Bible Strands
Acts 11:6
I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Peter recounts a vision he saw while praying in Joppa, describing the contents of the sheet lowered from heaven. He speaks to the Jerusalem believers as he explains his subsequent actions.
The words — ἀτενίσας (atenisas) means “having looked intently,” and τετράποδα (tetrapoda) translates to “quadrupeds.”
The thread — The textual pattern of fixed attention reappears in Luke 4:20 and Acts 3:4, where subjects are deliberately observed before a subsequent action.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to note the exact catalog of animals before the voice issues the command to kill and eat. It establishes a sequence of observation followed by instruction.
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
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.