Acts 11:9
in Acts 11But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But a voice answered the second time out of heaven, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.
KJV
But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
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This verse in Acts 11
Commentary
7 notes on this versePeter 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
Then I heard a voice
on Acts 11:7-10
Told to kill and eat, Peter answers that nothing impure or unclean has ever entered his mouth. The reply, Do not call anything impure that God has made clean, comes three times, the mark of a settled matter.
This site's exposition
call anything impure that God has made
The verb made clean stands in the past tense. Mark 7:19 records Jesus declaring all foods clean, and Peter now learns what that saying meant. At 15:9 he uses the same verb of God cleansing the hearts of the Gentiles.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
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 …
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
In things of this nature we must act according to our present light; yet must not be so wedded to our opinion concerning them as to be prejudiced against further discoveries, when the matter may either be otherwise or appear otherwise; and God may reveal even this unto us, Phil. iii. And, that they might be sure he was not deceived in it, he tells them it was done three times (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
But the voice answered me again from heaven,....
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀπεκρίθη | apekrithe | Answered | G611 → | 231 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| φωνὴ | phone | [the] voice | G5456 → | 139 times |
| ἐκ | ek | for | G1537 → | 911 times |
| δευτέρου | deuterou | a second [time] | G1208 → | 43 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανοῦ· | ouranou | heaven; | G3772 → | 272 times |
| ἃ | ha | What | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεὸς | theos | God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| ἐκαθάρισεν, | ekatharisen | has cleansed, | G2511 → | 31 times |
| σὺ | su | you yourself | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| κοίνου. | koinou | do call unholy. | G2840 → | 14 times |
ἀπεκρίθηAnswered
apekritheG611 →231 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
φωνὴ[the] voice
phoneG5456 →139 times
ἐκfor
ekG1537 →911 times
δευτέρουa second [time]
deuterouG1208 →43 times
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανοῦ·heaven;
ouranouG3772 →272 times
ἃWhat
haG3739 →1405 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
θεὸςGod
theosG2316 →1312 times
ἐκαθάρισεν,has cleansed,
ekatharisenG2511 →31 times
σὺyou yourself
suG4771 →2973 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
κοίνου.do call unholy.
koinouG2840 →14 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
Acts 10:15The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 10:25
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,
- Titus 1:15
To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
- Matthew 15:11
A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
- Mark 7:19
because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)
- Romans 14:14
I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
- 1 Corinthians 10:25
Through
Acts 15:9He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.
it leads to
- Ephesians 3:6
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
- Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love.
- Ephesians 3:6
Through
Acts 10:28He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure…
it leads to
- John 4:9
“You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
- John 4:9
Where this verse is studied
About Acts

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on Acts; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 24; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; 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.
