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Good News Translation

Acts 15:6

The apostles and the elders met together to consider this question.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Antioch;   Bigotry;   Catholicity;   Church;   Circumcision;   Council;   Doctrines;   Elder;   Law;   Titus;   Thompson Chain Reference - Church;   Government;   The Topic Concordance - Gentiles/heathen;   Holy Spirit;   Israel/jews;   Salvation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jerusalem;   Justification before God;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Circumcision;   Council;   Meats;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Antioch in syria;   Apostle;   Elder;   Timothy;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Sermon on the Mount;   Worship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Abstinence;   Ordination;   Presbyterians;   Easton Bible Dictionary - John;   Peter;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - John the Apostle;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Barnabas;   Council of Jerusalem;   Disciples;   Galatians, Letter to the;   Romans, Book of;   Temptation;   Unity;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Antioch;   Bishop;   Council;   Galatians, Epistle to the;   James;   James, Epistle of;   Law;   Paul the Apostle;   Peter;   Power of the Keys;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Aristion (Aristo);   Church;   Divisions;   Ebionism (2);   Jerusalem;   Resurrection of Christ;   Word;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Barnabas ;   Elders;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Antioch;   Smith Bible Dictionary - John the Apostle;   Paul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Council;   Synods;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Law of Moses, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Acts of the Apostles;   Apostle;   Bishop;   Church;   Presbyter;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - New Testament;   Saul of Tarsus;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 10;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter.
King James Version (1611)
And the Apostles & Elders came together for to consider of this matter.
King James Version
And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
English Standard Version
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
New American Standard Bible
The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
New Century Version
The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this problem.
Amplified Bible
The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
Legacy Standard Bible
Both the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
Berean Standard Bible
So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter.
Contemporary English Version
The apostles and church leaders met to discuss this problem about Gentiles.
Complete Jewish Bible
The emissaries and the elders met to look into this matter.
Darby Translation
And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the apostles and the elders gathered to study this problem.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the Apostles and Elders came together to looke to this matter.
George Lamsa Translation
Then the apostles and elders assembled to consider this matter.
Lexham English Bible
Both the apostles and the elders assembled to deliberate concerning this matter.
Literal Translation
And the apostles and the elders were assembled to see about this matter.
American Standard Version
And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter.
Bible in Basic English
And the Apostles and the rulers of the church came together and gave thought to the question.
Hebrew Names Version
The apostles and the Zakenim were gathered together to see about this matter.
International Standard Version
So the apostles and the elders met to consider this statement.
Etheridge Translation
But the apostles and presbyters assembled to consider this doctrine.
Murdock Translation
And the legates and Elders assembled, to look into this matter.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Apostles and elders came together, for to consider of this matter.
English Revised Version
And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter.
World English Bible
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And the apostles and elders came together, to consider of this matter.
Weymouth's New Testament
Then the Apostles and Elders met to consider the matter;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the apostlis and eldre men camen togidre, to se of `this word.
Update Bible Version
And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the apostles and elders came together to consider of this matter.
New English Translation
Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate about this matter.
New King James Version
Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
New Living Translation
So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.
New Life Bible
The missionaries and church leaders got together to talk about this.
New Revised Standard
The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the Apostles and Elders were gathered together to see about this matter.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the apostles and ancients assembled to consider of this matter.
Revised Standard Version
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And ye Apostles and elders came to geder to reason of this matter.
Young's Literal Translation
And there were gathered together the apostles and the elders, to see about this matter,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the Apostles and Elders came together, to reason vpon this matter.
Mace New Testament (1729)
The apostles therefore, and the presbyters assembled to deliberate upon this affair.
THE MESSAGE
The apostles and leaders called a special meeting to consider the matter. The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: "Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth. And God, who can't be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person's thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us. He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.
Simplified Cowboy Version
So the jigger bosses, along with Jesus's handpicked cowboys, met together to come up with a decision on the matter.

Contextual Overview

6 The apostles and the elders met together to consider this question. 7 After a long debate Peter stood up and said, "My friends, you know that a long time ago God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, so that they could hear and believe. 8 And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us. 9 He made no difference between us and them; he forgave their sins because they believed. 10 So then, why do you now want to put God to the test by laying a load on the backs of the believers which neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were able to carry? 11 No! We believe and are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are." 12 The whole group was silent as they heard Barnabas and Paul report all the miracles and wonders that God had performed through them among the Gentiles. 13 When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends! 14 Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. 15 The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Acts 15:25, Acts 6:2, Acts 21:18, Proverbs 15:22, Matthew 18:20, Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17

Reciprocal: Proverbs 11:14 - General Matthew 18:17 - tell Acts 11:30 - to the Acts 14:23 - elders Acts 16:4 - they delivered Acts 20:17 - the elders Galatians 2:6 - in 1 Timothy 5:1 - an elder 1 Peter 5:1 - elders

Cross-References

Genesis 15:3
You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property."
Genesis 15:6
Abram put his trust in the Lord , and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him.
Genesis 15:14
But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and when they leave that foreign land, they will take great wealth with them.
Genesis 15:20
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
Psalms 106:31
This has been remembered in his favor ever since and will be for all time to come.
Romans 4:9
Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."
Romans 4:11
He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.
2 Corinthians 5:19
Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends.
Hebrews 11:8
It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him. He left his own country without knowing where he was going.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the apostles and elders came together,.... And also the brethren, or private members of the church, even the whole church, as appears from Acts 15:22. Whether all the apostles were here present, is not certain; Peter, James, and John were; but who else, cannot be said: these met together

for to consider of this matter; to hear what was to be said on both sides of the question, and then to judge what advice was proper to be given to the Gentiles.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the apostles and elders ... - They came together in accordance with the authority in Matthew 18:19-20. It would seem, also, that the whole church was convened on this occasion, and that the church concurred, at least, in the judgment expressed in this case. See Acts 15:12, Acts 15:22-23.

For to consider of this matter - Not to decide it arbitrarily, or even by authority, without deliberation; but to compare their views, and to express the result of the whole to the church at Antioch. It was a grave and difficult question, deeply affecting the entire constitution of the Christian church, and they therefore solemnly engaged in deliberation on the subject.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 15:6. The apostles and elders came together — This was the first council ever held in the Christian Church; and we find that it was composed of the apostles and elders simply.


 
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