Acts 11:12

And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(12) The spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting.—The Greek verb has a special force as being the same as that for “contended” in Acts 11:2. Peter, guided by the Spirit, raised no debate such as they were raising.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

11:1-18 The imperfect state of human nature strongly appears, when godly persons are displeased even to hear that the word of God has been received, because their own system has not been attended to. And we are too apt to despair of doing good to those who yet, when tried, prove very teachable. It is the bane and damage of the church, to shut out those from it, and from the benefit of the means of grace, who are not in every thing as we are. Peter stated the whole affair. We should at all times bear with the infirmities of our brethren; and instead of taking offence, or answering with warmth, we should explain our motives, and show the nature of our proceedings. That preaching is certainly right, with which the Holy Ghost is given. While men are very zealous for their own regulations, they should take care that they do not withstand God; and those who love the Lord will glorify him, when made sure that he has given repentance to life to any fellow-sinners. Repentance is God's gift; not only his free grace accepts it, but his mighty grace works it in us, grace takes away the heart of stone, and gives us a heart of flesh. The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See Acts 10:9-33.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

12-18. we entered the man's house—No mention of Cornelius' name, much less of his high position, as if that affected the question. To the charge, "Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised," he simply speaks of the uncircumcised "man" to whom he had been divinely sent.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

These six brethren accompanied me; whom they might hear testify the same thing, that in the mouths of so many it might be established.

We entered into the man’s house: the man meant is Cornelius, concerning the entry into whose house, and converse with him, the doubt or controversy was that he was now speaking to.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting,.... See Gill on Acts 10:20,

moreover, these six brethren accompanied me; it seems by this, that the six brethren that went along with Peter from Joppa to Caesarea, came also with him from thence to Jerusalem, and were now present, whom he points to; so that it looks as if Peter was aware, that he should be called to an account for his conduct, when he should come to Jerusalem; and therefore brought these six brethren with him, to be witnesses for him, of what they had seen and heard, which was a very wise and prudential step:

and we entered into the man's house; the house of Cornelius, for entering into whose house they were contending with him, and where he entered not alone, but the six brethren with him; the Ethiopic version wrongly reads "three".

Geneva Study Bible

And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 11:12. μηδὲν διακρινόμενον, cf. Acts 10:20, but if we read (see critical notes) μ. διακρίναντα, “making no distinction,” R.V.—οἱ ἓξ ἀδελφοὶ οὗτοι: who had been with Peter at Cæsarea, and had returned with him to Jerusalem, see Acts 10:45. Hilgenfeld would regard them as constant companions of St. Peter on his Apostolic journeys. Differences such as these between the narrative here and that in Acts 10:23 where the brethren are mentioned without their number constrain Feine to regard Acts 11:1-18 as derived like the earlier narrative in 10 from one and the same source, not as added by a reviser (although he excludes Acts 11:1; Acts 11:18 in 11 from the original narrative). Spitta agrees with Feine in this view of Acts 11:2-17; a forger writing with a “tendency” would have smoothed away any apparent discrepancies, as Zöckler well points out. With regard to the whole Cornelius episode, Spitta and Feine (so Weiss and Wendt), inasmuch as they regard St. Luke’s narrative as containing at least a genuine historical kernel, and as marking a special exceptional case, and not a general rule as existing at such an early time, are much less radical than Weizsäcker, Holtzmann, and Clemen. For a good review of the relation of modern criticism to the narrative see Wendt (1899) on Acts 10:1 and Zöckler, Apostelgeschichte, pp. 226, 227 (second edition).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

12. nothing doubting] The oldest MSS. give “making no difference.” On this change of the verb from the middle to the active voice, and for a reason why Peter, after having been at Cæsarea and having heard the statement of Cornelius and seen the gift of the Spirit, adopted this form in his address at Jerusalem, see Acts 10:20 note.

Moreover [And] these six brethren accompanied me] Those who had been his companions to Cæsarea were brought by Peter to Jerusalem, that their testimony might support his statement, and that they might declare to the Church what they had seen. The change in the number of the verb in Acts 11:11, “we were” for “I was,” which has the support of the best MSS., makes it probable that these brethren were his companions in the journey which he was making “throughout all quarters” (Acts 9:32), and so were lodging with him at Simon’s house in Joppa.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 12. - Making no distinction for nothing doubting, A.V. and T.R.; and.., also for moreover, A.V. Making no distinction. The reading adopted here in the R.T. is διακρίναντα instead of διακρινόμενον in the T.R. The verb διακρίνειν in the active voice means to "make a distinction" or "difference" between one and another, as in Acts 15:9. But in the middle voice διακρίνεσθαι means "to doubt" or "hesitate," as in Acts 10:20. It seems highly improbable that the two passages, which ought to be identical, should thus differ, while employing the very same verb. Some manuscripts, which Afford follows, omit the clause μηδὲν διακρινόμενον altogether. These six brethren; showing that Peter had brought the brethren from Joppa (now specified as six) with him to Jerusalem to substantiate his account; a plain indication that he anticipated some opposition. Acts 11:12

Vincent's Word Studies

Nothing doubting (μηδὲν διακρινόμενον)

The Rev. renders making no distinction, taking the verb in its original sense, which is to separate or distinguish. The rendering seems rather strained, doubting being a common rendering in the New Testament and giving a perfectly good sense here. See Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23, and note on James 1:6. It was natural that Peter should hesitate.

The six brethren

The men of Joppa who had gone with Peter to Cornelius, and had accompanied him also to Jerusalem, either as witnesses for him or for their own vindication, since they had committed the same offence.