Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 10:13
And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
13. Rise, Peter; kill, and eat ] As he was hungry before he fell into the trance, here is presented the means of satisfying his hunger, and by the command in which he is directed to kill without distinction among all that he sees, this divinely-communicated abrogation of the law of Moses concerning the choice among living creatures afterwards informs his waking mind that now all the nations are to be alike included among God’s people.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. Rise, Peter, kill and eat.] , Sacrifice and eat. Though this verb is sometimes used to signify the slaying of animals for food, yet, as the proper notion is to slay for the purpose of sacrifice, it appears to me to be better to preserve that meaning here. Animals that were offered in sacrifice were considered as given to God; and, when he received the life, the flesh was given to those who offered the sacrifice, that they might feed upon it; and every sacrifice had in it the nature of a covenant; and covenants were usually made by eating together on the flesh of the sacrifice offered on the occasion, God being supposed to be invisibly present with them, and partaking of the feast. The Jews and Gentiles are certainly represented by the clean and unclean animals in this large vessel: these, by the ministry of the Gospel, were to be offered up a spiritual sacrifice to God. Peter was to be a prime instrument in this work; he was to offer them to God, and rejoice in the work of his hands. The spirit of the heavenly direction seems to be this: “The middle wall of partition is now to be pulled down; the Jews and Gentiles are called to become one flock, under one shepherd and bishop of souls. Thou, Peter, shalt open the door of faith to the Gentiles, and be also the minister of the circumcision. Rise up; already a blessed sacrifice is prepared: go and offer it to God; and let thy soul feed on the fruits of his mercy and goodness, in thus showing his gracious design of saving both Jews and Gentiles by Christ crucified.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Of that thou seest, without any exception, whether they be clean, or (formerly) unclean creatures. The moral of which command is, that he might now converse with Jews and Gentiles indifferently, and preach unto these also the word of life.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9-16. upon the housetoptheflat roof, the chosen place in the East for cool retirement.
the sixth hournoon.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And there came a voice to him,…. Formed by an angel, or rather by Christ himself:
rise, Peter, kill and eat; he might be on his knees when he fell into this trance, being at prayer, and therefore is bid to rise; and he is called by name, the more to encourage him to do as he was ordered; and he is bid to kill and eat of all the creatures without distinction, which were represented to him in the sheet; and the design of this was to teach him, that both the distinction between clean and unclean creatures in the law was now abolished, and men might lawfully eat of whatsoever they pleased; and that he might and should without any difference converse with all sorts of men, Jews and Gentiles, circumcised and uncircumcised, and preach the Gospel to one as to another, and maintain a church communion and fellowship with all equally alike.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “And there came a voice to him,” (kai egeneto phone pros auton) “And there came to him (to Peter) a voice,” an audible, intelligible voice, one that he understood, much as that voice that spoke to Saul on the Damascus road, Act 9:5-9.
2) “Rise, Peter; kill, and eat,” (anastas Petre thuson kai phage) “Saying, stand up Peter, slay(kill) and eat your fill,” without regards for clean or unclean beasts, fowls, creeping things, (reptiles), or fishes as restricted under the Levitical Law, Lev 11:1-47; Deu 14:3;
a) Of beasts, Deu 14:4-8.
b) Of fishes, Deu 14:9-10.
c) Of fowls, Deu 14:11-21.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
13. A voice from heaven. The voice came from heaven as did the sheet, that Peter might know that both came from God; neither had the sight done him any good, unless God had with this voice made clean those things which were before unclean. Whereas some pick an allegory out of the word kill, as if God did signify that men are sacrificed to him by the spiritual sword of the gospel; I do not prosecute that, but plainness pleaseth me better, that God doth take away by this voice the law concerning the choice of beasts, that he may also teach that he rejecteth no people, (Rom 15:16.) For if by the former word be meant sacrificing, what shall eat signify?
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.In the symbolism of the vision the natural promptings of appetite were confirmed by the divine voice. That which resisted both was the scruple of a hesitating conscience, not yet emancipated from its bondage to a ceremonial and therefore transitory law. It is natural to infer that the spiritual yearnings of Peters soul were, in like manner, hungering and thirsting after a wider fellowship which should embrace all manner of the races that make up mankind, while, on the other hand, he was as yet waiting to be taught that the distinction between Jew and Gentile was done away in Christ.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Kill Literally sacrifice. For the clean Jew to kill the clean animal for his own eating was in a manner to sacrifice him. Rather, however, the word symbolizes that the unclean Gentile may, through the great sacrifice of the pure Lamb of God, present himself a living sacrifice to Jehovah.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And there came a voice to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ’
Then a voice spoke to him, saying, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” Peter must have wondered what was happening, and even been appalled. How could the Lord tell him to partake of unclean animals, or even to go among that dreadful collection of creatures? It was neither religiously nor personally desirable. (Any more than going among the Gentiles might be).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 10:13. Rise, Peter; kill, and eat This appears a general intimation that the Jewish Christians were by the gospel absolved from the ceremonial law, in which the distinction between clean and unclean meats made so considerable a part. L’Enfant, and some other critics, have observed, that the Jews looked on unclean animals as images of the Gentiles; which, if it were the case, renders this emblematical interpretation peculiarly suitable. See particularly the note on Lev 11:2.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Ver. 13. Kill and eat ] Peter was hereby taught not to kill and slay in battle, as many of his warlike pretended successors have done, but to kill that corruption that he found in the Gentiles, by the sword of the Spirit, &c. Julius II can turn him either way, to Peter’s keys or Paul’s sword. a
a
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Act 10:13 . , see above on Act 5:17 : he may have been, as St. Chrysostom says, on his knees. : the beasts are represented as living not here in a sacrificial sense, cf. Luk 15:23 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Rise. Greek. aniatemi. App-178.
kill = slay. Greek. thuo, to slay, or to sacrifice.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
[13. , eat) Such food was awaiting Peter as Christ Himself is satisfied with: Isa 53:11, He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.-V. g.]
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Rise: Act 10:10, Jer 35:2-5, Joh 4:31-34
kill: Or, sacrifice and eat, [Strong’s G2378], [Strong’s G2532], [Strong’s G5315]. The spirit of the heavenly direction seems to be this, say Dr. A. Clarke, “The middle wall of the partition is now pulled down; the Jews and Gentiles are called to become one flock, under one shepherd and bishop of souls. Thou, Peter, shalt open the door of faith to the Gentiles, and be also the minister of the circumcision. Rise up; already a blessed sacrifice is prepared: go and offer it to God; and let thy soul feed on the fruits of his mercy,” etc.
Reciprocal: Gen 46:2 – Jacob Exo 3:4 – Moses Psa 141:4 – and let me Dan 8:16 – I heard 1Ti 4:3 – which Heb 9:10 – in meats
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Act 10:13. Rise, Peter. He may have been reposing, or he may have been on his knees in prayer. The voice addresses him by name, as in the cases of Moses (Exo 3:4), Samuel (1Sa 3:10), Cornelius (Act 10:3), and St. Paul (Act 9:4).
Kill and eat. In Act 11:7, in the Authorised Version, we have slay and eat, but in the Greek original the words are the same.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 9