Acts 15:1

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

The Jerusalem Council Now some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers,“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

¶Καί τινες κατελθόντες ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐδίδασκον τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, ὅτι Ἐὰν μὴ περιτέμνησθε τῷ ἔθει Μωϋσέως, οὐ δύνασθε σωθῆναι.

Transliteration

And tines having katelthontes from tēs Ioudaias were edidaskon the adelphous, that If not you are peritemneisthe to the ethei Mōuseōs, not you are dunasthe to be sōthēnai.

Grammar Details

• *tines*: nominative, masculine, plural - certain ones/some
• *katelthontes*: aorist participle, active, nominative, masculine, plural - having come down
• *tēs Ioudaias*: genitive, feminine, singular - of Judea
• *edidaskon*: imperfect, active, 3rd person, plural - were teaching [continuous action]
• *adelphous*: accusative, masculine, plural - brothers
• *peritemneisthe*: present, subjunctive, passive, 2nd person, plural - you are circumcised
• *ethei*: dative, neuter, singular - custom/manner
• *Mōuseōs*: genitive, masculine, singular - of Moses
• *dunasthe*: present, indicative, middle/passive, 2nd person, plural - you are able
• *sōthēnai*: aorist, infinitive, passive - to be saved

Word Meanings

• *katelthontes*: having come down/descended
• *edidaskon*: were teaching/instructing
• *ethei*: custom/tradition/practice
• *sōthēnai*: to be saved/delivered/preserved

Referenced Verses

• Acts 15:5 : 5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees who had believed stood up and said,“It is necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to order them to observe the law of Moses.”
• Acts 15:24 : 24 Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from us and have confused you, upsetting your minds by what they said,
• Lev 12:3 : 3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin must be circumcised.
• Acts 6:14 : 14 For we have heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
• Gal 2:11-14 : 11 Paul Rebukes Peter But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he had clearly done wrong. 12 Until certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this and separated himself because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray with them by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all,“If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
• Gal 5:1-4 : 1 Freedom of the Believer For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! 3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace!
• 1 Cor 7:18-19 : 18 Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo his circumcision. Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping God’s commandments is what counts.
• Col 2:8 : 8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
• Col 2:11-12 : 11 In him you also were circumcised– not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ. 12 Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.
• Col 2:16 : 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days–
• Gal 2:1 : 1 Confirmation from the Jerusalem Apostles Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too.
• Gal 2:3-4 : 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. 4 Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves.
• Gal 5:6 : 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight– the only thing that matters is faith working through love.
• Gal 6:13-16 : 13 For those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh. 14 But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that matters is a new creation! 16 And all who will behave in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God.
• Phil 3:2-3 : 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! 3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials
• Acts 15:3 : 3 So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they were relating at length the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.
• John 7:22 : 22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision(not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child on the Sabbath.
• Acts 21:20 : 20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to him,“You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers of the law.
• Rom 4:8-9 : 8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.” 9 Is this blessedness then for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision? For we say,“faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised! 11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them. 12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.
• Acts 15:22 : 22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to send men chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, leaders among the brothers, to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
• Gen 17:10-27 : 10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 13 They must indeed be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant will be visible in your flesh as a permanent reminder. 14 Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people– he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 15 Then God said to Abraham,“As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; Sarah will be her name. 16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. Kings of countries will come from her!” 17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed as he said to himself,“Can a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 Abraham said to God,“O that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said,“No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes; I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household(whether born in his house or bought with money) and circumcised them on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 24 Now Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised; 25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised. 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.