Bible Commentaries

Cesarea; chap Acts 8:40.

Centurion; captain of a hundred men. He was a Gentile and uncircumcised, chap, Acts 11:3, but a sincere worshipper of God.

Italian band; a band of Roman soldiers from Italy.

Ninth hour; three o’clock in the afternoon; one of the hours of daily prayer.

For a memorial; remembered, noticed with approbation. A beneficent disposition is greatly increased by the habit of daily prayer. Both united, and springing from love to God and to men, form an offering which, through grace, is peculiarly acceptable to God.

Joppa; chap Acts 9:36.

What thou oughtest to do; Cornelius had true faith in God according to the present measure of his light, and his prayers were answered in the reception of fuller light. Matthew 13:12.

House-top; the tops of the houses were flat, and pious people often resorted to them for meditation and prayer.

Sixth hour; twelve o’clock; with many, one of the stated hours of prayer. Psalms 55:17; Daniel 6:10. When God is about to call his people to the discharge of special duties, he often in a special manner prepared them; and though at the time they may not see the reasons, or understand the meaning of his dealings, the subsequent dispensations of his providence may clearly reveal them.

Trance; a state in which he became insensible to external objects, and absorbed in what was presented to his mind.

Knit; fastened together.

Let down to the earth; from heaven, to signify that the offer is made to the apostle by God himself.

All manner of four-footed beasts-and fowls of the air; clean and unclean alike.

Kill, and eat; he rightly understands the words to mean, kill and eat any one of the animals contained in the collection, without distinction of clean and unclean.

Common; not set apart as pure. The reference is, of course, to the Jewish distinction of clean and unclean animals.

Hath cleansed; declared no longer unclean for food. Under this symbol of the abolition of the Jewish distinction of clean and unclean animals, is signified the breaking down of "the middle wall of partition" between Jews and Gentiles, and the admission of the latter to common privileges with Israelites.

Thrice; three times, in order to make a deeper impression on Peter’s mind, and prepare him to preach the gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike.

The Spirit; the Holy Spirit.

Doubting nothing; not doubting the lawfulness of going to Cornelius, though he was a Gentile.

Words; words of instruction.

Kinsmen; relatives.

Worshipped; prostrated himself before him.

A man; only a man. As Peter was only man, he would not receive any homage or respect, except what was proper for other men. Those who claim more, on account, as they say, of being his successors, manifest a spirit totally different from his.

Unlawful; viewed by the Jews as improper.

God hath showed me; in the vision which he had seen.

Gainsaying; making objection.

When people are assembled with a real desire to hear from ministers of the gospel all which God has commanded them to preach, it is an evidence that he is about abundantly to bless them. While the minister is preaching, the Holy Ghost often so influences their minds as to lead them to glorify God.

No respecter of persons; he accepts and blesses all pious persons, whatever their nation or condition.

The word; the gospel or way of salvation through Jesus Christ.

That word-ye know; they had some general knowledge of the life and works of Christ.

Anointed Jesus; set him apart, and furnished him to be the Saviour of men.

A tree; the cross.

Quick; the living.

Fell on all them; endowed them with miraculous powers, and enabled them to speak in languages which they had never learned. Matthew 3:11; chap Acts 2:2-4.

They of the circumcision; the brethren that accompanied him from Joppa, verse Acts 10:23.

In the name of the Lord, in public acknowledgment of their receiving him as their Saviour, and becoming his disciples.