Verse 9: “The next day, as they were travelling on the way to the city and drawing near, Peter went up on the roof to pray. It was the sixth hour.”

Sixth hour: The number six speaks of grace. This text now alludes to the fact that some happening is going to take place that is going to be related to the grace of God.

Verse 10: “And it came about (as he was praying) that he was hungry, and he desired to taste. As they were preparing (food), a trance fell upon him.”

He was hungry, and he desired to taste: This can also be understood as being hungry for an experience with God (spiritually). Peter continued to pray despite his physical hunger. His desire to experience God was more powerful than his hunger for food.

Trance: We get the word ‘ecstasy’ from the Greek word used here. It speaks about a joyful experience that affects the innermost being, the essence, of a person.


Verse 11: “He perceived the heaven being opened and coming down unto him a certain vessel, as a great garment bound by four corners, and it came down onto the ground.”

Great: It can be referring to great in size, but also great in significance.

A garment being held by four corners: A tallit – the prayer shawl, a four cornered garment. The purpose of this garment was to help the people to remember the commandments of God


Verse 12: “In which were all types of four-legged animals of the earth, beasts, creeping (crawling) things and also the birds of heaven.”
In which: In this garment. Note: The text does not tell us if these were clean or unclean animals. There are four-legged animals (beasts, creeping things, and birds) that are kosher (clean), and there are four-legged animals (beasts, creeping things, and birds) that are not. Knowing whether these animals are clean or unclean is not important for understanding this passage. There is a far greater purpose
that God is using this illustration to point to.

Verse 13: “And it came about a voice to him (to Peter). It said, ‘Rise up, Peter. Sacrifice and eat.”

Rise: A call to service.

Sacrifice: This word is being used in this context for a ritualistic slaughter. The intent is to kill the animal – but in a ritually acceptable way. Sacrifices could only be performed by certain people (priests from the line of Aaron) who were ordained to slaughter the animals and offer the sacrifices. The problem was that Simon Peter was not from that priestly family so was not permitted to do that. If Peter performed the slaughter the clean animals would automatically become unclean because Peter was not ordained to perform this task. However, God is using this illustration to ordain/commission Peter to go to the Gentiles.

Verse 14: “But Peter said, ‘Never L-rd! Nothing has entered into my mouth that is common or unclean.”

Common: This refers to an animal that is, by nature, not kosher. Forbidden e.g. A pig.

Unclean: An unclean animal is one, that for a variety of reasons, is kosher but is unacceptable to be offered up to God (a broken leg, an infection etc). It was still permissible to eat, but Peter – because of its condition- rejected it for food.