The Meaning of Acts 10:41 Explained

Acts 10:41

KJV: Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

YLT: not to all the people, but to witnesses, to those having been chosen before by God -- to us who did eat with him, and did drink with him, after his rising out of the dead;

Darby: not of all the people, but of witnesses who were chosen before of God, us who have eaten and drunk with him after he arose from among the dead.

ASV: not to all the people, but unto witnesses that were chosen before of God, even to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Not  to all  the people,  but  unto witnesses  chosen before  of  God,  [even] to us,  who  did eat  and  drink with  him  after  he  rose  from  the dead. 

What does Acts 10:41 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 10:34-48 - Gentiles Receive The Holy Spirit
The address with which Peter answered the centurion's inquiry was largely a recapitulation of the great facts of gospel history. The ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit was probably already familiar to his hearers. The story of the crucifixion was equally well-known. These things were not done in a corner. But the third division of the address, Acts 10:39-41, in which the Apostle told of the Resurrection and of our Lord's appearance to chosen witnesses, of whom he was one, was probably replete with new and startling tidings. Notice the implied invitation of Acts 10:43 to them all to believe in Jesus, for the remission of sin.
The Holy Spirit fell upon the audience, as on the day of Pentecost, Acts 10:44. There must have been that wonderful stirring and moving among the people which we have beheld, in a modified form, in modern audiences, when moved by the celestial wind, as a harvest field by the breeze. Peter never finished his sermon. It seemed as if the Holy Spirit put the Apostle aside, saying, "Thou hast spoken enough; leave the rest to me!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 10

1  Cornelius, a devout man, being commanded by an angel, sends for Peter,
11  who by a vision is taught not to despise the Gentiles;
17  and is commanded by the Spirit to go with the messenger to Caesarea
25  Cornelius shows the occasion of his sending for him
34  As he preaches Christ to Cornelius and his company,
44  the Holy Spirit falls on them, and they are baptized

Greek Commentary for Acts 10:41

Chosen before [προκεχειροτονημενοις]
Perfect passive participle dative plural from προχειροτονεω — procheirotoneō to choose or designate by hand (χειροτονεω χειρ — cheirotoneōτεινω — cheir hand, and προ — teinō to stretch, as in Acts 14:23; 2 Corinthians 8:19), beforehand (ημιν οιτινες συνεπαγομεν και συνεπιομεν αυτωι — pro), a double compound as old as Plato, but here alone in the N.T. Peter is evidently stating the thing as it happened and not trying to make a convincing story by saying that both friends and foes saw him after his resurrection. It is the “historian‘s candour” (Paley) in Luke here that adds to the credibility of the narrative. The sceptical Jews would not have believed and Jesus was kept from open contact with the world of sin after his Passion. [source]
To us who did eat and drink with him [οιτινες]
The “who” Second aorist active indicative of the common verbs συμπινω — sunesthiō and Αυτωι — sumpinō μετα το αναστηναι αυτον — Autōi is associative instrumental case. There are difficulties to us in understanding how Jesus could eat and drink after the resurrection as told here and in Luke 24:41-43, but at any rate Peter makes it clear that it was no hallucination or ghost, but Jesus himself whom they saw after he rose from the dead, “after the rising as to him” Furneaux dares to think that the disciples misunderstood Jesus about eating after the resurrection. But that is to deny the testimony merely because we cannot explain the transition state of the body of Jesus. [source]
Chosen before [προκεχειροτονημένοις]
Only here in New Testament. The simple verb χειροτονέω , to appoint, occurs Acts 14:23; 2 Corinthians 8:19; and originally means to stretch out the hand for the purpose of giving a vote. Hence to elect by show of hands, and generally to appoint. Plato uses the word of the election of leaders of choruses (“Laws,” 765). In later ecclesiastical usage it signified ordain, as bishops or deacons. [source]
Who [οἵτινες]
The compound pronoun marks them more strongly as belonging to the class of eye-witnesses. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 10:41

John 8:53 Which is dead [ὅστις]
The compound pronoun ὅστις , which, is used explicatively, according to a familiar New Testament usage, instead of the simple relative. The sense is, seeing that he is dead. The compound relative properly indicates the class or kind to which an object belongs. Art thou greater than Abraham, who is himself one of the dead? So Colossians 3:5. “Mortify covetousness, seeing it is ( ἥτις ἐστὶν ) idolatry.” See on Matthew 13:52; see on Matthew 21:41; see on Mark 12:18; see on Luke 12:1; see on Acts 7:53; see on Acts 10:41; see on 1 Peter 2:11. [source]
Acts 14:23 Ordained [χειροτονήσαντες]
Only here and 2 Corinthians 8:19. Rev., more correctly, appointed. The meaning ordain is later. See on Acts 10:41. [source]
Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed for them elders in every church [χειροτονησαντες δε αυτοις κατ εκκλησιαν πρεσβυτερους]
They needed also some form of organization, though already churches. Note distributive use of κατα — kata with εκκλησιαν — ekklēsian (Acts 2:46; Acts 5:42; Titus 1:5). Χειροτονεω — Cheirotoneō (from χειροτονος — cheirotonos extending the hand, χειρ — cheir hand, and τεινω — teinō to stretch) is an old verb that originally meant to vote by show of the hands, finally to appoint with the approval of an assembly that chooses as in 2 Corinthians 8:19, and then to appoint without regard to choice as in Josephus (Ant. XIII. 2, 2) of the appointment of Jonathan as high priest by Alexander. So in Acts 10:41 the compound προχειρατονεω — procheiratoneō is used of witnesses appointed by God. But the seven (deacons) were first selected by the Jerusalem church and then appointed Elder Hovey rightly holds against Hackett that teaching was a normal function of these elders, pastors or bishops as they were variously called (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:9; 1 Corinthians 12:28, 1 Corinthians 12:30; Ephesians 4:11). [source]
Acts 7:53 Ye who [οιτινες]
The very ones who, quippe qui, often in Acts when the persons are enlarged upon (Acts 8:15; Acts 9:35; Acts 10:41, Acts 10:47). [source]
2 Corinthians 8:19 With this grace [ἐν τῇ χάριτι ταύτῃ]
An obscure rendering, not much bettered by Rev. Grace is ambiguous. The reference is, of course, to the contribution as a work of love; χάρις being used in the sense of benefaction or bounty. Paul says that the brother was appointed as his fellow-traveller in the matter of this bounty; in the prosecution of this kindly act. For appointed, see on Acts 14:23; see on Acts 10:41. [source]
2 Corinthians 8:19 But who was also appointed [αλλα και χειροτονητεις]
Anacoluthon. The first aorist passive participle χειροτονητεις — cheirotonētheis is from χειροτονεω — cheirotoneō old verb to stretch out the hands (χειρ τεινω — cheir teinō) and so to vote in public. The idea is that this brother was chosen by the churches, not by Paul. Only here in N.T. save Acts 14:23 where it means to appoint without notion of raising the hands. In Acts 10:41 we have προχειροτονεω — procheirotoneō [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 10:41 mean?

not to all the people but to [the] witnesses - having been chosen beforehand by - God to us who did eat with and drink with Him after - rising His out from [the] dead
οὐ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ ἀλλὰ μάρτυσιν τοῖς προκεχειροτονημένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῖν οἵτινες συνεφάγομεν καὶ συνεπίομεν αὐτῷ μετὰ τὸ ἀναστῆναι αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν

παντὶ  to  all 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
λαῷ  people 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: λαός  
Sense: a people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language.
μάρτυσιν  to  [the]  witnesses 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: μάρτυς 
Sense: a witness.
τοῖς  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
προκεχειροτονημένοις  having  been  chosen  beforehand 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: προχειροτονέω  
Sense: to choose or designate beforehand.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἡμῖν  to  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
συνεφάγομεν  did  eat  with 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: συνεσθίω  
Sense: to eat with, take food together with.
συνεπίομεν  drink  with 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: συμπίνω  
Sense: to drink with.
μετὰ  after 
Parse: Preposition
Root: μετά  
Sense: with, after, behind.
τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀναστῆναι  rising 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἀναπηδάω 
Sense: to cause to rise up, raise up.
αὐτὸν  His 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἐκ  out  from 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
νεκρῶν  [the]  dead 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: νεκρός  
Sense: properly.