Acts 15:20
in Acts 15Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
but that we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.
KJV
But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
⋯
This verse in Acts 15
Commentary
13 notes on this verse"Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and tell them: If anyone who is from among the sons of Israel or from among foreigners, who happens to be among you, eats any blood, I shall place my spirit over the spirit which shall have eaten the blood, and I shall abolish it from among the people, since the spirit of every flesh is its blood.
This site's exposition
my sentence is
on Acts 15:19-21
Wherefore my sentence is, James rules, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God, circumcision and the whole law explicitly not imposed as a condition of salvation. The four items named instead, abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood, are read by the bench chiefly as concessions to shared table fellowship with Jewish believers, though the exact rationale is argued among the commentators and both readings are held here without a verdict stamped. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him grounds the four items in respect for synagogue sensibilities Paul keeps honoring for the rest of the book, not in any requirement of Torah for justification.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"But the ways in which this garment may be spotted are these: If any one withdraw from God the Father and Creator of all, receiving another teacher besides Christ, who alone is the faithful and true Prophet, and who has sent us twelve apostles to …
"But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication" - and yet they often insisted upon these points in discoursing to them - but, that he may seem also to honor the Law he mentions these also, speaking however not as from Moses but from the Apostles, and to make the commandments many, he has divided the one into two saying, "and from things strangled, and from blood." For these, although relating to the body, were necessary to be observed, because these things caused great evils. "From things strangled," it says, "and from blood." Here it prohibits murder.
The Medieval Church3 voices
And from things strangled, and blood, that is, from shedding blood or eating with blood. These indeed were allowed for those coming from a Gentile life, as the rudiments of the faith and the ingrained habit of Gentilism, but lest they should think that the …
To abstain from the pollutions of idols, and fornication, and that which is strangled, and blood. He speaks of that which is strangled as carrion, about which Ezekiel writes: "The priests shall not eat anything that is dead of itself or torn by beasts, whether …
These precautions, although they concern sensible things, are nevertheless necessary. Since these things were the cause of many evils, it was primarily from them that James restrained the believers.
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
It was particularly frequent in the worship of their idols, on which account they are here named together. And from things strangled - That is, from whatever had been killed, without pouring out the blood. When God first permitted man to eat flesh, he commanded Noah, and in him all his posterity, whenever they killed any creature for food, to abstain from the blood thereof.
But that we write unto them,....
The result of this debate, and the circular letter that was written to the Gentile converts, directing them how to govern themselves with respect to Jews,
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
But that we write unto them - Four things are prohibited in this decree: 1. Pollutions of idols; 2. fornication; 3. things strangled; 4. blood. By the first, Pollutions of Idols, or, as it is in Act 15:25, meats offered to idols, not only all idolatry was forbidden, but eating things offered in sacrifice to idols, knowing that they were thus offered, and joining with idolaters in their sacred feasts, which were always an incentive either to idolatry itself, or to the impure acts generally attendant on such festivals.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But . . . that they abstain from pollutions of idols--that is, things polluted by having been offered in sacrifice to idols. The heathen were accustomed to give away or sell portions of such animals.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
That we write unto them - Expressing our judgment, or our views of the case. That they abstain - That they refrain from these things, or wholly avoid them. Pollutions of idols - The word rendered “pollutions” means any kind of “defilement.” But here it is evidently used to denote the flesh of those animals that were offered in sacrifice to idols. See Act 15:29. That flesh, after being offered in sacrifice, was often exposed for sale in the markets, or was served up at feasts, 1Co 10:25-29. It became a very important question whether it was right for Christians to partake of it. The Jews would contend that it was, in fact, partaking of idolatry. The Gentile converts would allege that they did not eat it as a sacrifice to idols, or lend their countenance in any way to the idolatrous Worship where it had been offered. See this subject discussed at length in 1Co 8:4-13. As idolatry was forbidden to the Jews in every form, and as partaking even of the sacrifices of idols in their feasts might seem to countenance idolatry, the Jews would be utterly opposed to it; and for the sake of peace, James advised that the Christians at Antioch be recommended to abstain from this. To partake of that food might not be morally wrong 1Co 8:4, but it would give occasion for scandal and offence; and, therefore, as a matter of expediency, it was advised that they should abstain from it. And from fornication - The word used here πορνεία porneia is applicable to “all illicit sexual intercourse,” and may refer to adultery, incest, or licentiousness in any form. There has been much diversity of opinion in regard to this expression. […]
The words behind it
18 Greek wordsEvery 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | but | G235 → | 635 times |
| ἐπιστεῖλαι | episteilai | to write | G1989 → | |
| αὐτοῖς | autois | to them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀπέχεσθαι | apechesthai | to abstain from | G568 → | |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀλισγημάτων | alisgematon | pollutions | G234 → | |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| εἰδώλων | eidolon | idols | G1497 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τῆς | tes | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πορνείας | porneias | sexual immorality | G4202 → | 25 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τοῦ | tou | that | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πνικτοῦ | pniktou | which is strangled | G4156 → | 3 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| αἵματος. | aimatos | from blood. | G129 → | 97 times |
ἀλλ᾽but
all᾽G235 →635 times
ἐπιστεῖλαιto write
episteilaiG1989 →
αὐτοῖςto them
autoisG846 →5565 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
ἀπέχεσθαιto abstain from
apechesthaiG568 →
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἀλισγημάτωνpollutions
alisgematonG234 →
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
εἰδώλωνidols
eidolonG1497 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τῆς<the>
tesG3588 →19766 times
πορνείαςsexual immorality
porneiasG4202 →25 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τοῦthat
touG3588 →19766 times
πνικτοῦwhich is strangled
pniktouG4156 →3 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
αἵματος.from blood.
aimatosG129 →97 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Genesis 9:4But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 12:23
Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 15:23
But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 12:23
Through
Revelation 2:20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
it leads to
- Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 15:29
You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 16:31
And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then…
- Revelation 2:14
Through
Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food…
it leads to
- Revelation 2:20
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 31:16
“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.
- 2 Peter 2:15
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
- Revelation 2:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
On this chapter
About Acts
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Acts of the Apostles; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Acts; Bede, Retractions on Acts; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 33; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON ROMANS 2.13; Pseudo-Clement, Clementine Recognitions, Book 4 and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.