Bible Strands
Acts 11:13
He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Peter addresses the Jerusalem church, recounting his recent visit to the Roman centurion Cornelius. He delivers this report immediately after being questioned about eating with uncircumcised Gentiles.
The words — ἀπήγγειλεν (apēngeilen) translates literally as "he related," and εἶδεν (eiden) means "he had seen." These verbs establish Cornelius’s account as direct personal observation rather than hearsay.
The thread — The angelic message parallels the vision in Acts 10:3, where the same messenger directs Cornelius to Joppa. This narrative thread links the divine initiative to Peter’s stay in Acts 9:43 and the fulfillment in Acts 10:30.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that divine instruction precedes human action. It demands recognition that the gospel’s expansion follows explicit heavenly command rather than human strategy.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
Cross-references
- Acts 10:30 Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me
- Acts 9:43 And Peter stayed for several days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
- Acts 10:3 One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
- Acts 10:22 “Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”
- Acts 12:11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
- Hebrews 1:14 Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?