Acts 10

Acts 10:1

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.

Acts 10:3

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

Acts 10:4

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.

Acts 10:5

Joppa; chap Acts 9:36.

Acts 10:6

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.

Acts 10:9

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.

Acts 10:10

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

Acts 10:11

Knit; fastened together.

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

Acts 10:12

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

Acts 10:13

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.

Acts 10:14

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

Acts 10:15

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.

Acts 10:16

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.

Acts 10:19

The Spirit; the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:20

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

Acts 10:22

Words; words of instruction.

Acts 10:24

Kinsmen; relatives.

Acts 10:25

Worshipped; prostrated himself before him.

Acts 10:26

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.

Acts 10:28

Unlawful; viewed by the Jews as improper.

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

Acts 10:29

Gainsaying; making objection.

Acts 10:33

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.

Acts 10:34

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

Acts 10:36

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

Acts 10:37

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

Acts 10:38

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

Acts 10:39

A tree; the cross.

Acts 10:42

Quick; the living.

Acts 10:44

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.

Acts 10:45

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

Acts 10:48

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