Acts 15:8

Mace New Testament

God who knows their hearts has granted them a testimonial, by giving them the holy spirit, even as he did to us:

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
God knows all people's hearts, and he branded these mavericks with the Holy Spirit just like he did us.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;

Legacy Standard Bible
And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;

Bible in Basic English
And God, the searcher of hearts, was a witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit even as he did to us;

Darby Translation
And the heart-knowing God bore them witness, giving [them] the Holy Spirit as to us also,

New King James Version
So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,

Christian Standard Bible®
And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us.

World English Bible
God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just like he did to us.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And God who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving the Holy Ghost to them, even as also to us.

Weymouth's New Testament
And God, who knows all hearts, gave His testimony in their favour by bestowing the Holy Spirit on them just as He did on us;

King James Version (1611)
And God which knoweth the hearts, bare them witnes, giuing them the holy Ghost, euen as he did vnto vs,

Literal Translation
And the heart-knowing God testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as also to us.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And God the knower of hertes bare wytnesse ouer the, and gaue the the holy goost, like as vnto vs,

Amplified Bible
"And God, who knows and understands the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;

American Standard Version
And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us;

Revised Standard Version
And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And God which knoweth the herte bare them witnes and gave vnto them the holy goost eve as he dyd vnto vs

Update Bible Version
And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did to us;

Webster's Bible Translation
And God, who knoweth the hearts, bore them witness, giving to them the Holy Spirit, even as [he did] to us:

Young's Literal Translation
and the heart-knowing God did bare them testimony, having given to them the Holy Spirit, even as also to us,

New Century Version
God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.

New English Translation
And God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

Berean Standard Bible
And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us.

Contemporary English Version
He knows what is in everyone's heart. And he showed that he had chosen the Gentiles, when he gave them the Holy Spirit, just as he had given his Spirit to us.

Complete Jewish Bible
And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness by giving the Ruach HaKodesh to them, just as he did to us;

English Standard Version
And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And God which knoweth the heartes, bare them witnesse, in giuing vnto them ye holy Ghost euen as he did vnto vs.

George Lamsa Translation
And God, who knows what is in the heart, has testified concerning them, and has given them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us.

Hebrew Names Version
God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Ruach HaKodesh, just like he did to us.

International Standard Version
God, who knows everyone's heart, showed them he approved by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.1 Chronicles 28:9; Acts 1:24; 10:44;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And Aloha, who knoweth what is in the hearts, testified of them, and gave them the Spirit of Holiness, as to us.

Murdock Translation
And God, who knoweth what is in hearts, bore testimony concerning them, and gave the Holy Spirit to them, even as to us.

New Living Translation
God knows people's hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.

New Life Bible
God knows the hearts of all men. He showed them they were to have His loving-favor by giving them the Holy Spirit the same as He gave to us.

English Revised Version
And God, which knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

New Revised Standard
And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, the heart-observing God, bare witness, - unto them, giving the Holy Spirit, just as, even unto us;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And God, who knoweth the hearts, gave testimony, giving unto them the Holy Ghost, as well as to us:

King James Version
And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

Lexham English Bible
And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And God whiche knoweth the heartes, bare them witnesse, and gaue vnto them the holy ghost, euen as he dyd vnto vs:

Easy-to-Read Version
God knows everyone, even their thoughts, and he accepted these non-Jewish people. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit the same as he did to us.

New American Standard Bible
"And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;

Good News Translation
And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and God, that knewe hertis, bar witnessing, and yaf to hem the Hooli Goost, as also to vs;

Contextual Overview

⁶ The apostles therefore, and the presbyters assembled to deliberate upon this affair. ⁷ and after the question had been much canvass'd, Peter rose up, and said, my brethren, you know that a considerable time since God chose me from among you to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and bring them to the faith. ⁸ God who knows their hearts has granted them a testimonial, by giving them the holy spirit, even as he did to us: ⁹ making no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by the faith. ¹⁰ why therefore do you tempt God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither we nor our forefathers were able to bear? ¹¹ but we believe that it is by the favour of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are to be sav'd, as well as they. ¹² The whole assembly were very silent, whilst Barnabas and Paul related what miracles and prodigies God had wrought among the Gentiles by their ministry. ¹³ After they had done speaking, James assum'd the discourse, and said, my brethren, give me your attention. ¹⁴ Simon has related how God began to visit the Gentiles, to chuse from among them a people consecrated to his name. ¹⁵ and this is agreeable to the oracles of the prophets: as it is written,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

which: Acts 1:24, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 1 Chronicles 29:17, Psalms 44:21, Psalms 139:1, Psalms 139:2, Jeremiah 11:20, Jeremiah 17:10, Jeremiah 20:12, John 2:24, John 2:25, John 21:17, Hebrews 4:13, Revelation 2:23

bare: Acts 14:3, John 5:37, Hebrews 2:4

giving: Acts 2:4, Acts 4:31, Acts 10:44, Acts 10:45, Acts 11:15-17

Reciprocal: Joel 2:28 - upon Luke 16:15 - God John 14:26 - Holy Ghost John 15:26 - he Acts 2:39 - and to all Acts 10:28 - but Acts 10:47 - General Acts 11:17 - as God Acts 13:22 - to whom Romans 8:27 - And he Romans 10:12 - there is no Romans 14:3 - for 2 Corinthians 11:11 - God Galatians 3:2 - Received Hebrews 6:4 - partakers 2 Peter 1:1 - have

Cross-References

Luke 1:18
But Zacharias said to the angel, by what sign shall I know this? for I am old, and my wife is of a great age.

Luke 1:34
Then said Mary to the angel, what shall this be without any intercourse with man?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And God which knoweth the hearts,.... Of all men; he being omniscient, the searcher of the hearts, and the trier of the reins of the children of men, knew with what sincerity Cornelius sent for Peter; and with what vehement desire and longing expectation he and his family and friends waited for his coming; and with what earnestness, diligence, and affection they attended to what he said:

bore them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; God bore a testimony, and showed his well pleasedness in the whole of this affair, by bestowing upon them not only the regenerating and sanctifying grace of the Spirit; but his extraordinary gifts, such as speaking with divers tongues, even in like manner as these were bestowed on the apostles themselves, on the day of Pentecost, though they were uncircumcised persons; for the drift of Peter's oration is to show, that circumcision was not necessary to salvation.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And God, which knoweth the hearts - Acts 1:24. God thus knew whether they were true converts or not, and gave a demonstration that he acknowledged them as his.

Giving them the Holy Ghost ... - Acts 10:45-46.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 15:8. And God which knoweth the hearts — Ο καρδιογνωϚης Θεος. We had this epithet of the Divine Being once before; see Acts 1:24, and the note there: it occurs no where else in the New Testament.

Bare them witness — Considered them as proper or fit to receive the Gospel of Christ. It is properly remarked by learned men, that μαρτυρειν τινι, to bear witness to any person, signifies to approve, to testify in behalf of. Here it signifies that, as God evidently sent the Gospel to the Gentiles, and, by the preaching of it, conveyed the Holy Spirit to them who believed, and as he can make no improper judgment of any who knows all hearts and their secrets, therefore what he had done was right: he saw that it was time for them to receive the Gospel; and he saw that they might be safely trusted with this heavenly deposit; and the experience of eighteen hundred years has justified the conduct of God.