1007 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And now send men to Joppa,.... Which lay near to Caesarea; and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: the angel was not sent to instruct Cornelius himself, but to direct him to an apostle of Christ, and minister of the Gospel, who should do it; for not angels, but men, are employed in the ministry of the word, which is the ordinary means of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, c] Simon the tanner was his host this man very probably was a good man, and one that lodged strangers; of his trade, [See comments on Acts 9:43] whose house is by the sea side; Joppa was a sea port, 2 Chronicles 2:16 Jonah 1:3 hence we read of ימא דיפו, "the sea of Joppa" (x); and also of למינה של יפו, "the port...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed,.... For when be had delivered his message, he either disappeared, or withdrew, and immediately Cornelius showed himself ready to obey the heavenly vision: for he called two of his household servants; who were not of the band of soldiers under him, but were servants in his family, and such...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when he had declared all these things unto them,.... Which he had heard and seen in the vision, and of which he gave them a particular account; partly to engage them the more cheerfully to go on the errand, and partly that they might be able to give a distinct relation of it to Peter, that so he might be moved the more to comply with the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
On the morrow, as they went on their journey,.... From Caesarea to Joppa; Joppa is said to be six and thirty miles distant from Caesarea; so far Caesarea was from Lydda, but it seems to be further from Joppa; for according to Josephus (b), from Joppa to Antipatris were a hundred and fifty furlongs, which are almost nineteen miles, and from thence...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he became very hungry,.... It being in the middle of the day, when it was usual to eat; and perhaps he had ate nothing that day, for those were reckoned the most religious persons, who eat nothing before the Minchah: and would have eaten; though the Jews say (e), a man ought not to eat near the Minchah, not even the least, lest he should...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And saw heaven opened,.... Not literally, as at the baptism of Christ, and the stoning of Stephen; but in a visionary way, and which was an emblem of the opening and revealing the mystery of the calling of the Gentiles, which in other ages was not made known, as it now and afterwards was: and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth,.... Not as if they were painted upon it, and these were only pictures and representations of them made on the linen sheet; but as if they really add actually were upon it alive; since Peter is afterwards called upon to kill and eat: and these design four-footed beasts of every kind, that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And there came a voice to him,.... Formed by an angel, or rather by Christ himself: rise, Peter, kill and eat; he might be on his knees when he fell into this trance, being at prayer, and therefore is bid to rise; and he is called by name, the more to encourage him to do as he was ordered; and he is bid to kill and eat of all the creatures without...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Peter said, not so, Lord,.... God forbid I should do this, so contrary to the law of God, and to my own practice, throughout the whole course of my life: for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean; in a ceremonial sense, which was in common use with Gentiles, but unclean by the law of Moses: this shows that Peter as yet closely...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the voice spake unto him again the second time,.... The following words, what God hath cleansed; that is, hath pronounced clean and lawful to be used, as he now had all sorts of food, Matthew 15:11. [that] call not thou common; or pronounce it to be unholy or unclean, and unlawful to be used: and the same holds good of men, as well as things;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
This was done thrice,.... That is, either the voice spoke the same words three times, or the sheet was let down three times; and it may be both; it may be, that every time the voice was spoke, the sheet was let down: this was done, not with respect to any mystical meaning in the number three, but for the confirmation of Peter, that he might be the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now while Peter doubted in himself,.... For notwithstanding what he had heard and seen, he had not at once a full knowledge of this matter. Beza's most ancient copy reads, "as he was in himself, he doubted"; that is, when he came to himself, for he was before, as it were, out of himself, and was in a trance, or ecstasy; and now being come to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And called, and asked,.... That is, they called to the people of the house, Simon's family; and in a civil and courteous manner asked them, whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter; which they said to distinguish him from Simon the master of the house, and as Cornelius was directed, and they were instructed by him: concerning him they inquired,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ver. 19 While Peter thought on the vision,.... Which greatly amused him, affected his mind, and employed his thoughts what should be the meaning and design of it: the Spirit said unto him; the holy Spirit of God, either by an articulate voice, or by making an impulse on his mind; behold, three men seek thee; the Arabic version leaves out the word...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Arise, therefore, and get thee down,.... From the top of the house where he was: and go with them; the three men, to Caesarea doubting nothing; whether it is right or wrong, lawful or unlawful, to go with them, because not Jews, but uncircumcised Gentiles, laying aside all such Jewish scruples: for I have sent them: the Spirit of God is said to do...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Peter went down to the men,.... The Ethiopic version adds, "from the third floor"; to the place where the men were: the following clause, which were sent unto him from Cornelius, is not in Beza's most ancient copy, nor in the Alexandrian copy, nor in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions: and said, behold, I am he whom ye...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they said, Cornelius, the centurion,.... A certain person, by name Cornelius, a Roman or Italian, as his name shows, and by office a "centurion", that was over an hundred soldiers: a just man; before God, and in his sight, through the imputation of Christ's righteousness to him; and who was a new man, created in righteousness and true...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then called he them in,.... Into Simon's house; not "into his own house", as the Ethiopic version adds; as yet they stood without, before the gate of the house; he took them in, no doubt, with the leave of Simon, his host, and set provisions before them, and lodged them that night: and in the morning Peter went away with them; the next morning he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea,.... So that they were one day, and part of another, on their journey: and Cornelius waited for them; he had an eager desire to hear the word from Peter's mouth; and was longing and looking for the coming of him, with the men he sent for him; and he and his family were in a waiting posture, and ready...