Acts 9:43 Meaning and Explanation
“And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Peter stays on in Joppa for many days, lodging with Simon, a tanner.
What Does Acts 9:43 Mean?
The closing line is quietly momentous. Tanners worked with the hides of dead animals, a trade that kept a man at the margins of respectability and ritual cleanness — tanneries were pushed to the edge of town, near water (Acts 10:6 places this house “by the sea side”). Yet Peter makes such a home his lodging.
The lodging prepares the leap. On this tanner’s rooftop Peter will see the vision of the great sheet and hear the words, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). God is already widening Peter’s welcome before Peter knows why. Small choices of company, in God’s providence, become rehearsals for world-changing obedience — and the next chapter opens the door to the nations.
Acts 9:43 in the Original Language
byrseus (βυρσεύς), 'tanner' -- a worker in animal hides, a trade most people kept at a distance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 9:43
What does Acts 9:43 mean?
Peter stays on in Joppa for many days, lodging with Simon, a tanner.