Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 11:12
And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house:
12. nothing doubting ] The oldest MSS. give “making no difference.” On this change of the verb from the middle to the active voice, and for a reason why Peter, after having been at Csarea and having heard the statement of Cornelius and seen the gift of the Spirit, adopted this form in his address at Jerusalem, see Act 10:20 note.
Moreover [And] these six brethren accompanied me ] Those who had been his companions to Csarea were brought by Peter to Jerusalem, that their testimony might support his statement, and that they might declare to the Church what they had seen. The change in the number of the verb in Act 11:11, “we were” for “I was,” which has the support of the best MSS., makes it probable that these brethren were his companions in the journey which he was making “throughout all quarters” (Act 9:32), and so were lodging with him at Simon’s house in Joppa.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 12. These six brethren] Probably pointing to them, being present, as proper persons to confirm the truth of what he was delivering.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
These six brethren accompanied me; whom they might hear testify the same thing, that in the mouths of so many it might be established.
We entered into the mans house: the man meant is Cornelius, concerning the entry into whose house, and converse with him, the doubt or controversy was that he was now speaking to.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12-18. we entered the man’s houseNomention of Cornelius’ name, much less of his high position, as ifthat affected the question. To the charge, “Thou wentest in tomen uncircumcised,” he simply speaks of the uncircumcised”man” to whom he had been divinely sent.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting,….
[See comments on Ac 10:20],
moreover, these six brethren accompanied me; it seems by this, that the six brethren that went along with Peter from Joppa to Caesarea, came also with him from thence to Jerusalem, and were now present, whom he points to; so that it looks as if Peter was aware, that he should be called to an account for his conduct, when he should come to Jerusalem; and therefore brought these six brethren with him, to be witnesses for him, of what they had seen and heard, which was a very wise and prudential step:
and we entered into the man’s house; the house of Cornelius, for entering into whose house they were contending with him, and where he entered not alone, but the six brethren with him; the Ethiopic version wrongly reads “three”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Making no distinction ( ). So Westcott and Hort (first aorist active participle) instead of “nothing doubting” (present middle participle) like 10:20. The difference in voice shows the distinction in meaning.
We entered into the man’s house ( ). Peter confesses it, but shows that the other six went in also. He avoids mention of Cornelius’s name and office.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Nothing doubting [ ] . The Rev. renders making no distinction, taking the verb in its original sense, which is to separate or distinguish. The rendering seems rather strained, doubting being a common rendering in the New Testament and giving a perfectly good sense here. See Mt 21:21; Mr 11:23, and note on Jas 1:6. It was natural that Peter should hesitate.
The six brethren. The men of Joppa who had gone with Peter to Cornelius, and had accompanied him also to Jerusalem, either as witnesses for him or for their own vindication, since they had committed the same offense.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the Spirit bade me go with them,” (eipen de to pneuma moi sunelthein autois) “Then the Spirit directed me to go in company with them,” as surely as He directed Philip to join the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch, Act 8:29; as He directed the Antioch church to send out Paul and Barnabas, Act 13:2; and as Paul was directed by the Spirit to do His will, Act 20:22-23; Rom 8:14.
2) “Nothing doubting,” (meden diakrinata) “Doubting not one thing, – Act 10:17; questioning nothing, protesting nothing that was declared concerning the clean and unclean in eating as having had restrictions abolished and replaced with the New Testament order of worship and service, Col 2:14-17; Eph 2:11-22; Act 10:13-15; Heb 3:1-7.
3) “Moreover these six brethren accompanied me,” (de elthon sun emoi kai hoi heks adelphoi houtoi) “Then there came in colleague with me these six brethren,” from the church, saints, or brethren at Joppa, Act 9:38; Act 9:41; Act 10:23; Act 10:45.
4) “And we entered into the man’s house: (kai eiselthomen eis ton oikon tou andros) “And we seven brethren entered into the house of the man,” who had sent for us, Cornelius. Thus seven Jewish Christian brethren journeyed from Joppa where Peter had raised Dorcas from the dead and presented her to the disciples, saints, or church brethren in Joppa, from which church mission Peter and the six brethren journeyed to bear the message to this large Gentile household, Act 10:17-48.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(12) The spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting.The Greek verb has a special force as being the same as that for contended in Act. 11:2. Peter, guided by the Spirit, raised no debate such as they were raising.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. These six brethren Peter’s testifiers are present from Joppa; not, indeed, as if his own word were not sufficient in regard to the bare material facts, but by the fulness of their united spirit to withstand opposition, and corroborate the rich fulness of the pentecostal Spirit by which the call of the Gentiles was made at Gentile Cesarea.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
12. ] They had accompanied him to Jerusalem, and were there to substantiate the facts, as far as they had witnessed them.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 11:12 . , cf. Act 10:20 , but if we read (see critical notes) . , “making no distinction,” R.V. : who had been with Peter at Csarea, and had returned with him to Jerusalem, see Act 10:45 . Hilgenfeld would regard them as constant companions of St. Peter on his Apostolic journeys. Differences such as these between the narrative here and that in Act 10:23 where the brethren are mentioned without their number constrain Feine to regard Act 11:1-18 as derived like the earlier narrative in 10 from one and the same source, not as added by a reviser (although he excludes Act 11:1 ; Act 11:18 in 11 from the original narrative). Spitta agrees with Feine in this view of Act 11:2-17 ; a forger writing with a “tendency” would have smoothed away any apparent discrepancies, as Zckler well points out. With regard to the whole Cornelius episode, Spitta and Feine (so Weiss and Wendt), inasmuch as they regard St. Luke’s narrative as containing at least a genuine historical kernel, and as marking a special exceptional case, and not a general rule as existing at such an early time, are much less radical than Weizscker, Holtzmann, and Clemen. For a good review of the relation of modern criticism to the narrative see Wendt (1899) on Act 10:1 and Zckler, Apostelgeschichte , pp. 226, 227 (second edition).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
the spirit. The angel of Act 10:3.
nothing. Greek. mideis.
doubting. Greek. diakrino. App-122.
accompanied = came with (Greek. sun. App-104. xvi).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
12. ] They had accompanied him to Jerusalem, and were there to substantiate the facts, as far as they had witnessed them.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
the Spirit: Act 8:29, Act 10:19, Act 10:20, Act 13:2, Act 13:4, Act 15:7, Act 16:6, Act 16:7, Joh 16:13, 2Th 2:2, Rev 22:17
nothing: Mat 1:20
these: Act 10:23, Act 10:45
Reciprocal: Luk 2:27 – by Act 15:2 – certain
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2
Act 11:12. These six brethren are the “certain brethren” of chapter 10:23. They were taken along to be witnesses of the events in the household of Cornelius. Peter referred to them as a verification of what he was reporting.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 11:12. The Spirit bade me go with them (see note on Act 10:19-20). The words get thee down, which we find in the direct narrative, are omitted here. This is consistent. St. Peter had said nothing of having gone up to the house-top.
Moreover these six brethren accompanied me. Here suddenly we learn for the first time two facts respecting these his companions and witnesses,first, that they of the circumcision, who accompanied him from Joppa to Csarea (Act 10:23; Act 10:45), were six in number; and secondly, that they had accompanied him also to Jerusalem. This second fact has extreme significance, and shows how deep an impression had been made by the recent events at Caesarea and Joppa, and how careful and deliberate was the course adopted by St. Peter, in order to bring conviction home to his brother apostles and the Christians at Jerusalem generally. The phrase these six brethren, marking the vividness of his appeal to them at the moment of speaking, should not be unobserved (comp. Act 20:34).
We entered into the mans house. He condenses into a very short space the account of the journey and the reception, which, in the other narrative, had been given at some length. Another point, too, we should not fail to remark. St. Peter simply terms Cornelius the man. There would have been nothing persuasive in his dwelling on the military rank of Cornelius, or his position at Caesarea, or on the honourable character of the corps to which he belonged. These particulars would have been positively distasteful to his Jewish listeners. Even as regards the personal character of Cornelius, his habit of prayer, his generous almsgiving, his faithful discharge of domestic duty, it would not have been politic in Peter to have laid stress on these points before an audience full of prejudice against the Heathen, and reluctant to recognise the existence of true religion except under Hebrew conditions; nor were these the circumstances which had brought Peter to his present conviction. On the other hand, there was much point in his saying, however briefly, that he entered into the mans house. This was the very ground of the censure under which Peter had fallen (see Act 11:3).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes one verse 4