figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
gave
ἔδωκενedōken
G1325
to give (used in a very wide application · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
them
αὐτοῖςautois
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural masculine
like
ἴσηνisēn
G2470
similar (in amount and kind) · adjective — accusative singular feminine
gift
δωρεὰνdōrean
G1431
a gratuity · noun — accusative singular feminine
as
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
us
ἡμῖνhēmîn
G2254
to (or for
believed
πιστεύσασινpisteusasin
G4100
to have faith (in · verb — aorist active participle, dative plural masculine
on
ἐπὶepi
G1909
properly · preposition
Lord
κύριονkurion
G2962
supreme in authority · noun — accusative singular masculine, a title
Jesus
ἸησοῦνIēsoun
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — accusative singular masculine, a proper name
Christ
Χριστόν,Christon
G5547
anointed · noun — accusative singular masculine, a title
what
τίςtis
G5101
an interrogative pronoun · interrogative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
was
ἤμηνḗmēn
G2252
I was
I
ἐγὼegō
G1473
I · personal pronoun — 1st person nominative singular
could
δυνατὸςdunatos
G1415
powerful or capable (literally or figuratively) · adjective — nominative singular masculine
withstand
κωλῦσαιkōlusai
G2967
to estop · verb — aorist active infinitive
God
θεόν;¶theon
G2316
figuratively · noun — accusative singular masculine, a title
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
Romans 9:20-26 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Job 33:13 Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabit…
Acts 15:8-9 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Romans 9:15-16 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Romans 11:34-36 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Job 9:12-14 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Acts 11:1-18
The preaching of the gospel to Cornelius was a thing which we poor sinners of the Gentiles have reason to reflect upon with a great deal of joy and thankfulness; for it was the bringing of light to us who sat in darkness. Now it being so great a surprize to the believing as well as the unbelieving Jews, it is worth while to enquire how it was received, and what comments were made upon it. And here we find,
I. Intelligence was presently brought of it to the church in Jerusalem, and thereabouts; for Cesarea was not so far from Jerusalem but that they might presently hear of it. Some for good-will, and some for ill-will, would spread the report of it; so that before he himself had returned to J…
Then remembered I the word . . . John . . . baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then, &c.--that is, "Since God Himself has put them on a level with ourselves, by bestowing on them what the Lord Jesus pronounced the higher baptism of the Holy Ghost, would it not have been to withstand God if I had withheld from them the lower baptism of water, and kept aloof from them as still 'unclean?'"
Adam Clarke on Acts 11:17
God gave them the like gift, etc. - Viz. the Holy Spirit, and its various gifts and graces, in the same way and in the same measure in which he gave them to us Jews. What was I, that I could withstand God? It was not I who called them to salvation: it was God; and the thing is proved to be from God alone, for none other could dispense the Holy Spirit.
John Gill on Acts 11:17
Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift,.... Of the Spirit, of speaking with divers tongues:
as he did unto us; the apostles: who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ: which clause stands either connected with "us" the apostles, and so is descriptive of them who first believed in Christ, and became followers of him; or with "them" the Gentiles, as the Syriac version renders it, "if therefore God gave that gift equally to these Gentiles which believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, as unto us"; for it seems most likely, that faith in Christ came by hearing Peter's discourse, before the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit fell upon them:
what was I that I could withstand God? or hinder the bapti…
The Church Fathers
And he does not say, I ordered them to be baptized: but what says he? "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?" He shows that he had himself done nothing: for the very thing which we have obtained, he says, that same did those men receive.
What a defence is here! For he does not say, Then knowing these things, hold your peace; but what? He stands their attack, and to their impeachment he pleads - "What was I, that I should withstand God?" What a defence is here! For he does not say, Then knowing these things, hold your peace; but what? He stands their attack, and to their impeachment he pleads - "What was I, to be able to hinder God?" It was not possible for me to hinder - a forcible plea indeed, and such as might well put them to shame.
"Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?" He shows that he had himself done nothing: for the very thing which we have obtained, he says, that same did those men receive. That he may more effectually stop their mouths, therefore he says, "The like gift." Do you perceive how he does not allow them to have less: when they believed, says he, the same gift did God give unto them, as He did to us who believed on the Lord, and Himself cleanses them. And he does not say, To you, but to us. Why do you feel aggrieved, when we call them partakers with us?
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Peter — Originally called Simon (=Simeon, i.e., “hearing”), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament. He was the son of Jona (Matt. 16:17). His mother is nowhere named in Scripture. He had a younger…
Tongues, Gift of — Granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (Mark 16:17). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have…
Catholicity · INCUL — INCUL
Faith · Through it is: The gift of the Holy Spirit — Through it is: The gift of the Holy Spirit
Gentiles · CONVERSION OF — CONVERSION OF
Gift Of The Holy Spirit, The · Given: To the Gentiles — Given: To the Gentiles
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Acts 11:1-18
1. And the apostles and brethren which were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had embraced the word of God. 2. And when Peter was gone up to Jerusalem, those which were of the circumcision reasoned with him, 3. Saying, Thou wentest in unto men uncircumcised, and hast eaten with them. 4. And Peter began, and expounded to them in order, saying, 5. I was in the city Joppa praying; and being in a trance, I saw a vision, to wit, A certain vessel coming down from heaven like a great sheet, tied by the four corners, which came even unto me: 6. Which, when I considered earnestly, I saw then four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and birds of the hea…
Peter reviewed the sequence of events, explaining that the whole development was the result of God’s initiative (11:12). Peter had eaten with Gentiles because God had made it clear that he should (11:4-12). Peter had then observed the Holy Spirit’s definite action of coming upon Gentiles, and he realized that they were being accepted and blessed by God just as Jewish believers had been (11:15-17; see 1:5). Peter was submitting to God’s will in admitting Gentiles to the church.
