ³¹  and does what is right ³²  is welcomed before him.

[10:9]  ¹ tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[10:9]  ² tn The participles ὁδοιπορούντων (Jodoiporountwn, “while they were on their way”) and ἐγγιζόντων (engizontwn, “approaching”) have been translated as temporal participles.

[10:9]  ³ sn Went up on the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.

[10:10]  ⁴ tn The traditional translation, “he fell into a trance,” is somewhat idiomatic; it is based on the textual variant ἐπέπεσεν (epepesen, “he fell”) found in the Byzantine text but almost certainly not original.

[10:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[10:11]  ⁸ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:11]  ⁹ tn On the heavens “opening,” see Matt 3:16; Luke 3:21; Rev 19:11 (cf. BDAG 84 s.v. ἀνοίγω 2). This is the language of a vision or a revelatory act of God.

[10:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “a large linen cloth” (the term was used for the sail of a ship; BDAG 693 s.v. ὀθόνη).

[10:11]  ¹¹ tn Or “coming down.”

[10:11]  ¹² tn Or “to the ground.”

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

[10:12]  ¹¹ 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. See also Gen 6:20, as well as the law making such creatures unclean food in Lev 11:2-47.

[10:12]  ¹² 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).

[10:13]  ¹³ tn Grk “And there came.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[10:13]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “a voice to him”; the word “said” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[10:13]  ¹⁵ tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.

[10:14]  ¹⁶ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqarto") here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.

[10:15]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And the voice.” 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.

[10:15]  ²⁰ tn Or “declare.”

[10:15]  ²¹ sn For the significance of this vision see Mark 7:14-23; Rom 14:14; Eph 2:11-22. God directed this change in practice.

[10:16]  ²² tn Or “into the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:28]  ²⁵ tn Here ὡς (Jws) is used like ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect discourse (cf. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5).

[10:28]  ²⁶ tn This term is used of wanton or callously lawless acts (BDAG 24 s.v. ἀθέμιτος).

[10:28]  ²⁷ tn Grk “a Jewish man” (ἀνδρὶ ᾿Ιουδαίῳ, andri Ioudaiw).

[10:28]  ²⁸ tn Grk “a foreigner,” but in this context, “a non-Jew,” that is, a Gentile. This term speaks of intimate association (BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.b.α). On this Jewish view, see John 18:28, where a visit to a Gentile residence makes a Jewish person unclean.

[10:28]  ²⁹ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[10:28]  ³⁰ 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.

[10:34]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Opening his mouth Peter said” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:34]  ²⁹ tn Grk “God is not one who is a respecter of persons,” that is, “God is not one to show partiality” (cf. BDAG 887 s.v. προσωπολήμπτης). L&N 88.239 translates this verse “I realize that God does not show favoritism (in dealing with people).” The underlying Hebrew idiom includes the personal element (“respecter of persons”) so the phrase “in dealing with people” is included in the present translation. It fits very well with the following context and serves to emphasize the relational component of God’s lack of partiality. The latter is a major theme in the NT: Rom 2:11; Eph 2:11-22; Col 3:25; Jas 2:1; 1 Pet 1:17. This was the lesson of Peter’s vision.

[10:35]  ³¹ sn See Luke 24:47.

[10:35]  ³² tn Or “shows reverence for him.”

[10:35]  ³³ tn Grk “works righteousness”; the translation “does what is right” for this phrase in this verse is given by L&N 25.85.