Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,
Parallel Translations
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Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,
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Wherfore my sentence is that we trouble not them which from amonge the gentyls are turned to God:
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Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them of the Gentiles that are turned to God,
Cross-references (10)
Passages linked to Acts 15:19 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things:
- Galatians 1:7-10 but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed. For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.
- Acts 15:24 Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law,’ to whom we gave no commandment;
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,
- Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon.
- Hosea 14:2 Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, “Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good: so we offer our lips like bulls.
- Acts 26:20 but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
- Acts 15:10 Now therefore why do you tempt God, that you should put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
- Galatians 2:4 This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,
- Galatians 5:11-12 But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 19. That we must not trouble. He denieth that…
19. That we must not trouble. He denieth that the Gentiles must be driven from the Church through the disagreement about ceremonies, seeing they were admitted by God; yet it [he] seemeth contrary to himself, when he denieth that they ought to be troubled, and yet prescribeth certain rites. The answer is easy, which I will hereafter more at large prosecute. First, he requireth nothing at their hands but that which they were bound to do by brotherly concord; secondly, these precepts could no whir trouble or disquiet their consciences, after that they knew that they were free before God, and that false and perverse religion was taken away, which the false apostles sought to bring in. The question is now, why James doth enjoin the Gentiles these four things alone? Some say that this was let [derived] from the ancient custom of the fathers, who did not make any covenant with any people which they could enforce to obey them but upon this condition; but because there is no fit author of that thing brought to light, I leave it in doubt and undecided.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain In matters indifferent we may so far bear with…
In matters indifferent we may so far bear with the weakness of our brethren, as they may have time to be instructed.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not…
19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Ver. 19. That we trouble not] Gr. παρενοχλειν. Trouble them more than needs; they will meet with trouble enough otherwise in the way to heaven. "I would they were even cut off" that thus trouble their consciences, Gal 5:12.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain St. James here gives his opinion, confirming and approving…
St. James here gives his opinion, confirming and approving what Peter had done in conversing with and baptizing of the Gentiles; whom he would not have afflicted or disturbed with such things as were not necessary, lest that it should hinder the conversion of the Gentiles, and the church should lose the substance for a shadow.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Wherefore my sentence is,.... Opinion or judgment in this…
Wherefore my sentence is,.... Opinion or judgment in this case, or what he reckoned most advisable to be done; for he did not impose his sense upon the whole body, but proposed it to them:
that we trouble not them; by obliging them to be circumcised, which would have been very afflicting and disturbing to them; not only because of the corporeal pain produced by circumcision, but because of the bondage their minds would be brought into, and they become subject to the whole law, and all its burdensome rites and ceremonies:
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which from among the Gentiles are turned to God; the one true and living God, Father, Son, and Spirit, and from idols, and the worshipping of them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 19. Wherefore my sentence is] Διο εγω κρινω,…
Verse 19. Wherefore my sentence is] Διο εγω κρινω, Wherefore I judge. There is an authority here that does not appear in the speech of St. Peter; and this authority was felt and bowed to by all the council; and the decree proposed by St. James adopted.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Act 15:19-21. Wherefore my sentence — My judgment in…
Act 15:19-21. Wherefore my sentence — My judgment in this matter; is, that we trouble not — With such observances as those now in question; them which from among the Gentiles — The ignorant and idolatrous Gentiles; are turned unto God — Are converted by divine grace to the knowledge and worship of the true God, and to obedience to his gospel. But that we write unto them, that they abstain from all things grossly scandalous, and particularly from pollutions of idols — From every species of idolatry: that they should have no manner of fellowship with idolaters in their idolatrous worship, or in the feasts they hold upon their sacrifices; see 1Co 10:14; 2Co 6:14. And from fornication — Which even the philosophers among the heathen did not account any fault. It was particularly frequent in the worship of their idols, on which account these sins are here named together. And from things strangled — That is, from whatever has been killed without pouring out the blood; and from blood — When God first permitted man to eat flesh, he commanded Noah, and in him all his posterity, whenever they killed any creature for food, to abstain from the blood thereof. It was to be poured upon the ground as water; doubtless, 1st, To be a token to mankind, in all ages, that they would have had no right to take the life of any animal for food, if God had not given them that right, who, therefore, to remind them of it, and impress it on their minds in all generations, denied them the use of blood, and required it to be spilt upon the ground. 2d, In honour of the blood of atonement, Lev 17:11-12. The life of the sacrifice was accepted for the life of the sinner; and blood made atonement for the soul; and therefore must not be looked upon as a common thing, but must be poured out before the Lord, (2Sa 23:16,) and especially in honour of that blood which was in due time to be shed for the sins of the world. Now this prohibition of eating blood, given to Noah and his posterity, and repeated to the Israelites in the law of Moses, and which was never revoked, is here confirmed and made of perpetual obligation. See the notes on Gen 9:4. For Moses hath, &c. — The sense and connection here may be: To the Jews we need to write nothing on these heads, for they hear the law continually, and are there most solemnly and repeatedly enjoined to abstain from these things.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain My sentence - Greek: I judge κρίνω krinō that…
My sentence - Greek: I judge κρίνω krinō that is, I give my opinion. It is the usual language in which a judge delivers his opinion; but it does not imply here that James assumed authority to settle the case, but merely that he gave his opinion, or counsel.
That we trouble not them - That we do not molest, disturb, or oppress them by imposing on them unnecessary fires and ceremonies.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Wherefore I judge, and join my judgment with Peter.…
Wherefore I judge, and join my judgment with Peter. St. John Chrysostom thinks that James had a special authority in the Council, as bishop of Jerusalem, and because of the great veneration, which those zealous for the Jewish law had for him: but his power was certainly inferior to that of St. Peter, who was head of all, as St. John Chrysostom teacheth, hom. iii. on the Acts.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Wherefore, my sentence--or "judgment."
Wherefore, my sentence--or "judgment."
is, that we trouble not--with Jewish obligations.
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them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God--rather, "are turning." The work is regarded as in progress, and indeed was rapidly advancing.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 19. My sentence is—Literally, I judge, or vote. It…
19. My sentence is—Literally, I judge, or vote. It was the ordinary phrase, agreeing with the Latin Ego censeo, which a Roman senator used in giving his vote. It will not bear the meaning, by some forced upon it, that James, as bishop, finally decides the whole question by authority. What he actually does is to propose the compromise upon which they all harmonize.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 19. Wherefore my sentence is] Lit. I decide. The…
19. Wherefore my sentence is] Lit. I decide. The pronoun is emphatically expressed, and indicates that the speaker is deciding with authority.
that we trouble not them] The verb is only found here in N. T., and signifies to trouble by putting obstacles in the way of another. Thus the idea of the speaker is “We will not by needless impediments deter the new converts from joining us.”
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which from among the Gentiles are turned to God] The same phrase is used elsewhere in the Acts (cp. Act_9:35, Act_14:15, Act_26:20), but of the converts at Antioch (Act_11:21) the whole expression is “a great number believed and turned unto the Lord,” thus shewing what constituted the true turning unto God.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (19) Wherefore my sentence is.—Literally, Wherefore I judge. The…
(19) Wherefore my sentence is.—Literally, Wherefore I judge. The tone is that of one who speaks with authority, but what follows is not given as a decree, but as a resolution which was submitted to the judgment of the Apostles and elders. (Comp. Act_16:4.)
That we trouble not them.—The verb is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, and expresses the idea of “worrying” or “harassing.”
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Are turned to God.—More accurately, are turning, as acknowledging that the work was going on at that very moment.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Judgment for sentence, A.V. (ejgwnw); turn for are turned,…
Judgment for sentence, A.V. (ejgwnw); turn for are turned, A.V. ejpistrefousin Judgment. Sentence is the best word, as expressing the decisive judgment of St. James, which, being delivered with the authority of his office at the close of the debate, carried with it the suffrages of the whole council. The things decreed by them were called Tagmata tamena uJpolwn kairwn.
Turn. It applies to those that should hereafter turn as well as to those who were already turned.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain 19. “Therefore I judge that we trouble not those…
19. “Therefore I judge that we trouble not those from the Gentiles turning unto God,
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain See notes on verse 13
See notes on verse 13
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain The scope of the decision goes far beyond the…
Wherefore
The scope of the decision goes far beyond the mere question of circumcision. The whole question of the relation of the law to Gentile believers had been put in issue (Act 15:5), and their exemption is declared in the decision (Act 15:19; Act 15:24). The decision might be otherwise stated in the terms of Rom 6:14. "Ye are not under the law, but under grace." Gentile believers were to show grace by abstaining from the practices offensive to godly Jews.
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Act 15:20; Act 15:21; Act 15:28; Act 15:29 cf; Rom 14:12-17; 1Co 8:1-13
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
James finishes speaking to the apostles and elders. (See: Acts 15:2 and Acts 15:13)
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General Information:
Here "we" includes James, the apostles, and the elders. (See: Inclusive "We")
we should not trouble those of the Gentiles
You can make explicit in what way James does not want to trouble the Gentiles. AT: "we should not require the Gentiles to become circumcised and obey the laws of Moses" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
who turn to God
A person who starts obeying God is spoken of as if the person is physically turning towards God. (See: Metaphor)
they must keep away from the pollution of idols ... sexual immorality ... strangled ... blood
Sexual immorality, strangling animals, and consuming blood were often part of ceremonies to worship idols and false gods.
pollution of idols
This possibly refers to eating the meat of an animal that someone has sacrificed to an idol or to anything to do with idol worship. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood
God did not allow Jews to eat meat that still had the blood in it. Also, even earlier in Moses' writings in Genesis, God had forbidden the drinking of blood. Therefore, they could not eat an animal that someone strangled because the blood was not properly drained from the body of the animal. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Moses has been proclaimed in every city ... and he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath
James is implying that Gentiles know how important these rules are because Jews preach them in every city where there is a synagogue. It also implies the Gentiles can go to the teachers from the synagogues to learn more about these rules. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Moses has been proclaimed
Here "Moses" represents the law of Moses. This can be stated in active form. AT: "The law of Moses has been proclaimed" or "Jews have taught the law of Moses" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)
in every city
The word "every" here is a generalization. AT: "in many cities" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
and he is read
Here "he" refers to Moses, whose name here represents his law. AT: "and the law is read" or "and they read the law" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
turn
God
false god
sexual immorality
blood
generation
synagogue
Sabbath
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.