Acts - 10:21



21 Peter went down to the men, and said, "Behold, I am he whom you seek. Why have you come?"

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Acts 10:21.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
And Peter went down to the men, and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
Then Peter, going down to the men, said: Behold, I am he whom you seek; what is the cause for which you are come?
and Peter having come down unto the men who have been sent from Cornelius unto him, said, 'Lo, I am he whom ye seek, what is the cause for which ye are present?'
Then Peter went down to the men which were sent to him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom you seek: what is the cause why you are come?
So Peter went down and said to the men, "I am the Simon you are inquiring for. What is the reason of your coming?"
And Peter went down to the men, and said, I am the man you are looking for: why have you come?
Then Peter, descending to the men, said: "Behold, I am the one whom you seek. What is the reason for which you have arrived?"
Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the person you are looking for. What is your reason for coming?"

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Behold, I am he whom ye seek. Luke declareth now how ready Peter was to obey; secondly, that he understood at length, by the messengers, to what end the vision was showed unto him. For he heareth that he is called by Cornelius, a man that is a Gentile, whom he would have counted profane, and unworthy of his company, unless his judgment had been corrected with this voice, "That which God calleth pure, judge not thou to be common." This is to be wise indeed, when as abandoning all vain confidence, and correcting our stubbornness, the authority of God doth so pull us unto it, and doth so possess our minds, that we count nothing right but that which it prescribeth.

Which were sent unto him from Cornelius - This clause is wanting in almost every MS. of worth, and in almost all the versions.
Behold, I am he whom ye seek - A sudden, unexpected speech, like the address of Aeneas to Dido; when the cloud in which he was involved suddenly dissipated, and he appeared with the exclamation,
- coram, quem quaeritis, adsum!
Aen. lib. i. 595.
What is the cause therefore ye are come? - He still did not know the full import of the vision; but being informed by the Holy Spirit that three men were seeking him, and that he should go with them, without scruple, he instantly obeyed; and finding them at the door, desired to know why they sought him.

Then Peter went down to the men,.... The Ethiopic version adds, "from the third floor"; to the place where the men were: the following clause,
which were sent unto him from Cornelius, is not in Beza's most ancient copy, nor in the Alexandrian copy, nor in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions:
and said, behold, I am he whom ye seek; without being called by any of the family he came down, and without being informed in that way who the men were inquiring for; it being suggested to him by the Spirit of God, he declared himself to be the person they were seeking after: and put this question to them,
what is the cause wherefore ye are come? for that was not intimated to him by the Spirit; it was only told him there were three men seeking him, and he was bid to go with them, without any scruple or hesitation; but what they came for, or he was to go with them about, was not suggested.

I am he whom ye seek--This seems to have been said without any communication being made to Peter regarding the men or their errand.

*More commentary available at chapter level.


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