Acts 10

Acts 10:1

There was in Cæsarea, a stately city upon the Palestine coast, some seventy miles from Jerusalem, a guard of soldiers, kept by the Romans to awe the conquered Jews, and to defend the Roman president there, and part of that was called the Italian band, and one Cornelius a Roman was captain thereof.

Acts 10:2

And this Cornelius was a proselyte of the Jews, and so one that worshipped the true God, he and all his family, though he were not circumcised, and he was a very charitable and devout person, and prayed daily at the set times very constantly. a about three of clock in the afternoon, one of the times of his devotions, had a vision, and in it he saw an angel (see note [f] ch. viii.) of God—

[a] a devout man] What is meant by proselytes and the two sorts of them, hath been set down in note [d] on Matt. xxiii, and the manner of initiating them by washing, note [a] on Matt. iii, and their putting off their old relations, note [d] on Matt. xix. 28, and their new birth, note [a] on John iii. Now it will be worth observing what titles the New Testament hath made use of to express the second sort of proselytes, those, not of justice, but of the gates, or the uncircumcised proselytes,

Acts 10:4

And he discerned it to be a message from God, and with an earnest intent look, and great dread, he said, What is thy pleasure, Lord? And he said, Thy prayer so constantly observed at thy set times, and thy many works of charity on all occasions, have been accepted by God as a special sacrifice, and brought down a special blessing upon thee.

[b] memorial] The notion of μνημόσυνον, a memorial, in this and some other places is here fit to be observed: it is a form of speech signifying an oblation or sacrifice. So Lev. ii. 9, the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: where it is clearly affirmed of the אוכת, μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς, the memorial, that it is an offering, &c. So vv. 9, 16, and ch. v. 12, ch. vi. 15, and oft elsewhere. And so the ascending or coming up before God inclines it here; for that is proper to sacrifices and oblations, to go up and render a sweet savour to God; and this is here fitly attributed to his prayers and alms, which are the Christian’s sacrifice, an odour of sweet smell, θυσία δεκτή, a welcome sacrifice to God, Phil. iv. 18, and Heb. xiii. 6.

Acts 10:8

And telling them the whole matter of the vision he sent them accordingly to Joppa. ‘went up to the roof of the house, (as a place commodious for devotion,) about twelve of the clock, or mid-day, which was another time of prayer used by pious men. ‘he fell into a trance, such as in which men are wont to receive visions from heaven.

Acts 10:9

[c] up upon the housetop to pray] That δῶμα signifies peculiarly not a house but the roof or top of the house, which being plain was fit for use, hath been said, note [h] on Matt. xxiv. Of this the Jews had a special use, in places out of Judea or Jerusalem, that they might more freely look that way in performing their devotions. For the temple of Jerusalem being the solemn place of worship, they that were at distance from that place were to pray toward it. So 1 Kings viii. 48, in the first institution, they that were carried captive out of the land were to pray toward their land, and accordingly, Dan. vi. 10, Daniel went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed. So when it is said of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xx. 2, that he turned his face to the wall, and prayed, Jonathan’s Targum reads towards the wall of the sanctuary, that is, toward that wall of the room which pointed towards the sanctuary,

J. C. 1. p. 116.

Acts 10:10

[d] a trance] The word ἱκστασις is the Greek of חרדמה, which signifies either, 1st, deep sleep, (and a trance of the nature of that,) or 2dly, amazement, astonishment, and accordingly is by the Septuagint rendered sometimes θάμβος, as Psalm lxviii. 29, and δεῖνός φύβος, 1 Sam. xxvi. 12, (see note [b] on Rom. xi,) and sometimes ἱκστασις, as Gen. ii. 21, where it is (though we render it a deep sleep,) of the same kind with that here, a trance or ecstasy, and therefore is rendered by the Targum שָׁנָא, a strong sleep, signifying or intimating it to be something more than that sleep which is ordinary among men. Proportionably to these acceptions of the Hebrew, the word ἱκστασις in the New Testament signifies sometimes amazement and astonishment from fear or wonder, Mark v. 42, and xvi. 8, Luke v. 26, Acts iii. 10, and sometimes a trance or ecstasy, when the outward senses being bound up as it were with sleep, God’s will is inwardly revealed to the understanding by way of intellectual vision. Thus is it in all the other places of the New Testament: ch. xi. 5, εἶδον ἐν ἱκστάσει ὅραμα, in an ecstasy or trance I saw a vision, and ch. xxii. 17, γενέσθαι με ἐν ἱκστάσει, I was in a trance, and so here speaking of the same matter. Where therefore it sufficiently appears to denote, not a natural sleep, such as men dispirited with fasting may be thought apt to fall into, (which the mention of Peter’s fasting in the beginning of the verse hath made some men apprehend of it,) but a transportation or trance into which he was cast by God, (or a binding up his outward senses, which is answerable to a deep sleep, such as Adam’s was, Gen. ii, when the rib was taken out of him,) to make him capable of the vision or revelations of God’s will, which here he was to receive. To which purpose it will be observable, that Gen. xvii. 3, when the Hebrew text saith, Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, the Jerusalem Talmud reads, Inclinavit se Abram super faciem ejus, et obstupuit, “Abram bowed himself upon his face, and was astonished;” where the et obstupuit, “and was astonished,” is clearly the ἱκστασις here, (the Hebrew word signifying, as was said, both astonishment and trance,) wherein God talked with him by way of vision to his understanding, not to his senses.

Acts 10:11

And in a vision he seemed to see heaven—

Acts 10:12

In which were all sorts of creatures, clean and unclean, those that by the Jewish law a Jew might touch, and those that he might not, noting the Gentiles and Jews together: (see note [d] Matt. xxiii.)

Acts 10:13

And the voice bid him eat freely and indifferently of them all, that is, converse and preach freely to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

Acts 10:14

But Peter refused, as having thought himself bound to eat nothing that was forbidden by the law concerning clean and unclean.

Acts 10:22

[c] proving Συμβίβασις, πείσις, διδαχή, πίστις, saith Hesychius. It signifies persuasion, doctrine, faith; and συμβιβασθέντες, διδαχθέντες, διαλεχθέντες; and συμβιβάνω (it should be συμβιβασάνω) διδαξάνω, all to the same purpose, that the word signifies to teach or persuade. And so it is used in the Septuagint, Exod. iv. 12, Ἀνοίξω τὸ στόμα καὶ συμβιβάσω, I will open thy mouth and teach thee; and so Jud. xiii. 8, and Ps. xxxi. 8, and Isai. xl. 13.

Acts 10:26

And Peter would not receive that expression from him, telling him that he was an ordinary man, though thus employed on God’s errand to him. m Ye all know that the laws of the Jewish religion permit not a Jew to converse familiarly with any Gentile; but God hath by vision revealed to me, that I should not make any difference between Jews and Gentiles. n an angel appeared to me in the shape of a man in bright shining apparel. HAMMOND, VOL. I. L 1

Acts 10:31

[d] edified Οἰκοδομεῖν signifies properly to build or superstruct upon a foundation, and add all the perfection of the building designed or belonging to it. And so, being accommodated to spiritual matters, it signifies to teach the whole Christian doctrine of strict and pious life, of which Christ’s being the Messias sent from God is the foundation or corner-stone, and the receiving and practising all that he commands, is that which is naturally and necessarily built upon it: and therefore to their being edified here, is added in the next words, walking in the fear of the Lord. The word is elsewhere very often used in these books, especially in St. Paul’s Epistles; and therefore it will here be fit to premise that which may give light to it in all those places. It is generally used in this metaphorical sense with application to the church of God, and the spiritual building thereof, partly in respect of knowledge, but principally in respect of Christian practice. The church is the house of God, οἶκος πνευματικὸς, 1 Pet. ii. 5, a spiritual house, and every Christian one of the λίθοι ζώντες, living stones, which οἰκοδομοῦνται, are edified or built, and of which this house is made up. And the building itself, that is, edification, is the compacting or orderly joining together of these living stones, in belief of the truth and charitable living together, from both which proceeds the strength and comeliness of the structure, and the fitness for the use and honour of him whose it is, that is, Christ. So that whatsoever tends in any eminent manner either to the converting of infidels, bringing them into the church, to the advancing of Christian knowledge, or especially of piety, in any one or more particular men, or to the planting of unity, peace, and charity in any particular national, or in the universal church of God, that is said to edify or build up: and which of these senses peculiarly belongs to the word in any place, must be judged by the context and circumstances of the place where it is found, and may not be here set down more particularly.

Acts 10:35

But of what nation soever a man be, if he undertake the service of the true God, and exercise works of mercy and devotion, ver. 2, he shall be sure to be accepted by God, and rewarded with higher revelations and graces from him. 36—38. The doctrine which hath been preached thorough all Judæa by God’s appointment, to wit, that of salvation by Jesus, appointed by God to be our King, and which was first preached in Galilee presently after John Baptist’s preaching and baptizing; this doctrine you cannot but have heard of, viz., concerning Jesus of Nazareth, how by the testimony of the Holy Ghost descending on him, and by the power of working miracles, God authorized him, and accordingly he hath executed his office, an office of mercy, instructing and calling to repentance, curing diseases, and casting out devils by the power of God, which was present with him. • The Syriac and old Latin read, thee.

Acts 10:38

[e] anointed] That the use of oil among the Jews was for festi-

Acts 10:41

But this manifestation was not immediately made to all the multitude of the Jews, but only to his disciples, persons whom God had inclined to leave all and follow Christ, and to receive the faith which he preached to them, and to repose their whole trust in him; for being crucified by the Jews, and taken from them, and so they left destitute and hopeless for a while, God was pleased to revive him again; and as he had chosen them to be witnesses of all that Christ did when he was alive, so he chose them to be the witnesses most distinctly of his resurrection, giving them the honour to eat and drink with him, and to see him eat and drink after he rose from the dead.

Acts 10:42

Whom therefore he appointed to preach the gospel of Christ to the world, and to proclaim to all that this crucified Christ is raised to God’s right hand, to be judge of all men that shall die before, and that shall be found alive at the day of doom.

Acts 10:43

This is he of whom all the prophets foretell, that in him God would strike a new covenant with mankind, of which this is the sum, that although men were sinners, yet upon receiving of him, embracing his doctrine, they should by their prayers, offered to God in his name, obtain pardon and remission.

Acts 10:44

Whilst Peter was thus speaking, the Holy Spirit (either by some way of visible appearance, such as that was on the apostles, Acts xv. 8, or else manifesting himself in them by the effects, the same that had attended the visible descent, Acts ii, the gift of tongues, &c., ver. 46.) came down upon them, (see ver. 47, and ch. xi. 15.) and gave unto those that heard him (power of doing miracles, of speaking strange languages, ver. 46, to some, to others) other gifts and graces, fitting them for several conditions in the church: see ch. xix. 6.

Acts 10:45

And the Jews which had received the gospel, and came with Peter, wondered extremely that on the Gentiles—

‘bless God for his great mercies to them. Then—