Bible Strands
Acts 11:3
and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Peter stands in Jerusalem before circumcised believers who have taken issue with him. They confront him with the specific charge that he entered the homes of uncircumcised men and shared a meal with them.
The words — The Greek εἰσῆλθες (eisēlthes) literally means "you entered," while ἀκροβυστίαν (akrobustian) denotes "uncircumcision" or "uncircumcised state." These terms anchor the accusation in physical boundary markers rather than theological disagreement.
The thread — This confrontation echoes the grumbling of Pharisees and scribes in Luke 15:2 over Jesus welcoming sinners, and it prefigures the later tension in Galatians 2:12 regarding table fellowship with Gentiles. The same boundary violation is explicitly noted in Acts 10:28 as unlawful for a Jew under traditional custom.
Why it lands — The text demands a plain acknowledgment that religious boundaries were being crossed through shared physical space and meals. It requires the reader to confront how communal practices, not just doctrine, define group identity and provoke conflict.
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
Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
Cross-references
- Acts 10:28 He 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 or unclean.
- Galatians 2:12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.
- Luke 15:2 So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
- Acts 10:23 So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
- Acts 10:48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
- 1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
- 2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.