Postulasagan 15:7

Heilögum Biblíunni

7 Eftir mikla umræðu reis Pétur upp og sagði við þá: "Bræður, þér vitið, að Guð kaus sér það fyrir löngu yðar á meðal, að heiðingjarnir skyldu fyrir munn minn heyra orð fagnaðarerindisins og taka trú.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

much: Acts 15:2, Acts 15:39, Philippians 2:14

ye know: Acts 10:5, Acts 10:6, Acts 10:20, 32-48, Acts 11:12-18, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 16:19

God: Acts 1:24, Acts 9:15, Acts 13:2, 1 Chronicles 28:4, 1 Chronicles 28:5, John 3:27, John 15:16, Galatians 2:7-9

by my: Acts 1:16, Acts 3:18, Acts 4:25, Exodus 4:12, Jeremiah 1:9, Romans 10:17, Romans 10:18

Reciprocal: Numbers 16:5 - even him Joel 2:28 - upon Matthew 18:17 - tell Matthew 21:41 - and will let out Acts 1:13 - Peter Acts 7:25 - God Acts 13:15 - Ye men Acts 15:14 - declared Galatians 2:9 - James Ephesians 2:8 - through

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when there had been much disputing,.... Pro and con upon this subject; many had spoken; and much had been said, and a great deal of time had been taken up about the thing in controversy:

Peter rose up; not only out of respect to this venerable assembly, but to signify that he had something to say; and he stood up that he might be the better heard. Beza's ancient copy reads, "rose up in spirit";

and said unto them, men and brethren: an usual form of address with the Jews; Acts 7:2

ye know how that a good while ago; or "from ancient days"; or "from the beginning", as the Ethiopic version renders it; from the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel, after the ascension of Christ; quickly after the effusion of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost: it is thought, by some, to be ten or eleven, and, by others, to be twenty years ago, or thereabout:

God made choice among us; the apostles; the Alexandrian copy reads, "among you"; the sense is the same, for Peter must be supposed as directing his discourse chiefly to the apostles:

that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel, and believe; referring to the case of Cornelius, and his family: and his sense is, that some years ago it pleased God, in his providence, to single him out from the rest of the apostles, and in a very extraordinary manner to call him to go to Caesarea, and preach the gospel to Cornelius, and those that were in his house, that hearing they might believe in Christ.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Much disputing - Or rather, much inquiry or deliberation. With our word disputing we commonly connect the idea of heat and anger. This is not necessarily implied in the word used here. It might have been calm, solemn, deliberate inquiry; and there is no evidence that it was conducted with undue warmth or anger.

Peter rose up and said - Peter was probably the most aged, and was most accustomed to speak, Acts 2:14, etc.; Acts 3:6, Acts 3:12. Besides, there was a particular reason for his speaking here, as he had been engaged in similar scenes, and understood the case, and had had evidence that God had converted sinners without the Mosaic rites, and knew that it would have been inexpedient to have imposed these rites on those who had thus been converted.

A good while ago - See Acts 10:0: Some time since. So long since that there had been opportunity to ascertain whether it was necessary to observe the laws of Moses in order to the edification of the church.

God made choice ... - That is, of all the apostles, he designated me to engage in this work. Compare the notes on Matthew 16:18, with Acts 10:0.

That the Gentiles - Cornelius, and those who were assembled with him at Caesarea. This was the first case that had occurred, and therefore it was important to appeal to it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 15:7. When there had been much disputing — By those of the sect of the believing Pharisees; for they strongly contended for circumcision, and at the head of these, tradition tells us, was Cerinthus, a name famous in the primitive Church, as one who laboured to unite the law and the Gospel, and to make the salvation promised by the latter dependent on the performance of the rites and ceremonies prescribed by the former. Though the apostles and elders were under the inspiration of the Almighty, and could by this inspiration have immediately determined the question, yet it was highly necessary that the objecting party should be permitted to come forward and allege their reasons for the doctrines they preached, and that these reasons should be fairly met by argument, and the thing proved to be useless in itself, inexpedient in the present case, and unsupported by any express authority from God, and serving no purpose to the Gentiles, who in their uncircumcised state, by believing in Christ Jesus, had been made partakers of the Holy Ghost.

Peter rose up, and said — This was after the matters in dispute had been fully debated; and now the apostles, like judges, after hearing counsel on both sides, proceed to give judgment on the case.

A good while ago — Αφ' ἡμερων αρχαιων, From the days of old: a phrase which simply signifies some years ago; and, if he here refers to the conversion of Cornelius, (see Acts 10:1-48,) he must mean about ten years before this time; but it is more likely that he refers to that time when Christ gave him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that be might open the door of faith to the Gentiles.

God made choice among us — That is, he chose me to be the first apostle of the Gentiles.