John Gill Commentary Acts 11

And the apostles and brethren that were in Judea
The rest of the twelve apostles, and the private members of the churches that were in Judea, for there were in it now more churches than that at Jerusalem, (Acts 9:31)

heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God ;
as well as Samaria, (Acts 8:14) the news by some means or other were quickly brought to them, and no doubt but they also heard that they had received the Holy Ghost, his extraordinary gifts, as well as his special grace, though no mention is made of them.

And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem
From Caesarea, after he had stayed some certain days in Cornelius's house; so a journey from Caesarea to Jerusalem is called an ascending from the one to the other, (Acts 25:1) because Jerusalem stood on higher ground, as well as was the metropolis of the country; and this was a journey of six hundred furlongs, or seventy five miles, for so far, according to Josephus ^F20 , was Caesarea distant from Jerusalem:

they that were of the circumcision ,
which phrase designs not only the circumcised Jews that believed in Christ, for such were all they of the church at Jerusalem, or at least proselytes that had been circumcised, for as yet there were no uncircumcised Gentiles among them; but those of them, who were most strenuous for circumcision, and made it not only a bar of church communion, but even of civil conversation:

these contended with him ;
litigated the point, disputed the matter with him, complained against him, and quarrelled with him. Epiphanius says ^F21 , that Cerinthus, that arch-heretic, was at the head of this contention.

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 3. sect. 5.
• F21: Contr. Haeres. l. 1. Haeres. 28.

Saying, you went into men uncircumcised
Into the houses of such, and lodged with them, and familiarly conversed with them:

and did eat with them ;
which, according to the traditions of the Jews, was unlawful; (See Gill on Acts 10:28) they say nothing about his preaching to them, and baptizing them, because these were so manifestly agreeable to the commission of Christ, in (Matthew 28:19) (Mark 16:15) and yet how these could be without the other, is not easy to say.

But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning
Of the vision at Joppa;

and expounded it by order unto them ;
or related every particular, in a very methodical and orderly manner: he did not insist upon his authority as an apostle, and much less pretended to a primacy to the rest of the apostles; but submitted to have his case heard, examined, and judged of by the body of the brethren.

I was in the city of Joppa
And so it is called by Josephus ^F23, and in the Apocrypha: And he pitched his tents against Joppa: but; they of Joppa shut him out of the city, because Apollonius had a garrison there.'' ``The men of Joppa also did such an ungodly deed: they prayed the Jews that dwelt among them to go with their wives and children into the boats which they had prepared, as though they had meant them no hurt.''

here he was praying in an house of Simon the tanner, upon the top of it, and about the sixth hour of the day, or twelve o'clock at noon, which was one of the times of prayer with the Jews; (See Gill on Acts 10:9)

and in a trance I saw a vision ;
with the eyes of his understanding; for the organs of his body were quite senseless and useless, which was as follows:

a certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet ;
a vessel which looked like a great sheet,

let down from heaven by four corners ;
to the earth, which four corners were knit, and perhaps were held and let down by angels, and in this visionary way were seen by Peter, though not expressed:

and it came even to me ;
descended upon the housetop where Peter was praying; and which was necessary, that he might see what was upon it, and receive instruction from it; and that it was very near him is evident from what is said afterwards to him, when he was bidden to arise, and kill and eat what was upon it; and therefore it could not be hanging in the air, but must be let down upon the very spot where he was.

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 2.