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Acts 11:5

in Acts 11

“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down to me.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even unto me:

KJV

I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:

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This verse in Acts 11

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Acts · Written before 1107.

Peter did not dwell on this trifle, but based himself on what was of great importance. If, he says, they received the Spirit, then how could one not impart this to them? By this defense he shows that he is in no way at fault, …

This site's exposition

expounded it by order unto them

on Acts 11:4-6

Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning and expounded it by order, the phrase carrying the sense of a case laid out point by point for a hearing, not a casual retelling. He returns to the trance at Joppa, the great sheet let down by four corners holding fourfooted beasts, wild beasts, creeping things and fowls, the same vision Luke has already narrated in chapter ten and now repeats in Peter's own mouth. Luke gives the vision entire twice within two chapters because the point of the book is that God, not Peter's own preference, opened the door to the nations.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Acts · Written before 550.

proposed

Peter showed in his defense that he had by no means been the cause, but God everywhere. For he said, he himself set me in the excess of mind, he himself pointed out the sheet, and I indeed even contradicted; again the same he himself …

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Homily on Acts 24 · Written in the 5th century.

proposed

Observe his freedom from all elation and vainglory. For it says, "But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, I was in the city of Joppa, praying:" he does not say why, nor on what occasion: "and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat." As much as to say, This of itself was enough to have persuaded me - my having seen the linen sheet: but moreover a Voice was added. "But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth." Do you mark? "I did my part," says he: "I said, that I have never eaten aught common or unclean:" with reference to this that they said, "Thou wentest in, and didst eat with them." But this he does not say to Cornelius: for there was no need to mention it to him. "But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven."

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), as we had it before ch. x. The sheet which was there said to be let down to the earth he here says came even to him, which circumstance intimates that it was particularly designed for instruction to him. We should thus see all God's discoveries of himself, which he has made to the children of men, coming even to us, applying them by faith to ourselves.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

I was in the city of Joppa,....

The words behind it

27 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

10 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Acts 10:9–32The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.4 worksAmos 8:2“Amos, what do you see?” He asked. “A basket of summer fruit,” I replied. So the LORD said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.”3 worksActs 22:17Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance2 worksEzekiel 2:9Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,2 worksJeremiah 1:11–14And the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” “I see a branch of an almond tree,” I replied.2 worksActs 9:10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord,” he answered.2 works
The other 4 cross-references, with their words ▾
Amos 7:4–7This is what the Lord GOD showed me: The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land.2 worksActs 11:5–14“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down to me.2 works2 Corinthians 12:1–3I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.1 worksActs 12:9So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision.1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Amos 8:2

    “Amos, what do you see?” He asked. “A basket of summer fruit,” I replied. So the LORD said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.”

    it leads to

    • Amos 7:8

      “Amos, what do you see?” asked the LORD. “A plumb line,” I replied. “Behold,” said the Lord, “I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel; I will no longer spare them:

    • Lamentations 4:18

      They stalked our every step, so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end drew near, our time ran out, for our end had come!

    • Micah 7:1

      Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 2:9

    Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 8:3

      He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God…

    • Revelation 5:1–5

      Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.

    • Revelation 10:8–11

      Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on…

    • Daniel 10:10

      Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.

  • Through

    Acts 22:17

    Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance

    it leads to

    • 2 Corinthians 12:1–4

      I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies1

About Acts

The Ascension, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Ascension, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Acts: the study guide →Read Acts 11 →

This page draws on Bede, On the Acts of the Apostles; J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 24; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.

Read on in Acts 11 →