Acts 11:4

THE MESSAGE

So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them step-by-step: "Recently I was in the town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something like a huge blanket, lowered by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the ground in front of me. Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds—you name it, it was there. Fascinated, I took it all in.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Peter began to explain to them step by step:

King James Version (1611)
But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order vnto them, saying,

King James Version
But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,

English Standard Version
But Peter began and explained it to them in order:

New American Standard Bible
But Peter began and explained at length to them in an orderly sequence, saying,

New Century Version
So Peter explained the whole story to them.

Amplified Bible
But Peter began [at the beginning] and explained [the events] to them step by step, saying,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:

Contemporary English Version
Then Peter told them exactly what had happened:

Complete Jewish Bible
In reply, Kefa began explaining in detail what had actually happened:

Darby Translation
But Peter began and set forth [the matter] to them in order, saying,

Easy-to-Read Version
So Peter explained the whole story to them.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Peter beganne, and expounded the thing in order to them, saying,

George Lamsa Translation
Then Simon began to recite the facts one after another, saying,

Good News Translation
So Peter gave them a complete account of what had happened from the very beginning:

Lexham English Bible
But Peter began and explained it to them in an orderly sequence, saying,

Literal Translation
But beginning, Peter set out to them in order, saying,

American Standard Version
But Peter began, and expounded the matter unto them in order, saying,

Bible in Basic English
But Peter gave them an account of it all in order, saying to them,

Hebrew Names Version
But Kefa began, and explained to them in order, saying,

International Standard Version
Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said,Luke 1:3;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And Shemun put forth in order to say to them,

Murdock Translation
And Simon began to address them methodically:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Peter rehearsed the matter from the begynnyng, and expounded it by order vnto them, saying:

English Revised Version
But Peter began, and expounded the matter unto them in order, saying,

World English Bible
But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then Peter beginning, laid all things before them in order, saying, I was praying in the city of Joppa,

Weymouth's New Testament
Peter, however, explained the whole matter to them from the beginning.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Petre bigan, and expownede to hem bi ordre,

Update Bible Version
But Peter began, and expounded [the matter] to them in order, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
But Peter rehearsed [the matter] from the beginning, and expounded [it] by order to them, saying,

New English Translation
But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, saying,

New King James Version
But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:

New Living Translation
Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.

New Life Bible
Then Peter began to tell all that had happened from the beginning to the end. He said,

New Revised Standard
Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But Peter, making a beginning, went on to set forth the matter unto them in order, saying -

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Peter began and declared to them the matter in order, saying:

Revised Standard Version
But Peter began and explained to them in order:

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then Peter began and expounded ye thinge in order to the sayinge:

Young's Literal Translation
And Peter having begun, did expound to them in order saying,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Peter beganne, and expounded the thinge in order vnto the and sayde:

Mace New Testament (1729)
but Peter represented the whole affair to them,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Pete was upfront with them about what had happened.

Contextual Overview

¹The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it—heard that the non-Jewish "outsiders" were now "in." When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: "What do you think you're doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?" ⁴So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them step-by-step: "Recently I was in the town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something like a huge blanket, lowered by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the ground in front of me. Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds—you name it, it was there. Fascinated, I took it all in. ⁷"Then I heard a voice: ‘Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.' I said, ‘Oh, no, Master. I've never so much as tasted food that wasn't kosher.' The voice spoke again: ‘If God says it's okay, it's okay.' This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the sky. ¹¹"Just then three men showed up at the house where I was staying, sent from Caesarea to get me. The Spirit told me to go with them, no questions asked. So I went with them, I and six friends, to the man who had sent for me. He told us how he had seen an angel right in his own house, real as his next-door neighbor, saying, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, the one they call Peter. He'll tell you something that will save your life—in fact, you and everyone you care for.' ¹⁵"So I started in, talking. Before I'd spoken half a dozen sentences, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us the first time. I remembered Jesus' words: ‘John baptized with water; you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So I ask you: If God gave the same exact gift to them as to us when we believed in the Master Jesus Christ, how could I object to God?" ¹⁸ Hearing it all laid out like that, they quieted down. And then, as it sank in, they started praising God. "It's really happened! God has broken through to the other nations, opened them up to Life!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Acts 14:27, Joshua 22:21-31, Proverbs 15:1, Luke 1:3

Reciprocal: Acts 21:19 - he declared

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.

Deuteronomy 9:1
Attention, Israel! This very day you are crossing the Jordan to enter the land and dispossess nations that are much bigger and stronger than you are. You're going to find huge cities with sky-high fortress-walls and gigantic people, descendants of the Anakites—you've heard all about them; you've heard the saying, "No one can stand up to an Anakite."

2 Samuel 8:13
David built a victory monument on his return from defeating the Arameans. Abishai son of Zeruiah fought and defeated the Edomites in the Salt Valley. Eighteen thousand of them were killed. David set up a puppet government in Edom, and the Edomites became subjects under David. God gave David victory wherever he marched.

Proverbs 10:7
A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning,.... Of the vision at Joppa;

and expounded it by order unto them; or related every particular, in a very methodical and orderly manner: he did not insist upon his authority as an apostle, and much less pretended to a primacy to the rest of the apostles; but submitted to have his case heard, examined, and judged of by the body of the brethren.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But Peter rehearsed - Greek: Peter beginning, explained it to them in order; that is, he began with the vision which he saw, and gave a narrative of the various events in order, as they actually occurred. A simple and unvarnished statement of facts is usually the best way of disarming prejudice and silencing opposition. Opposition most commonly arises from prejudice, or from false and exaggerated statements, and such opposition can be best removed, not by angry contention, but by an unvarnished relation of facts. In most cases prejudice will thus be disarmed, and opposition will die away, as was the case in regard to the admission of the Gentiles to the church.

And expounded it - Explained it; stated it as it actually occurred.

In order - One event after another, as they happened. He thus showed that his own mind had been as much biased as theirs, and stated in what manner his prejudices had been removed. It often happens that those who become most zealous and devoted in any new measures for the advancement of religion were as much opposed to them at first as others. They are led from one circumstance to another, until their prejudices die away, and the providence and Spirit of God indicate clearly their duty.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 11:4. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order] εξετιθετο αυτοις καθεξης. This is the very style of St. Luke; see his Gospel, Luke 1:3. To remove their prejudice, and to give them the fullest reasons for his conduct, he thought it best to give them a simple relation of the whole affair; which he does, as we have seen in the preceding chapter, with a few additional circumstances here. See the notes before.