Bible Commentaries

Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament

Acts 10

Verse 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.


Verse 3

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


Verse 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.


Verse 5

Joppa; chap Acts 9:36.


Verse 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.


Verse 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.


Verse 10

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


Verse 11

Knit; fastened together.

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


Verse 12

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


Verse 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.


Verse 14

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


Verse 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.


Verse 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.


Verse 19

The Spirit; the Holy Spirit.


Verse 20

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


Verse 22

Words; words of instruction.


Verse 24

Kinsmen; relatives.


Verse 25

Worshipped; prostrated himself before him.


Verse 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.


Verse 28

Unlawful; viewed by the Jews as improper.

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


Verse 29

Gainsaying; making objection.


Verse 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.


Verse 34

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


Verse 36

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


Verse 37

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


Verse 38

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


Verse 39

A tree; the cross.


Verse 42

Quick; the living.


Verse 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.


Verse 45

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


Verse 48

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

Comments



Back to Top

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first!

Add Comment

* Required information
Powered by Commentics
Back to Top