Acts 15:28

Acts 15:28

For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

a. NLT: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements:

b. NIV: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:

c. YLT: 'For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, no more burden to lay upon you, except these necessary things:

d. Amplified Bible Classic: For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to lay upon you any greater burden than these indispensable requirements:

e. Worrell Translation:For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.

   

f. Wuest Translation: For it seemed to the holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden upon you than these things which are necessary.

g. Peshitta Eastern Text: For it is the will of the Holy Spirit and of us, to lay upon you no additional burden than these necessary things.

1. “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us…”

a. For [Strong: 1063 gar gar a primary particle; properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles):--and, as, because (that), but, even, for, indeed, no doubt, seeing, then, therefore, verily, what, why, yet.]

b. it seemed good [Strong: 1380 dokeo dok-eh'-o a prolonged form of a primary verb, doko dok'-o (used only in an alternate in certain tenses; compare the base of 1166) of the same meaning; to think; by implication, to seem (truthfully or uncertainly):--be accounted, (of own) please(-ure), be of reputation, seem (good), suppose, think, trow.]

c. to the [Strong: 3588 ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.]

d. Holy [Strong: 40 hagios hag'-ee-os from hagos (an awful thing) (compare 53, 2282); sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):--(most) holy (one, thing), saint.]

e. Ghost [Strong: 4151 pneuma pnyoo'-mah from 4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit:--ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind.]

f. and [Strong: 2532 kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

g. to us [Strong: 2258 hemin hay-meen' dative case plural of 1473; to (or for, with, by) us:--our, (for) us, we.]

2.  “…to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;”

a. to lay upon [Strong: 2007 epitithemi ep-ee-tith'-ay-mee from 1909 and 5087; to impose (in a friendly or hostile sense):--add unto, lade, lay upon, put (up) on, set on (up), + surname, X wound.]

b. you [Strong: 5213 humin hoo-min' irregular dative case of 5210; to (with or by) you:--ye, you, your(-selves).]

c. no [Strong: 3367 medeis may-dice', including the irregular feminine medemia may-dem-ee'-ah, and the neuter meden may-den' from 3361 and 1520; not even one (man, woman, thing):--any (man, thing), no (man), none, not (at all, any man, a whit), nothing, + without delay.]

d. greater [Strong: 4119 pleion pli-own, or neuter pleion pli'-on, or pleon pleh'-on comparative of 4183; more in quantity, number, or quality; also (in plural) the major portion:--X above, + exceed, more excellent, further, (very) great(-er), long(-er), (very) many, greater (more) part, + yet but.]

e. burden [Strong: 922 baros bar'-os probably from the same as 939 (through the notion of going down; compare 899); weight; in the New Testament only, figuratively, a load, abundance, authority:--burden(-some), weight.]

f. than [Strong: 4133 plen plane from 4119; moreover (besides), i.e. albeit, save that, rather, yet:--but (rather), except, nevertheless, notwithstanding, save, than.]

g. these [Strong: 5130 touton too'-tone genitive case plural masculine or neuter of 3778; of (from or concerning) these (persons or things):--such, their, these (things), they, this sort, those.]

h. necessary things [Strong: 1876 epanagkes ep-an'-ang-kes neuter of a presumed compound of 1909 and 318; (adverbially) on necessity, i.e. necessarily:--necessary.]

1). This was the first epistle to the Gentiles written after the first church council. Some in the contemporary church are calling for a new church council to address the issue of homosexuality. Well we already had one in the first century that addressed it.

a). Acts 15:23-29 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.

15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

15:25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

15:26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15:27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

b). The Bible And Homosexual Practice, Robert A. J. Gagnon, Note 151 According to the Apostolic Decree, gentiles were to abstain from (1) “things sacrificed to idols” (eidolothyta), encompassing both sacrificing to a god other than Yahweh and eating food offered to idols (alluding to Leviticus 17:1-9 which mandates that all sacrifices be brought “to the entrance of the tent of meeting” so that “they may no longer offer their sacrifices for goat-demons, to whom they prostitute themselves”); (2) “blood” (haima; alluding to Leviticus 17:10-12 where the eating of blood is prohibited), possibly containing a secondary allusion to not shedding blood (i.e., “bloodshed,” murder) since the command to Noah and his descendants in Genesis 9:4-6 couples the prohibition against eating animals from which the blood had not been drained with a prohibition against shedding human blood; (3) “what is strangled (or choked to death; pnikton), that is, eating animals that were killed without having the blood drained from them (alluding to Leviticus 17:13, 14 which refers to pouring out the blood of animals that have not died from a shedding of blood); and (4) “sexual immorality” (porniea; alluding to Leviticus 18:6-23, which forbids incest, adultery, intercourse between males, and bestiality). The fact that the sequence of the commands of the Apostolic Decree corresponds to the sequence in Leviticus 17-18 further confirms the former’s derivation from the latter.

c). David Stearn, Jewish New Testament Commentary: Under Acts 15:19: Any form of sexual immorality. In first-century pagan world (as, unfortunately, in ithe twentieth-century Western world) sexual unions outside of marriage were regarded very lightly, along with homosexual behavior, temple prostitution and other improper practices. In Judaism, on the other hand, these were abominations (Leviticus 18).