Peter's Vision and the Messengers from Cornelius
Acts 10:9-23
Acts.10.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- Τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- δε: CONJ
- επαυριον: ADV
- οδοιπορουντων: PART,pres,act,gen,pl,m
- εκεινων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- και: CONJ
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- πολει: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- εγγιζοντων: PART,pres,act,gen,pl,m
- ανεβη: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- Πετρος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- επι: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- δωμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- προσευξασθαι: VERB,aor,mid,inf
- περι: PREP
- ωραν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- εκτην: ADJ,ord,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- John 4:6 (verbal): Uses the same time-marker (“about the sixth hour”) to situate a significant encounter — parallels Acts 10:9’s temporal detail.
- Luke 6:12 (thematic): Jesus withdraws to a solitary place to pray all night before appointing the Twelve — parallels Peter’s private prayer prior to receiving revelation.
- Mark 1:35 (thematic): Jesus rising early and going off by himself to pray — a recurring motif of retreating to pray that mirrors Peter’s ascent to the housetop.
- Luke 22:39-41 (thematic): Jesus withdraws to the Mount of Olives to pray immediately before a decisive revelation and action — similar pattern of prayer preceding pivotal divine disclosure.
- Acts 1:13-14 (structural): The disciples gather ‘upstairs’/in an upper room to pray — parallels the use of an upper room/house-top in Acts 10 as a recognized place for prayer.
Alternative generated candidates
- On the next day, as they were on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.
- On the next day, as they were traveling and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.
Acts.10.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- εγενετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- δε: CONJ
- προσπεινος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ηθελεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- γευσασθαι·παρασκευαζοντων: VERB,aor,mid,inf+VERB,pres,act,part,gen,pl,m
- δε: CONJ
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- εγενετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- επ᾽αυτον: PREP+PRON,acc,sg,3,m
- εκστασις: NOUN,nom,sg,f
Parallels
- Acts 11:5 (quotation): Peter later retells the same event using the same language (he was on the housetop, became hungry, and fell into a trance), a direct repetition of Acts 10:9–10.
- Acts 22:17 (verbal): Paul describes falling into a trance while praying in the temple using the same Greek root (ἑκστάσει/ἔκστασις), showing the recurring vocabulary for ecstatic visionary experiences in Luke–Acts.
- Acts 16:9–10 (thematic): Paul receives a nocturnal vision directing mission strategy (the Macedonian call); thematically similar as a divinely‑initiated revelation that occurs while the seeker is in a receptive state.
- Revelation 1:10 (thematic): John’s visionary state ('I was in the Spirit') parallels the ecstatic/receptive condition in which New Testament visionary revelations occur, linking Acts’ trances to other prophetic experiences.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he became hungry and wished to eat; but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.
- He became hungry and wished to eat; while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.
Acts.10.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- θεωρει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- ουρανον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- ανεωγμενον: PART,perf,pas,acc,m,sg
- και: CONJ
- καταβαινον: VERB,pres,act,ptc,acc,sg,n
- σκευος: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- τι: PRON,int,nom,sg,n
- ως: ADV
- οθονην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- μεγαλην: ADJ,acc,sg,f
- τεσσαρσιν: NUM,dat,pl
- αρχαις: NOUN,dat,pl,f
- καθιεμενον: PART,perf,pas,acc,n,sg
- επι: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- γης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
Parallels
- Acts 11:5 (quotation): Peter repeats the same vision (a sheet let down from heaven with animals) when defending his actions before the Jerusalem church — direct retelling of Acts 10:11–16.
- Acts 10:15 (verbal): Immediate verbal consequence of the vision: 'What God has cleansed, do not call common' — connects the sheet of animals to the overturning of kosher distinctions.
- John 1:51 (allusion): Jesus' promise that 'you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending' parallels the imagery of heaven opened and things descending, suggesting a theological echo of heavenly access and revelation.
- Leviticus 11 (thematic): The Mosaic laws listing clean and unclean animals provide the background for the vision’s significance — the sheet with animals directly challenges Levitical purity categories.
- Luke 3:21 (structural): Luke (author of Acts) uses the motif 'heaven opened' elsewhere (at Jesus’ baptism), linking visionary openness of heaven in Luke–Acts and framing divine revelation from above.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners to the earth.
- He saw heaven opened and something like a great sheet coming down, being let down to earth by its four corners.
Acts.10.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- εν: PREP
- ω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- υπηρχεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- παντα: ADJ,nom,pl,n
- τα: ART,acc,pl,n
- τετραποδα: NOUN,nom,pl,neut
- και: CONJ
- ερπετα: NOUN,nom,pl,neut
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- γης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- πετεινα: NOUN,nom,pl,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- ουρανου: NOUN,gen,sg,masc
Parallels
- Genesis 1:24-25 (thematic): Creation account listing 'beasts of the earth' and 'creeping things' — parallels the catalogue of animals on the sheet and frames them as part of God's created order.
- Leviticus 11:2-3 (verbal): Law text distinguishing clean/unclean land animals ('of every beast that parteth the hoof' etc.); echoes the ritual categories and the idea of animals of the earth and their classification.
- Deuteronomy 14:11 (verbal): Deuteronomic food-law language naming 'every clean beast' and 'birds of the air,' paralleling the specific phraseology of land animals and birds in Peter's vision.
- Acts 10:15 (quotation): Immediate divine voice to Peter in the same vision: 'What God has made clean, do not call common' — directly interprets the presence of these animals on the sheet.
- Acts 11:9 (structural): Peter's later retelling of the vision: he repeats the command 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unclean,' confirming the theological reinterpretation of the animal imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of the sky.
- In it were all kinds of four‑footed animals, and wild beasts, and reptiles of the earth, and birds of the air.
Acts.10.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- εγενετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- φωνη: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- προς: PREP
- αυτον·Αναστας: PRON,acc,sg,m
- Πετρε: NOUN,voc,sg,m
- θυσον: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- και: CONJ
- φαγε: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
Parallels
- Acts 10:15 (quotation): Immediate continuation of the same heavenly voice in Peter's vision: the voice commands him regarding clean/unclean foods ('What God has made clean, do not call common').
- Acts 11:7-9 (quotation): Peter's later retelling of the vision repeats the command to 'kill and eat' and the voice's declaration that God has made these things clean—direct narrative parallel and fulfillment in his testimony.
- Leviticus 11:1-47 (thematic): Detailed Mosaic dietary laws defining clean and unclean animals provide the cultic and legal background that makes the vision's command (eat formerly 'unclean' animals) theologically subversive.
- Deuteronomy 14:3-21 (thematic): Another presentation of Israelite food laws and distinctions between clean and unclean animals; Acts' vision intentionally engages and overturns these longstanding dietary categories.
- Mark 7:19 (verbal): Jesus' remark that foods do not defile a person ('thus he declared all foods clean' in some readings) resonates with Acts' theme that dietary distinctions are no longer decisive for purity.
Alternative generated candidates
- And a voice came to him, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'
- A voice came to him, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.'
Acts.10.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- Πετρος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν·Μηδαμως: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- κυριε: NOUN,voc,sg,m
- οτι: CONJ
- ουδεποτε: ADV
- εφαγον: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- παν: ADJ,nom,sg,n
- κοινον: ADJ,acc,sg,n
- και: CONJ
- ακαθαρτον: ADJ,nom,sg,neut
Parallels
- Acts 11:8 (quotation): Peter repeats his original protest verbatim when recounting the vision: “Nothing common or unclean has ever entered into my mouth,” echoing 10:14.
- Acts 10:15 (verbal): Immediate divine response in the same vision—“What God has cleansed, do not call common”—directly challenges Peter’s refusal in 10:14.
- Acts 10:28 (thematic): Peter’s eventual interpretation and application of the vision: he learns not to call any person common or unclean, reversing his initial objection in 10:14.
- Deuteronomy 14:3 (thematic): Old Testament dietary law (“You shall not eat any detestable thing”) provides the background for Peter’s refusal to eat animals considered unclean.
- Mark 7:18-19 (thematic): Jesus’ teaching (in Luke/Mark tradition; some manuscripts note ‘thus he declared all foods clean’) reflects the developing New Testament position that ritual food purity is not binding, paralleling the theological issue in Acts 10.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything common or unclean.'
- But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything unclean or common.'
Acts.10.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- φωνη: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- παλιν: ADV
- εκ: PREP
- δευτερου: ADJ,gen,sg,m
- προς: PREP
- αυτον·Α: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- θεος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εκαθαρισεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- συ: PRON,nom,sg,2
- μη: PART
- κοινου: ADJ,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Acts 11:9 (quotation): Peter repeats the exact command from the vision—'What God has cleansed, that call not thou common'—when recounting the revelation, showing the same directive applied to Gentiles.
- Mark 7:19 (verbal): Jesus declares foods clean ('thus making all foods clean'), overturning purity-based food restrictions and paralleling the vision's removal of food/taboo distinctions.
- Matthew 15:11 (thematic): Jesus teaches that what enters the mouth does not defile a person, shifting the locus of purity from foods to the heart—echoing Acts' redefinition of 'clean' and 'unclean.'
- Romans 14:14 (thematic): Paul asserts that nothing is unclean in itself and warns against judging over food/rituals, reflecting the same theological move away from dietary purity as a boundary marker.
- Leviticus 11:44 (allusion): The Mosaic distinction between clean and unclean (dietary/ritual laws) provides the background that the vision overturns; Acts appeals to and reinterprets this tradition by declaring certain things no longer unclean.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the voice answered a second time, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'
- The voice answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed, do not call common.'
Acts.10.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- τουτο: PRON,nom,sg,n
- δε: CONJ
- εγενετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- επι: PREP
- τρις: ADV
- και: CONJ
- ευθυς: ADV
- ανελημφθη: VERB,aor,pass,ind,3,sg
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- σκευος: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- εις: PREP
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- ουρανον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Acts 11:5-10 (quotation): Peter's own retelling of the vision repeats the same sequence (sheet with animals lowered and taken up three times), effectively quoting the event described in Acts 10:16.
- Acts 10:15 (verbal): Immediate verbal parallel within the same vision: the command ‘What God has cleansed, do not call common’ directly precedes the threefold vision and the sheet being taken up, linking the action in v.16 to the earlier spoken revelation.
- Acts 1:9 (verbal): Uses the same basic imagery/verb of being ‘taken up into heaven’ (ἀνελήμφθη/related vocabulary) — here applied to Jesus’ ascension, creating a verbal/imagistic parallel with the sheet being taken up.
- Ezekiel 3:14 (thematic): Ezekiel describes being lifted up by the Spirit and transported in a visionary context; thematically similar to a divine-directed lifting of a visionary object/person at God’s command.
- Leviticus 11:1-47 (allusion): The vision’s focus on clean and unclean animals alludes to the Levitical dietary laws; Acts 10:16 (the sheet being taken up) is part of the narrative that overturns those distinctions.
Alternative generated candidates
- This he did three times, and the thing was taken up again into heaven.
- This happened three times, and the thing was taken up again into heaven.
Acts.10.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- Ως: CONJ
- δε: CONJ
- εν: PREP
- εαυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- διηπορει: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Πετρος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- τι: PRON,int,nom,sg,n
- αν: PART
- ειη: VERB,pres,act,opt,3,sg
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- οραμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ειδεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ιδου: PART
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- ανδρες: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- απεσταλμενοι: VERB,perf,pas,part,nom,pl,m
- υπο: PREP
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- Κορνηλιου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- διερωτησαντες: VERB,aor,act,ptc,nom,pl,m
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- οικιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- Σιμωνος: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- επεστησαν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- επι: PREP
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- πυλωνα: NOUN,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Acts 10:4-6 (structural): The angelic instruction to Cornelius to send men to Joppa to fetch Simon (Peter) — the sending of delegates that arrive at Peter’s house is the other side of the same episode.
- Acts 11:5-11 (verbal): Peter’s later retelling of the vision and the men’s arrival in Jerusalem uses much of the same language and clarifies his understanding of the vision and why he welcomed the visitors.
- Luke 7:3-5 (thematic): A Roman centurion sends elders to Jesus to request healing — parallels a Gentile officer commissioning delegates to seek help from a Jewish holy man, highlighting Gentile faith and outreach by intermediaries.
- Matthew 8:5-13 (thematic): The centurion’s approach (either sending representatives or coming himself) and Jesus’ commendation of his faith parallels the motif of a Gentile officer seeking divine aid and the opening of God’s favor to Gentiles.
- Acts 16:13-15 (thematic): Lydia’s conversion and the household motif (inviting the missionaries to her home so her household could hear the gospel) parallels the household/house-gate setting and the social process by which outsiders are linked to believers.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now while Peter wondered within himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house and were standing at the gate,
- While Peter was much perplexed in himself about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius, having inquired for Simon's house, stood at the gate.
Acts.10.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- φωνησαντες: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,pl,m
- επυνθανοντο: VERB,impf,mid,ind,3,pl
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- Σιμων: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- επικαλουμενος: VERB,pres,mid,part,nom,sg,m
- Πετρος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ενθαδε: ADV
- ξενιζεται: VERB,pres,mid,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Acts 10:6 (verbal): In Cornelius' vision he is told to send for 'Simon who is called Peter' and is told that he is lodging with Simon the tanner in Joppa — the same lodging detail referenced when the messengers inquire.
- Acts 9:43 (verbal): Earlier in Acts it is recorded that Peter 'stayed many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner,' providing the background fact of Peter's lodging that the visitors seek.
- Acts 10:30–31 (quotation): Cornelius later recounts that he sent men to Joppa to fetch Simon Peter (naming his lodging), which explains and parallels the servants' question about whether Peter was staying there.
- Acts 12:12,16 (thematic): After Peter's miraculous release, those gathered at Mary's house repeatedly inquire at the door whether Peter is there — a parallel motif of people seeking and asking about Peter's whereabouts.
Alternative generated candidates
- and they called and asked whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.
- They called out and asked whether Simon, who is also called Peter, was staying there.
Acts.10.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- δε: CONJ
- Πετρου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- διενθυμουμενου: VERB,pres,mid,ptcp,gen,m,sg
- περι: PREP
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- οραματος: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- πνευμα·Ιδου: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- ανδρες: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- ζητουντες: VERB,pres,act,ptc,nom,pl,m
- σε·: PRON,acc,sg,2
Parallels
- Acts 10:3-6 (structural): Cornelius' vision instructs him to send men to Joppa to fetch Peter—this vision and Peter's vision function together to bring the two parties into contact.
- Acts 11:11-12 (quotation): Peter's later retelling of the event: he recounts that the Spirit told him to go with the men sent by Cornelius, directly paralleling Acts 10:19–20.
- Acts 8:29 (verbal): The Spirit directly instructs Philip to approach and join the Ethiopian official—similar verbal guidance by the Spirit directing an evangelist to a specific person.
- Acts 9:10-16 (thematic): A vision directs Ananias to go to Saul (Paul) to lay hands on him; thematically parallel in divine/visionary direction to meet and minister to a particular individual.
- Acts 16:6-10 (thematic): The Spirit (and a vision of a Macedonian man) guides Paul’s missionary movements—another instance where the Spirit/vision directs believers to encounter specific people or places for mission.
Alternative generated candidates
- While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Behold, three men are looking for you.'
- While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Behold, three men are seeking you; arise, go down, and go with them without hesitation, for I have sent them.'
Acts.10.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- αλλα: CONJ
- αναστας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- καταβηθι: VERB,aor,act,imp,2,sg
- και: CONJ
- πορευου: VERB,pres,mid,imp,2,sg
- συν: PREP
- αυτοις: PRO,dat,pl,3
- μηδεν: PRON,acc,sg,n
- διακρινομενος: PART,pres,mid,nom,sg,m
- οτι: CONJ
- εγω: PRON,nom,sg,1
- απεσταλκα: VERB,perf,act,ind,1,sg
- αυτους: PRON,acc,pl,m
Parallels
- Acts 11:12 (verbal): Peter's later retelling uses almost the same language: the Spirit told him to 'go with them, doing nothing wrong' (or 'nothing doubting'), directly echoing the command to accompany the men because they were sent.
- Acts 8:29 (verbal): The Spirit's prompt to Philip—'Go over and join this chariot'—parallels the Spirit/angelic direction in Acts 10 to rise and go without hesitation, showing the motif of immediate Spirit-led movement.
- Exodus 3:10 (thematic): God commissions a human agent with 'Come, I will send you to Pharaoh,' paralleling the theme of divine sending and the authority behind the command to go.
- Genesis 45:5 (thematic): Joseph's statement 'God sent me before you' echoes the theological rationale for action in Acts 10:20—the idea that movements of people are authorized/ordained by God's sending, removing cause for doubt or fear.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'But rise, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them.'
- So Peter went down to the men and said, 'I am the one you seek; for what intent have you come?'
Acts.10.21 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- καταβας: PART,aor,act,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- Πετρος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- προς: PREP
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- ανδρας: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- ειπεν·Ιδου: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- εγω: PRON,nom,sg,1
- ειμι: VERB,pres,act,ind,1,sg
- ον: PART,pres,act,nom,sg,m
- ζητειτε·τις: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- αιτια: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- δι᾽ην: PRON,acc,sg,f
- παρεστε: VERB,perf,act,ind,2,pl
Parallels
- John 18:4-6 (verbal): The arrest scene uses the exact question and formula—'Whom are you seeking?' (τίνα ζητεῖτε;) and the declaration 'I am he' (ἐγώ εἰμι)—paralleling Peter's 'Behold, I am the one you seek.'
- Exodus 3:4 (verbal): When God calls Moses from the burning bush the response 'Here I am' (LXX/Greek formula ἰδοὺ ἐγώ) echoes Peter's self-identification on being addressed.
- 1 Samuel 3:4 (verbal): The young Samuel's repeated 'Here I am' (hineni/ἰδοὺ ἐγώ in the LXX) to a call in the night parallels Peter's immediate self-presentation to those who have come.
- Isaiah 6:8 (thematic): Isaiah's 'Here am I; send me' models the prophetic/respondent motif—an individual promptly identifying himself when addressed, as Peter does in Acts 10:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Peter went down to the men and said, 'I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?'
- They said, 'Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God‑fearing man, well reported by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear words from you.'
Acts.10.22 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δε: CONJ
- ειπαν·Κορνηλιος: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl + NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εκατονταρχης: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ανηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- δικαιος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- φοβουμενος: VERB,pres,mid,part,nom,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- θεον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- μαρτυρουμενος: PART,pres,mp,nom,sg,m
- τε: CONJ
- υπο: PREP
- ολου: ADJ,gen,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- εθνους: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- Ιουδαιων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- εχρηματισθη: VERB,aor,pas,ind,3,sg
- υπο: PREP
- αγγελου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- αγιου: ADJ,gen,sg,n
- μεταπεμψασθαι: VERB,aor,mid,inf
- σε: PRON,acc,sg,2
- εις: PREP
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- οικον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ακουσαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- ρηματα: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- παρα: PREP
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
Parallels
- Acts 10:1-4 (structural): Immediate context: introduces Cornelius as a devout, God‑fearing centurion and records the angelic vision that instructed him to send for a man (Peter). Provides the background for v.22's description and commission.
- Acts 10:30 (verbal): Cornelius' own report of the angelic instruction—he says an angel told him to send for Peter 'to come to my house and hear words from you,' echoing the wording and purpose in v.22.
- Acts 11:13-14 (quotation): Peter's later retelling of the Cornelius episode repeats that Cornelius 'saw an angel who told him to send for you to come to his house and to hear words from you'—a direct reprise of the same instruction and rationale.
- Luke 7:2-10 (thematic): Another positive portrayal of a Roman centurion in Luke–Acts: the centurion is commended by Jewish elders as worthy and beloved, paralleling the favorable depiction of Cornelius as a righteous, God‑fearing centurion respected by Jews.
- Luke 2:25 (thematic): Simeon is described as 'righteous and devout' (δικαιος καὶ εὐσεβής), a parallel characterization to Cornelius ('δικαιος καὶ φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν'), both presented as pious, God‑fearing figures awaiting divine revelation/fulfillment.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said, 'Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well reported by all the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear what you have to say.'
- Then Peter invited them in and entertained them. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along.
Acts.10.23 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- εισκαλεσαμενος: VERB,aor,mid,ptcp,nom,sg,m
- ουν: CONJ
- αυτους: PRON,acc,pl,m
- εξενισεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- Τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- δε: CONJ
- επαυριον: ADV
- αναστας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- εξηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- συν: PREP
- αυτοις: PRO,dat,pl,3
- και: CONJ
- τινες: PRON,nom,pl,m
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- αδελφων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- απο: PREP
- Ιοππης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- συνηλθον: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
Parallels
- Acts 11:12 (quotation): Peter's later retelling of the Caesarea visit mentions the same detail—that the brethren who had accompanied him from Joppa entered with him—repeating the episode in his defense before Jerusalem.
- Acts 10:24 (structural): Direct narrative continuation: Peter departs with the visitors and some brothers from Joppa go down with him to Caesarea, paralleling the travel and companionship in 10:23.
- Acts 10:7 (structural): Earlier in the same episode Cornelius had sent two servants and a devout soldier to Joppa to fetch Peter; this explains the presence of the men Peter entertains and then travels with in 10:23.
- Acts 9:43 (thematic): Previously Peter had been staying in Joppa with Simon the tanner; this prior association with Joppa provides background for the mention of 'brethren from Joppa' who accompany him in 10:23.
Alternative generated candidates
- So he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along with him.
- The following day he entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
On the next day, as they were on their journey and drawing near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.
He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance.
He saw heaven opened and a certain large sheet descending, being let down by its four corners to the earth,
in which were all the four‑footed animals of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and birds of the air.
Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything unclean.” And the voice answered a second time, “What God has cleansed, do not call common.”
This happened three times, and the thing was taken up again into heaven. Now while Peter was much perplexed in himself as to what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house and stood before the gate,
and they called and asked whether Simon, who was called Peter, were lodging there.
While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you; arise, go down, and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them.”
Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am he whom you seek. What is the reason for which you have come?”
They said, “Cornelius the centurion, a devout, God‑fearing man well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear words from you.” So he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
They entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.