Acts 10:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,

NIV: We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,

NASB: We are witnesses of all the things that He did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.

CSB: We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree.

NLT: And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,

KJV: And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:

NKJV: And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

Peter is in Caesarea Maritima at the home of the Roman centurion Cornelius. Cornelius has invited friends and family—many of whom worship the Jewish God—to hear what Peter has to say. Peter quickly overcomes his shock at being invited to the home of a Gentile and tells them about Jesus.

It's unclear who the "we" are. Peter had been in Lydda and Joppa, west of Jerusalem. When he received Cornelius' invitation in Joppa, he brought "six brothers" (Acts 11:12) from Joppa (Acts 10:23). We don't know who they are or where they learned about Jesus. They may have heard Jesus speak. They may have been in Jerusalem at some point when Peter and the other apostles preached. Or they may be recent converts thanks to Philip (Acts 8:40). Peter's fellow witnesses may be the other apostles who aren't there but were commissioned by Jesus to tell His story shortly before the ascension (Acts 1:8).

Traditional verse divisions create an awkward separation here, as verse 40 completes Jesus' death with the resurrection. A "tree" is any vertical piece of wood—in this case the cross, but in the Old Testament sometimes an Asherah pole. To be crucified was the greatest dishonor in Roman culture, but to hang from a "tree" was a curse according to the Jews (Deuteronomy 21:22–23). It's unclear what the "country of the Jews" means; it could mean Judea or Judea and Galilee.

Acts 10:34–43 describes the first group of Gentiles receiving salvation. A Roman centurion in the Roman capital of Caesarea Maritima has filled his house with friends and family to hear from Peter, one of the leaders of a new Jewish sect. As a God-fearing Gentile in Samaria, the centurion knows about the prophets and the events around Jesus' ministry and crucifixion. He apparently needs to know about the resurrection and Jesus' role in God's plan of forgiveness. Before Peter is even finished speaking, the Holy Spirit falls on the group, and the era of Gentile Jesus-followers begins.

Peter has been a dominant voice in the spread of Jesus' message to Jews and proselytes. Now he brings the gospel to Gentiles. An angel tells Cornelius, a centurion, to ask Peter to come to him. Peter is praying when he receives a vision of food—including non-kosher food—and God's voice telling him to eat. When the centurion's messengers arrive, Peter realizes the dream meant that Gentiles are no longer unclean. He follows the messengers and tells Cornelius' household about salvation through Jesus. Before Peter can lay his hands on them or baptize them, the Holy Spirit falls on them.

Jesus told the disciples they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Oddly, the disciples didn't understand this meant the Holy Spirit would come upon Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles alike. After several years reaching Jews and proselytes in Jerusalem (Acts 1—7) and Samaritans in Samaria (Acts 8:4–25), God calls Peter to bring the message to Gentiles. Peter's witness that Gentiles can be saved (Acts 11) clears the way for Paul's ministry to Gentiles in modern-day Turkey, Greece, and Italy (Acts 13—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.