Acts 10:3
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One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
saw . . . evidently--"distinctly." the ninth hour of the day--three o'clock, the hour of the evening sacrifice. But he had been "fasting until that hour" (Act 10:30), perhaps from the sixth hour (Act 10:9).
Open source ↗It is a turn very new and remarkable which the story of this chapter gives to the Acts of the apostles; hitherto, both at Jerusalem and every where else where the ministers of Christ came, they preached the gospel only to the Jews, or those Greeks that were circumcised and proselyted to the Jews' religion; but now, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles;" and to them the door of faith is here opened: good news indeed to us sinners of the Gentiles. The apostle Peter is the man that is first employed to admit uncircumcised Gentiles into the Christian church; and Cornelius, a Roman centurion or colonel, is the first that with his family and friends is so admitted. Now here we are told, I. How Cornelius was directed by a vision to send for Peter, and did send for him accordingly (Act 10:1-8). II. How Peter was directed by a vision to go to Cornelius, though he was a Gentile, without making any scruple of it, and did go accordingly (Act 10:9-23). III. The happy interview between Peter and Cornelius at Cesarea (Act 10:24-33). IV. The sermon Peter preached in the house of Cornelius to him and to his friends (Act 10:34-43). V. The baptizing of Cornelius and his friends with the Holy Ghost first, and then with water (Act 10:44-48).
Open source ↗10:3 In Acts, visions are usually related to prayer (9:3-6, 10-16; 10:2-6, 9-12; 11:5-9; 12:9-17; 18:9-10; 22:17-21; 23:11). These visions are not chance coincidences, but expressions of God’s saving work, providing divine direction and encouragement.
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.
As Peter continued to reflect on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord,” he answered.
Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.