Translation
in which were all the four-footed beasts
Go to footnote numberof the earth and those that crawl along the ground,
Go to footnote numberand birds
Go to footnote numberof the air.
Go to footnote number Go to footnote numberParaphrase
This sheet held all types of animals, both clean and unclean of every type of animal.
Footnotes
1
From the use of the word “all” earlier, it seems that the sheet contained all types of the animals in this major category, both clean and unclean examples. Some think that this held animals that other nations ate, but that would also include some clean and some unclean animals.
2
Although the Old Testament placed snakes and other reptiles that crawl on the ground in a different category from those animals that craw on the ground in swarms like the ants, this statement seems to lump them all together.
3
From the description of birds in Leviticus, it appears that the birds that only eat seeds, worms and insects were clean, but those that eat carrion or hunt live animals were unclean. Since this sheet seems to have held all types of animals, it would have held both clean and unclean birds.
4
What is rendered “air” in this situations is the same word rendered “heaven” in verse 11.
5
Fish are not mentioned because the sheet held live animals, but it did not contain water, which is the environment of living fish. Notwithstanding, the implication is that it contained all types of animals, both clean and unclean from every category of animals. While the Old Testament separated animals by making a difference between clean and unclean, this vision lumped them all together – something that Peter would never have imagined.