Acts 15:5 - Forerunner Commentary

Acts 15:5

3 So, ^abeing sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, ^bdescribing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren.

4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.

5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

The Jerusalem Council

6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.

7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: ^a“Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

8 So God, ^awho knows the heart, acknowledged them by ^bgiving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,

9 ^aand made no distinction between us and them, ^bpurifying their hearts by faith.

10 Now therefore, why do you test God ^aby putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11 But ^awe believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus¹ Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had ^aworked through them among the Gentiles.

13 And after they had¹ become silent, ^aJames answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me:

14 ^aSimon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.

15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

16 ‘After^a this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;

17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the¹ Lord who does all these things.’

18 ¹“Known to God from eternity are all His works.

19 Therefore ^aI judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who ^bare turning to God,

20 but that we ^awrite to them to abstain ^bfrom things polluted by idols, ^cfrom sexual immorality, ^dfrom things strangled, and from blood.

21 For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, ^abeing read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

The Jerusalem Decree

22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named ^aBarsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

23 They wrote this letter by them:
The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,
To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.

24 Since we have heard that ^asome who went out from us have troubled you with words, ^bunsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law” —to whom we gave no such commandment—

Verse Comparison: Acts 15:5

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American Standard Version
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying, It is needful to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.

Amplified® Bible
But some who believed [who acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and devoted themselves to Him] belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and they rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise [the Gentile converts] and to charge them to obey the Law of Moses.

Contemporary English Version
But some Pharisees had become followers of the Lord. They stood up and said, "Gentiles who have faith in the Lord must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses."

Darby English Version
And some of those who were of the sect of the Pharisees, who believed, rose up from among [them], saying that they ought to circumcise them and enjoin them to keep the law of Moses.

Good News Bible
But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses."

International Standard Version
But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "They must be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses."

King James Version
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

New American Standard Bible
But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."

New International Version
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."

New King James Version
But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "We need to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."

Young's Literal Translation
and there rose up certain of those of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying -- `It behoveth to circumcise them, to command them also to keep the law of Moses.'

New English Translation
But some from the religious party of the Pharisees¹ who had believed stood up and said, “It is necessary² to circumcise the Gentiles³ and to order them to observe⁴ the law of Moses.”

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