The Meaning of Acts 15:8 Explained

Acts 15:8

KJV: And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

YLT: and the heart-knowing God did bare them testimony, having given to them the Holy Spirit, even as also to us,

Darby: And the heart-knowing God bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit as to us also,

ASV: And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  God,  which knoweth the hearts,  bare them  witness,  giving  them  the Holy  Ghost,  even  as  [he did] unto us; 

What does Acts 15:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 15:1-11 - One Way Of Salvation For All
Paul and Barnabas were quietly resting in Antioch after their arduous toils, when these persons from Jerusalem stealthily commenced to undermine their influence. They contended that the way from paganism to Christ must be through Moses. They especially insisted that Gentiles must become Jews by submitting to the initial rite of Judaism. This insidious teaching followed Paul throughout his life, and extracted from him many of the noble arguments and appeals of his epistles. We can easily understand the vehemence with which he protested.
Finally it was determined to submit the question to the judgment of the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem. The journey thither was a triumphal progress. The story of the seal that God had placed on all the labors of the two missionaries not only filled all hearts with joy, but was the conclusive answer to the Judaizing teachers who were the cause of all the trouble. The first great address at the solemn conclave was by Peter, who quoted his own experience at the house of Cornelius to prove that God at least made no difference between Jew and Gentile. Notice his statement that the believing heart is cleansed by receiving the Holy Spirit, Acts 15:11. [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 15:8

Which knoweth the heart [καρδιογνωστης]
Late word from καρδια — kardia (heart) and γνωστης — gnōstēs (known, γινωσκω — ginōskō). In the N.T. only here and Acts 1:24 which see. [source]
Giving them the Holy Spirit [δους το πνευμα το αγιον]
And before their baptism. This was the Lord‘s doing. They had accepted (Acts 11:18) this witness of God then and it was true now of these other Gentile converts. [source]
Which knoweth the heart [καρδιογνώστης]
Only here and Acts 1:24. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 15:8

Acts 1:24 Which knowest the hearts [καρδιογνῶστα]
Only here and Acts 15:8. Lit.,heart-knower. [source]
Acts 1:24 Show us the one whom thou hast chosen [αναδειχον ον εχελεχω]
First aorist active imperative of αναδεικνυμι — anadeiknumi to show up, make plain. First aorist middle indicative second person singular of εκλεγω — eklegō to pick out, choose, select. In this prayer they assume that God has made a choice. They only wish to know his will. They call God the heart-searcher or heart-knower (καρδιογνωστα — kardiognōsta vocative singular), a late word, here and Acts 15:8 only in the N.T. Modern physicians have delicate apparatus for studying the human heart. [source]
Acts 11:18 Then to the Gentiles also [Αρα και τοις ετνεσιν]
Εργο — Ergo as in Luke 11:20, Luke 11:48 and like αρα ουν — ara oun in Romans 5:18. In ancient Greek inferential αρα — ara cannot come at the beginning of a clause as here. It was reluctant acquiescence in the undoubted fact that God had “granted repentance unto life” to these Gentiles in Caesarea, but the circumcision party undoubtedly looked on it as an exceptional case and not to be regarded as a precedent to follow with other Gentiles. Peter will see in this incident (Acts 15:8) the same principle for which Paul contends at the Jerusalem Conference. Furneaux suggests that this conduct of Peter in Caesarea, though grudgingly acquiesced in after his skilful defence, decreased his influence in Jerusalem where he had been leader and helped open the way for the leadership of James the Lord‘s brother. [source]
Acts 15:28 To the Holy Spirit and to us [τωι πνευματι τωι αγιωι και ημιν]
Dative case after εδοχεν — edoxen (third example, verses, 22, 25, 28). Definite claim that the church in this action had the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That fact was plain to the church from what had taken place in Caesarea and in this campaign of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:8). Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13). Even so the church deliberated carefully before deciding. What a blessing it would be if this were always true! But even so the Judaizers are only silenced for the present, not convinced and only waiting for a better day to start over again. [source]
Galatians 3:14 That we might receive, etc. []
The second ἵνα is parallel with the first. The deliverance from the curse results not only in extending to the Gentiles the blessing promised to Abraham, but in the impartation of the Spirit to both Jews and Gentiles through faith. The εὐλογία blessingis not God's gift of justification as the opposite of the curse; for in Galatians 3:10, Galatians 3:11, justification is not represented as the opposite of the curse, but as that by which the curse is removed and the blessing realized. The content of the curse is death, Galatians 3:13. The opposite of the curse is life. The subject of the promise is the life which comes through the Spirit. See John 7:39; Acts 2:17, Acts 2:38, Acts 2:39; Acts 10:45, Acts 10:47; Acts 15:7, Acts 15:8; Romans 5:5; Romans 8:2, Romans 8:4, Romans 8:6, Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:13. [source]
1 Thessalonians 4:8 His Holy Spirit [τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον]
Solemn and emphatic: His Spirit, the holy. Similarly, Acts 15:8, Acts 15:28; Acts 19:6; Acts 20:23; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 15:8 mean?

And the heart-knowing God bore witness to them having given [them] the Spirit - Holy as also to us
καὶ καρδιογνώστης Θεὸς ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτοῖς δοὺς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον καθὼς καὶ ἡμῖν

καρδιογνώστης  heart-knowing 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: καρδιογνώστης  
Sense: knower of the hearts.
Θεὸς  God 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἐμαρτύρησεν  bore  witness 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: μαρτυρέω  
Sense: to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Neuter 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
δοὺς  having  given  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
Πνεῦμα  Spirit 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: πνεῦμα  
Sense: a movement of air (a gentle blast.
τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἅγιον  Holy 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ἅγιος  
Sense: most holy thing, a saint.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
ἡμῖν  to  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.