ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Acts 10

Acts 10:1 Cornelius resided at Caesarea (see note on 8:40). He was a centurion, a commander of 100 men. A Cohort usually consisted of 600 men under the command of six centurions. In remote areas such as Judea a cohort might have as many as 1,000 men. Centurions were paid as much as five times the pay of an ordinary soldier, so Cornelius would have been socially prominent and wealthy.

Acts 10:2 devout man who feared God. A “God-fearer” (compare v. 22; 8:26–27; 13:16; 26) was a Gentile who worshiped Israel’s God but who had not submitted to Jewish conversion rites. Cornelius followed two of the primary expressions of Jewish religion—prayer and almsgiving. alms. See note on 3:2.

Acts 10:3–4 The ninth hour is 3:00 p.m. This was a set hour of prayer for Jews according to later tradition.

Acts 10:4 memorial. His deeds were equal to sacrifice (compare Lev. 2:2, 9, 16).

Acts 10:9 housetop. Houses in Judea typically had flat roofs, used as living space.

Acts 10:12 all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds. Both clean and unclean animals. Jewish law forbade eating unclean animals (see Lev. 11:2–47).

Acts 10:13–16 kill and eat. God was overturning the old clean/unclean distinctions and dietary laws in general, along with all other “ceremonial” laws in the Mosaic covenant (including laws about sacrifices, festivals and special days, and circumcision). Peter was treating Gentiles as unclean, following later tradition rather than the OT. Israel was supposed to minister to other nations (Ex. 19:5–6) and teach them to follow God. God corrects Peter’s behavior.

Acts 10:28 unlawful. Not in terms of violating OT commands but in the sense of not following later Jewish traditions. God has shown me refers to the vision of vv. 10–16.

Acts 10:34–43 This message to the Gentiles provides a summary of Jesus’ ministry. The speech may have been a much longer one, which Luke summarizes.

Acts 10:35 in every nation. Not just among Jews. acceptable to him. The question here is whether God’s favor is available to Jews only (“partiality,” v. 34) or is now available to Gentiles also (those “in every nation”). fears him and does what is right. Although Peter does not explicitly mention saving faith, it likely is implied (see note on v. 2).

Acts 10:36 The references to the good news of peace and to Christ being Lord of all echo Isa. 52:7 and 57:19.

Acts 10:39 Tree may refer to Deut. 21:23. Through his death, Jesus took on himself the penalty for sin. See Gal. 3:13.

Acts 10:41 Who ate and drank with him shows that Jesus had a real physical body after his resurrection. Eating and drinking are signs of close personal fellowship.

Acts 10:43 everyone who believes. See note on 2:38.

Acts 10:44 These Gentiles had come to genuine saving faith in Christ. They had received the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, showing that God had accepted them as full members of his people. The fact that they had not followed any Mosaic ceremonial laws (such as circumcision, sacrifice, or dietary restrictions) before receiving the gift of the Spirit is important (see 11:15–17).

Acts 10:47 Baptizing these people would be an outward sign of an inward work of God in their hearts and of their personal commitment to Christ. Just as we have refers to receiving the Spirit at Pentecost.

Acts 10:48 To be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (see also 2:38; 8:16) is not different from being baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). The “name” of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is the same as the “name” of Jesus Christ (see note on Acts 3:16). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share one “name” (that is, one character). remain for some days. Peter’s willingness to stay with them likely involved his sharing meals with the Gentiles. This was a bold step for one who had been so concerned about clean and unclean foods (see also notes on Gal. 2:11–21).