Acts 15:20

Coverdale Bible (1535)

but to wryte vnto them, that they absteyne them selues from fylthynesse of Idols, from whordome, and from strangled, and bloude.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἀλλὰ ἐπιστεῖλαι αὐτοῖς, τοῦ ἀπέχεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλισγημάτων τῶν εἰδώλων, καὶ τῆς πορνείας, καὶ τοῦ πνικτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ αἵματος.

Transliteration

But to episteilai to them, to apechesthai apo tōn alisgēmatōn tōn eidōlōn, and tēs porneias, and the pniktou, and the haimatos.

Grammar Details

• *alla*: conjunction - but/rather
• *episteilai*: aorist, infinitive, active - to write/send [a letter]
• *autois*: dative, masculine, plural - to them
• *tou apechesthai*: present, infinitive, middle, articular - the abstaining
• *apo*: preposition + genitive - from
• *tōn alisgēmatōn*: genitive, neuter, plural - the pollutions/defilements
• *tōn eidōlōn*: genitive, neuter, plural - of idols
• *tēs porneias*: genitive, feminine, singular - sexual immorality
• *tou pniktou*: genitive, neuter, singular - what is strangled
• *tou haimatos*: genitive, neuter, singular - the blood

Word Meanings

• *episteilai*: to write/send [a letter]/instruct
• *apechesthai*: to abstain/keep away/refrain
• *alisgēmatōn*: pollutions/defilements/contaminations
• *eidōlōn*: idols/images
• *porneias*: sexual immorality/fornication
• *pniktou*: what is strangled/strangled meat
• *haimatos*: blood

Referenced Verses

• Lev 3:17 : 17 All the fatt is the LORDES. Let this be a perpetuall lawe amonge yor posterities in all youre dwellynges, that ye eate no fatt, ner bloude.
• Acts 15:29 : 29 That ye absteyne from the offeringes of Idols, and from bloude, and from strangled, and from whordome. From the which yf ye absteyne youre selues, ye shal do well. Fare ye well.
• Rev 2:14 : 14 But I haue a fewe thinges agaynst the: that thou hast there, the that manyntayne the doctryne of Balaam, which taught in Balak, to put occasion of syn before the children of Israell, that they shulde eate of meate dedicat vnto ydoles, and to commyt fornicacion.
• Rev 2:20 : 20 Not withstondinge I haue a feawe thinges agaynst the, that thou sufferest that woman Iesabell (which called her selfe a prophetisse) to teache and to deceaue my seruauntes, to make them committ fornicacion, and to eate meates offered vp vnto ydoles.
• Gen 9:4 : 4 Onely eate not the flesh with the bloude, wherin the soule is:
• Deut 12:16 : 16 onely the bloude shalt thou not eate, but poure it out as water vpon the earth.
• Deut 15:23 : 23 Onely se that thou eate not of the bloude therof, but poure it out as water vpon the grounde.
• Ezek 4:14 : 14 Then sayde I: Oh LORDE God, Beholde, my soule was yet neuer stayned: for fro my youth vp vnto this houre, I dyd neuer eate of a deed carcase, or of that which was slayne of wilde beestes, nether came there euer eny vnclene flesh in my mouth.
• Lev 17:10-14 : 10 And what man so euer it be (either of the house of Israel, or a straunger amonge you) that eateth eny maner of bloude, agaynst him wyll I set my face, and wil rote him out from amonge his people: 11 for the soule of ye body is in the bloude, and I haue geuen it you for the altare, that youre soules maye be reconcyled ther with: 12 For the bloude that is in the soule maketh attonement. Therfore haue I sayde vnto the children of Israel: No soule amonge you shall eate bloude, no ner eny straunger that dwelleth amonge you. 13 And what man so euer it be amonge you (whether he be of the house of Israel, or a straunger amoge you) that at the huntynge taketh a beest or foule which maye be eaten, he shall poure out the bloude of the same, & couer it with earth: 14 for all flesh lyueth in the bloude. And I haue sayde vnto the children of Israel: Ye shall eate the bloude of no body: for the life of all flesh is in his bloude. Who so euer eateth it, shalbe roted out.
• Acts 21:25 : 25 For as touchinge them that beleue amonge the Heythen, we haue wrytten, and concluded, that they shulde obserue no soch, but onely to kepe them selues from the offeringes of Idols, from bloude, from stragled, and from whordome.
• 1 Cor 6:9 : 9 Knowe ye not that ye vnrighteous shal not inheret the kyngdome of God? Be not disceaued. Nether whoremongers, ner worshippers off ymages, ner breakers off wedlocke, ner weaklinges, nether abusers of them selues with mankynde,
• 1 Cor 6:18 : 18 Fle whordome. All synnes yt a man doth, are without the body. But he that commytteth whordome, synneth agaynst his awne body.
• Exod 34:15-16 : 15 lest (yf thou make any agrement with the indwellers of the londe, and whan they go a whoringe after their goddes, and do sacrifice vnto their goddes) they call ye, and thou eate of their sacrifice, 16 and lest thou take of their doughters vnto thy sonnes to wyues, and the same go a whoringe after their goddes,
• 1 Cor 7:2 : 2 Neuertheles to avoyde whordome, let euery man haue his awne wife, and let euery woman haue hir awne hussbande.
• 1 Cor 8:1 : 1 As touchinge thinges offred vnto Idols we are sure yt we all haue knowlege. Knowlege puffeth a ma vp, but loue edifyeth.
• 1 Cor 8:4-9 : 4 So are we sure now cocernynge the meates offred vnto Idols, that an Idoll is nothinge in the worlde, and that there is none other God but one. 5 And though there be that are called goddes, whether in heauen or in earth (as there be goddes many and lordes many) 6 yet haue we but one God, euen the father, of who are all thinges, and we in him & one LORDE Iesus Christ, by who are all thinges, and we by him. 7 But euery man hath not knowlege: for some make yet consciece ouer the Idoll, and eate it as a thinge offred vnto Idols: and so their conscience beynge weake, is defyled. 8 Neuertheles meate furthureth not vs vnto God. Yf we eate, we shal not therfore be the better: yf we eate not, we shal not therfore be the lesse. 9 But take hede that this youre liberty be not an occasion of fallynge vnto ye weake. 10 For yf eny man se the (which hast knowlege) syt at the table in the Idols house, shal not his conscience whyle it is weake, be occasioned to eate of the Idoll offeringes? 11 And so thorow thy knowlege shal the weake brother perishe, for who Christ dyed. 12 But whan ye synne so agaynst the brethren, and wounde their weake coscience, ye synne agaynst Christ. 13 Wherfore yf meate offende my brother, I wyl neuer eate flesh, lest I offende my brother.
• 1 Cor 10:7-8 : 7 Nether be ye worshippers off ymages, as were some of them. Acordinge as it is wrytte: The people sat downe to eate and drynke, and rose vp to playe. 8 Nether let vs commytte whordome, as some of them comytted whordome, and fell in one daye thre & twenty thousande.
• 1 Cor 10:14-28 : 14 Wherfore my dearly beloued, fle from worshippinge of Idols. 15 I speake vnto them which haue discrecio, iudge ye what I saye. 16 The cuppe of thakesgeuynge wherwith we geue thankes, is it not the partakinge of the bloude of Christ? 17 The bred that we breake, is it not ye partakinge of ye body of Christ? For we many, are one bred & one body, in as moch as we all are partakers of one bred. 18 Beholde Israel after the flesshe. They yt eate the sacrifices, are they not partakers of the altare? 19 What shal I now saye then? Shal I saye that the Idoll is enythinge? Or that it which is offred vnto the Idoll is eny thinge? 20 Nay. But this I saye, that loke what the Heythen offre, that offre they vnto deuels, and not vnto God. Now wolde I not that ye shulde be in the fellishippe of deuels. 21 Ye can not drynke of the cuppe of the LORDE and of the cuppe of the deuels. Ye can not be partakers of the LORDES table, and of the table of deuels. 22 Or wyl we prouoke the LORDE? I maye do all thinges, but all thinges are not profitable. 23 I maye do all thinges, but all thinges edifye not. 24 Let noman seke his awne profit, but let euery man seke anothers welth. 25 What soeuer is solde in the fleshmarket, that eate, and axe no question for conscience sake. 26 For the earth is the LORDES, and all yt therin is. 27 Yf eny of the yt beleue not, byd you to a feast, and yf ye be disposed to go, what soeuer is set before you, that eate, axinge no question for conscience sake. 28 But yf eny man saye vnto you: This is offred vnto Idols, the eate not of it, for his sake that shewed it, and for hurtinge of conscience. (The earth is the LORDES and all that therin is.)
• 2 Cor 12:21 : 21 lest whan I come agayne, God bringe me lowe amoge you & lest I be constrayned to bewayle many of the yt haue synned before, & haue not repented ouer ye vnclennesse and whordome, and wantonnes, which they haue comytted.
• Gal 5:19 : 19 The dedes of ye flesh are manifest, which are these: Aduoutrye, whordome, vnclenes, wantanes,
• Eph 5:3 : 3 As for whordome and all vnclennes, or couetousnes, let it not be named amoge you, as it becommeth sayntes:
• Col 3:5 : 5 Mortifye therfore youre mebres which are vpon earth, whordome, vnclennes, vnnaturall lust, euell concupiscece, and couetousnes, which is a worshippynge of Idols:
• 1 Thess 4:3 : 3 For this is the will of God, euen youre sanctifienge, that ye shulde absteyne from whordome,
• 1 Tim 4:4-5 : 4 For euery creature off God is good, and nothinge to be refused, yt is receaued with thankesgeuynge: 5 for it is sanctifyed by the worde of God and prayer.
• Heb 12:16 : 16 that there be no whoremonger, or vncleane person, as Esau, which for one meate sake solde his byrth righte.
• Heb 13:4 : 4 Let wedlocke be had in pryce in all poyntes, & let ye chamber be vndefyled. For whorekepers and aduouterers God wil iudge.
• 1 Pet 4:3 : 3 For it is ynough, yt we haue spent ye tyme past of the life, after the will of ye Heythen, wha we walked in wantannesse, lustes, dronkenes, glotony, ryotous drynkynge, & i abhominable Idolatrye.
• 1 Cor 6:13 : 13 Meates are ordeyned for ye bely, & the bely for meates. But God shal destroye both it and them. The body belongeth not vnto whordome, but vnto the LORDE, and the LORDE vnto the body
• 1 Cor 5:11 : 11 But now haue I wrytte vnto you, yt ye shulde haue nothinge to do with them: (Namely,) yf there be eny man that is called a brother, and is an whoremonger, or couetous, or a worshipper of ymages, ether a raylar, or a dronkarde, or an extorcioner, with soch shal ye not eate.
• Rev 9:20 : 20 And the remnaunt of the me which were not kylled by these plages, repeted not of the dedes of their hondes, yt they shulde not worshippe deuels, and ymages of golde, and syluer, and brasse, & stone, and of wod, which nether can se, nether heare, nether go.
• Rev 10:2 : 2 and he had in his honde a lytell boke opyn: and he put his right fote vpon ye see, and his lifte fote on ye earth.
• Rev 10:8 : 8 And the voyce which I herde from heaue, spake vnto me agayne, and sayde: go and take the lytle boke which is open in the honde of the angel, which stondeth vpo the see, and vpon the earth.
• Num 25:2 : 2 which called the people vnto the sacrifice of their goddes. And the people ate and worshipped their goddes,
• Lev 7:23-27 : 23 Speake vnto the children of Israel, & saye: Ye shall eate no fat of oxen, lambes, and goates: 24 neuerthelesse the fat of it that dyeth alone, and of soch as is torne of wylde beastes, that maye ye occupye to all maner of vses, but ye shall not eate it. 25 For who so euer eateth the fat of ye beest that is geuen vnto the LORDE for an offerynge, the same soule shalbe roted out from his people. 26 Morouer, ye shall eate no bloude, nether of catell, ner of foules, where so euer ye dwell. 27 What soule eateth eny bloude, the same shall be roted out from his people.
• Gen 35:2 : 2 Then sayde Iacob vnto his housholde and to all yt were with him: Put awaye from you ye straunge goddes, that are amonge you, and clense youre selues, and chaunge youre clothes,
• Exod 20:3-5 : 3 Thou shalt haue none other Goddes in my sight. 4 Thou shalt make the no grauen ymage ner eny symilitude, nether of it that is aboue in heauen, ner of it that is beneth vpon earth, ner of it that is in the water vnder the earth. 5 Worshipe them not, and serue them not: for I the LORDE thy God am a gelouse God, vysitinge ye synne of the fathers vpon the children, vnto ye thirde and fourth generacion, of them that hate me:
• Exod 20:23 : 23 therfore shal ye make nothinge with me: goddes of syluer and golde shal ye not make you.
• Ezek 20:30-31 : 30 Wherfore, speake vnto the house of Israel: Thus saieth the LORDE God: Ye are euen as vnclene as youre forefathers, & committe whordome also with their abhominacios. 31 In all youre Idols, where vnto ye bringe youre oblacios, & to whose honoure ye burne youre children: ye defyle youre selues, euen vnto this daye: how darre ye the come, and axe eny question at me? O ye housholde of Israel? As truly as I lyue (saieth the LORDE God) ye get no answere of me:
• Ezek 33:25 : 25 And therfore tell them: Thus saieth the LORDE: In the bloude haue ye eaten, youre eyes haue ye lift vp to Idols, and haue shed bloude: shal ye then haue the londe in possession?
• Dan 1:8 : 8 But Daniel was at a poynt wt himself, that he wolde not be defyled thorow the kynges meate, ner ye wyne which he droke. And this he desyred off the chefe chaberlayne, lest he shulde defyle himselff.
• 1 Sam 14:32 : 32 And ye people turned to the spoyles, and toke shepe and oxen, and calues, and slewe them vpon the earth, and ate them with the bloude.
• Ps 106:37-39 : 37 Yee they offred their sonnes & their doughters vnto deuels. 38 And shed the innocent bloude of their sonnes and of their doughters, whom they offred vnto the ymages of Canaan, so that the londe was defyled with bloude. 39 Thus were they stayned wt their owne workes, and wente a whoringe with their owne invencions.
• Deut 12:23-25 : 23 Onely bewarre, that thou eate not the bloude: for the bloude is the life. Therfore shalt thou not eate the life wt the flesh, 24 but shalt poure it out like water vpon the earth, 25 yt thou mayest prospere, and yi children after the, whan thou hast done that which is righte in the sighte of the LORDE.
• Deut 14:21 : 21 Ye shall eate of nothinge yt dyeth alone: thou mayest geue it vnto ye straunger within yi gate, that he eate it, or sell it to a straunger. For thou art an holy people vnto ye LORDE thy God. Thou shalt not seeth a kydd, whyle it yet sucketh his mother.