Bible Strands
Acts 15:23
and sent them with this letter: The apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The apostles and elders address Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia immediately after the Jerusalem council selects Judas Barsabbas and Silas to deliver a formal decree.
The words — The phrase διὰ χειρὸς αὐτῶν (dia cheiros autōn) literally translates to "through their hand," denoting the physical delivery of the document by the appointed messengers.
The thread — This epistolary structure parallels the greeting in James 1:1 and the official correspondence in Acts 23:26, reflecting a standardized early Christian format for authoritative communication.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to treat the council's decision as a concrete, delivered mandate rather than a theoretical discussion, grounding the instruction in tangible leadership and verified transmission.
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 they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Cross-references
- Acts 23:26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.
- Galatians 1:21 Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
- James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.
- Acts 15:22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to select men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, two leaders among the brothers,
- Romans 16:3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
- Acts 14:27 When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
- Acts 15:1 Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
- Acts 15:4 On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they reported all that God had done through them.
- Acts 15:41 And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
- 2 John 1:3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be with us in truth and love.