Acts 10 · Verse 15

Acts 10:15

And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

Acts 10:15, King James Version

Acts 10:15 in other translations

BSB	The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
WEB	A voice came to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”
ASV	And a voice came unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.
YLT	and there is a voice again a second time unto him: ‘What God did cleanse, thou, declare not thou common;'
DARBY	And there was a voice again the second time to him, What God has cleansed, do not thou make common.
BBE	And the voice came to him a second time, What God has made clean, do not you make common.
Webster	And the voice spoke to him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

What does Acts 10:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 10:9-16

9-16. upon the housetop--the flat roof, the chosen place in the East for cool retirement. the sixth hour--noon.

Read the full comment on Acts 10:9-16 →

Barnes' Notes

Verse 15. What God hath cleansed. What God hath pronounced or declared pure. If God has commanded you to do a thing, it is not impure or wrong. Its use is lawful if he has commanded it. Perhaps Peter would have supposed that the design of this vision was to instruct him that the distinction between clean and unclean food, as recognized by the Jews, was about to be abolished, Acts 17. But the result showed that it had a higher and more important design. It was to show him that they who had been esteemed by the Jews as unclean or profane--the entire Gentile world--might now be admitted to similar privileges with the Jews. That barrier was to be broken down, and the whole world was to be admitted to the same fellowship and privileges in the gospel. See Eph 2:14; Gal 3:28. It was also true that the ceremonial laws of the Jews in regard to clean and unclean beasts was to pass away, though this was not directly taught in this vision. But when once the barrier was removed that separated the Jews and Gentiles, all the laws which supposed such a distinction, and which were framed to keep up such a distinction, passed away of course. The ceremonial laws of the Jews were designed solely to keep up the distinction between them and other nations. When the distinction was abolished-- when other nations were to be admitted to the same privileges--the laws which were made to keep up such a difference received their death-blow, and expired of course. For it is a maxim of all law, that when the reason why a law was made ceases to exist, the law becomes obsolete. Yet it was not easy to convince the Jews that their laws ceased to be binding. This point the apostles laboured to establish; and from this point arose most of the difficulties between the Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity. See Ac 15, Rom 14, Rom 15.

(c) "that call not" Acts 10:28, Mt 15:11, Rom 14:14, 1Cor 10:25, 1Timm 4:4

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 15 What God hath cleansed - God, who made at first the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, has a right to remove it, whenever and by whatever means he pleases: he, therefore, who made the distinction, for wise purposes, between the clean and the unclean, now pronounces all to be clean. He had authority to do the first; he has authority to do the last. God has purposed that the Gentiles shall have the Gospel preached to them: what he therefore has cleansed, "that call not thou common."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 10:9-18

The prejudices of Peter against the Gentiles, would have prevented his going to Cornelius, unless the Lord had prepared him for this service. To tell a Jew that God had directed those animals to be reckoned clean which were hitherto deemed unclean, was in effect saying, that the law of Moses was done away. Peter was soon made to know the meaning of it. God knows what services are before us, and how to prepare us…

Read the full comment on Acts 10:9-18 →

Acts 10:15 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532

φωνὴphōnēa voiceG5456

πάλινpalin[came] againG3825

ἐκekforG1537

δευτέρουdeuterou[the] second timeG1208

πρὸςprostoG4314

αὐτόν·autonhim:G846

ἃhaWhatG3739

ὁho<the>G3588

θεὸςtheosGodG2316

ἐκαθάρισεν,ekatharisenhas cleansed,G2511

σὺsuyou yourselfG4771

μὴmēnotG3361

κοίνου.koinoudo call common.G2840

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Acts 10:15

1 Corinthians 10:25
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
Matthew 15:11
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Titus 1:15
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Mark 7:19
Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
1 Timothy 4:3-5
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Romans 14:14
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
Acts 10:28
And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Acts 11:9
But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Romans 14:20
For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
Acts 15:9
And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Acts 15:20
But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Galatians 2:12-13
For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

What.
28; 11:9; 15:9,20,29; Mt 15:11; Re 14:14-17,20; 1Co 10:25
Ga 2:12,13; 1Ti 4:3-5; Tit 1:15; Heb 9:9,10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Acts 10:14
But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
Acts 10:15
And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Acts 10:16
This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Read all of Acts 10

Acts 10:15 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y volvió la voz hacia él la segunda vez: Lo que Dios limpió, no lo llames tú común.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et une voix lui fut adressée encore, pour la seconde fois, disant: Ce que Dieu a purifié, toi, ne le tiens pas pour impur.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und wiederum geschah eine Stimme zum zweiten Male zu ihm: Was Gott gereinigt hat, mache du nicht gemein!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et vox iterum secundo ad eum: Quod Deus purificavit, tu commune ne dixeris.