Act 10:3, 17 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 3. He saw in a vision . . Evidently . Openly; manifestly. About the ninth hour . About three o'clock, P.M. This was the usual hour of evening worship among the Jews. An angel of God . . Comp . This angel was sent to signify to Cornelius that his alms were accepted by God as an evidence of his piety, and to direct him to send for Peter to instruct him in the way of salvation. The importance of the occasion--the introduction of the gospel to a Gentile , and hence to the entire Gentile world--was probably the chief reason why an angel was commissioned to visit the Roman centurion. Comp. . (d) "an angel of God"

Acts 10:3

Verse 3. He saw in a vision. Acts 9:10.

Evidently. Openly; manifestly.

About the ninth hour. About three o'clock, P.M. This was the usual hour of evening worship among the Jews.

An angel of God. Mt 1:20. Comp Heb 1:14. This angel was sent to signify to Cornelius that his alms were accepted by God as an evidence of his piety, and to direct him to send for Peter to instruct him in the way of salvation. The importance of the occasion--the introduction of the gospel to a Gentile, and hence to the entire Gentile world--was probably the chief reason why an angel was commissioned to visit the Roman centurion. Comp. Acts 16:9,10.

(d) "an angel of God" Heb 1:14

Acts 10:17

Verse 17. Doubted in himself. Doubted in his own mind. He was perplexed to understand it.

Behold, the men, etc. We see here an admirable arrangement of the events of Providence to fit each other. Every part of this transaction is made to harmonize with every other part; and it was so arranged, that, just in the moment when the mind of Peter was filled with perplexity, the very event should occur which should relieve him of his embarrassment. Such a coincidence is not uncommon. An event of Divine Providence may be as clear an expression of his will, and may as certainly serve to indicate our duty, as the most manifest revelation would do; and a state of mind may, by an arrangement of circumstances, be produced, that shall be extremely perplexing until some event shall occur, or some field of usefulness shall open, that shall exactly correspond to it, and shall indicate to us the will of God. We should observe then the events of God's Providence. We should mark and record the train of our own thoughts, and we should watch with interest any event that occurs, when we are perplexed and embarrassed, to obtain, if possible, an expression of the will of God.

Before the gate. The word here rendered "gate" --πυλωνα--refers, properly, to the porch or principal entrance to an eastern house. Mt 9:2; Mt 26:71. It does not mean, as with us, a gate, but rather a door. See Acts 12:13.

(d) "inquiry for Simon's" Acts 9:43