Person New Testament
Simon
Simon was a tanner in Joppa who hosted the apostle Peter in his home. Mentioned in 5 verses across 1 book, first at Acts 8:13.
Why it matters. A tanner in Joppa who hosted Peter.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Simon
Simon, a tanner by trade, is mentioned in the book of Acts as a resident of Joppa who hosted the apostle Peter (Act.9.43; 10.6,17,32). As a tanner, Simon worked with animal hides to produce leather, a profession that was considered unclean by Jewish religious standards. Despite this, Peter stayed with Simon for many days, indicating a growing openness in the early church to interact with Gentiles and those considered unclean. During his stay at Simon's house, Peter received a vision from God in which he was told not to call anything impure that God has made clean (Act.10.9-16). This vision prepared Peter for his encounter with Cornelius, a Gentile centurion, whom God had directed to send for Peter (Act.10.17-33). Peter's time at Simon the tanner's house marks a significant shift in the early church's understanding of the gospel's inclusivity and the breaking down of barriers between Jews and Gentiles.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 5 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.