The Meaning of Acts 15:24 Explained

Acts 15:24

KJV: 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:

YLT: seeing we have heard that certain having gone forth from us did trouble you with words, subverting your souls, saying to be circumcised and to keep the law, to whom we did give no charge,

Darby: Inasmuch as we have heard that some who went out from amongst us have troubled you by words, upsetting your souls, saying that ye must be circumcised and keep the law; to whom we gave no commandment;

ASV: Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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: 

What does Acts 15:24 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 15:22-41 - "confirming The Churches"
This letter was a noble document and fitted for its immediate purpose, but it does not apply directly to us, as the circumstances which called it forth have long since passed away. It was explicit in denying that the rite of circumcision was needful for salvation. It bore ample testimony to the character and work of the two great missionaries whose action had been impugned. It denounced the false teachers whose intrusion had broken the peace of the Church, and laid down the principles which had been embodied in James' speech. Notice the conjunction of the Holy Spirit with the persons who issued this letter, Acts 15:28. Here is convincing proof that the Spirit of God is a person; that He presides in the Church; and that He is willing to become our guide and teacher whenever we are perplexed.
The arrival of Judas and Silas, attesting by their presence the importance that the mother church attached to the question at issue, and the reading of the letter, brought great relief to the believers at Antioch, and a blessed season of teaching and preaching ensued.
It is unpleasant to see the contention between the two leaders over John Mark, but God overruled it for good and Paul could later write to Timothy, "Take Mark and bring him with thee; for he is useful to me for ministering," 2 Timothy 4:11, r.v. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 15

1  Great dissensions arise regarding circumcision
5  The apostles consult about it,
22  and send their determination by letters to the churches
36  Paul and Barnabas, thinking to visit the brothers together,
39  disagree, and travel different ways

Greek Commentary for Acts 15:24

Certain which went from us [τινες εχ ημων]
A direct blow at the Judaizers, put in delicate language (we heard ηκουσαμεν — ēkousamen) as if only at Antioch (Acts 15:1), and not also in Jerusalem in open meeting (Acts 15:5). [source]
Have troubled you with words [εταραχαν υμας λογοις]
What a picture of turmoil in the church in Antioch, words, words, words. Aorist tense of the common verb ταρασσω — tarassō to agitate, to make the heart palpitate (John 14:1, John 14:27) and instrumental case of λογοις — logois Subverting your souls (ανασκευαζοντες τας πσυχας υμων — anaskeuazontes tas psuchas humōn). Present active participle of ανασκευαζω — anaskeuazō old verb (ανα — ana and σκευος — skeuos baggage) to pack up baggage, to plunder, to ravage. Powerful picture of the havoc wrought by the Judaizers among the simple-minded Greek Christians in Antioch. To whom we gave no commandment First aorist middle indicative of διαστελλω — diastellō old verb to draw asunder, to distinguish, to set forth distinctly, to command. This is a flat disclaimer of the whole conduct of the Judaizers in Antioch and in Jerusalem, a complete repudiation of their effort to impose the Mosaic ceremonial law upon the Gentile Christians. [source]
Subverting your souls [ανασκευαζοντες τας πσυχας υμων]
Present active participle of ανασκευαζω — anaskeuazō old verb (ανα — ana and σκευος — skeuos baggage) to pack up baggage, to plunder, to ravage. Powerful picture of the havoc wrought by the Judaizers among the simple-minded Greek Christians in Antioch. [source]
To whom we gave no commandment [οις ου διεστειλαμετα]
First aorist middle indicative of διαστελλω — diastellō old verb to draw asunder, to distinguish, to set forth distinctly, to command. This is a flat disclaimer of the whole conduct of the Judaizers in Antioch and in Jerusalem, a complete repudiation of their effort to impose the Mosaic ceremonial law upon the Gentile Christians. [source]
Subverting [ἀνασκευάζοντες]
Only here in New Testament, and not found either in the Septuagint or in the Apocrypha. Originally, it means to pack up baggage, and so to carry away; hence, to dismantle or disfurnish. So Thucydides (iv., 116) relates that Brasidas captured Lecythus, and then pulled it down and dismantled it ( ἀνασκευάσας )From this comes the more general meaning to lay waste, or ravage. The idea here is that of turning the minds of the Gentile converts upside down; throwing them into confusion like a dismantled house. [source]
We gave no commandment [οὐ διεστειλάμεθα]
The word originally means to put asunder; hence, to distinguish, and so of a commandment or injunction, to distinguish and emphasize it. Therefore implying express orders, and so always in the New Testament, where it is almost uniformly rendered charge. The idea here is, then, “we gave no express injunction on the points which these Judaizers have raised.” [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 15:24

Acts 15:1 And certain men came down from Judea [και τινες κατελτοντες απο της Ιουδαιας]
Evidently the party of the circumcision in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11:2) had heard of the spread of the gospel among the Gentiles in Cyprus, Pamphylia, and South Galatia (Phrygia, Pisidia, Lycaonia). Possibly John Mark after his desertion at Perga (Acts 13:13) told of this as one of his reasons for coming home. At any rate echoes of the jubilation in Antioch in Syria would be certain to reach Jerusalem. The Judaizers in Jerusalem, who insisted that all the Gentile Christians must become Jews also, had acquiesced in the case of Cornelius and his group (11:1-18) after plain proof by Peter that it was the Lord‘s doing. But they had not agreed to a formal campaign to turn the exception into the rule and to make Christianity mainly Gentile with a few Jews instead of mainly Jewish with a few Gentiles. Since Paul and Barnabas did not come up to Jerusalem, the leaders among the Judaizers decided to go down to Antioch and attack Paul and Barnabas there. They had volunteered to go without church action in Jerusalem for their activity is disclaimed by the conference (Acts 15:24). In Galatians 2:4 Paul with some heat describes these Judaizers as “false brethren, secretly introduced who sneaked in to spy out our liberty.” It is reasonably certain that this visit to Jerusalem described in Galatians 2:1-10 is the same one as the Jerusalem Conference in Acts 15:5-29 in spite of the effort of Ramsay to identify it with that in Acts 11:29. Paul in Galatians is not giving a list of his visits to Jerusalem. He is showing his independence of the twelve apostles and his equality with them. He did not see them in Acts 11:29., but only “the elders.” In Acts 15 Luke gives the outward narrative of events, in Galatians 2:1-10 Paul shows us the private interview with the apostles when they agreed on their line of conduct toward the Judaizers. In Galatians 2:2 by the use of “them” They argued that Christ had not repealed circumcision. So one of the great religious controversies of all time was begun, that between spiritual religion and ritualistic or ceremonial religion. It is with us yet with baptism taking the place of circumcision. These self-appointed champions of circumcision for Gentile Christians were deeply in earnest. [source]
Galatians 1:7 Some that trouble [οἱ ταράσσοντες]
The article with the participle marks these persons as characteristically troublesome - the troublers. Comp. Luke 18:9, of those who were characteristically self-righteous. For trouble in the sense of disturbing faith and unsettling principle, see Galatians 5:10; Acts 15:24. Not necessarily, as Lightfoot, raising seditions. [source]
Hebrews 12:20 That which was commanded [τὸ διαστελλόμενον]
See on Mark 7:36; see on Acts 15:24. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 15:24 mean?

Inasmuch as we have heard that some from us went out troubled you by words upsetting the minds of you saying [you must] be circumcised and keep the law to whom not we had given instructions
Ἐπειδὴ ἠκούσαμεν ὅτι τινὲς ἐξ ἡμῶν ‹ἐξελθόντες› ἐτάραξαν ὑμᾶς λόγοις ἀνασκευάζοντες τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ⧼λέγοντες περιτέμνεσθαι καὶ τηρεῖν τὸν νόμον⧽ οἷς οὐ διεστειλάμεθα

Ἐπειδὴ  Inasmuch  as 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἐπειδή  
Sense: when now, since now.
ἠκούσαμεν  we  have  heard 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
τινὲς  some 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: τὶς  
Sense: a certain, a certain one.
ἡμῶν  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
‹ἐξελθόντες›  went  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
ἐτάραξαν  troubled 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ταράσσω  
Sense: to agitate, trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro).
λόγοις  by  words 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
ἀνασκευάζοντες  upsetting 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀνασκευάζω  
Sense: to pack up baggage in order to carry it away to another place.
ψυχὰς  minds 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: ψυχή  
Sense: breath.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
⧼λέγοντες  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
περιτέμνεσθαι  [you  must]  be  circumcised 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Passive
Root: περιτέμνω  
Sense: to cut around.
τηρεῖν  keep 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active
Root: τηρέω  
Sense: to attend to carefully, take care of.
νόμον⧽  law 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: νόμος  
Sense: anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command.
οἷς  to  whom 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
διεστειλάμεθα  we  had  given  instructions 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 1st Person Plural
Root: διαστέλλω  
Sense: to draw asunder, divide, distinguish, dispose, order.