Bible Strands
Acts 10:30
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
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Cornelius addresses Peter and his companions inside his home, explaining his immediate compliance with the summons. He marks the moment by noting the precise time of his prior vision and prayer.
The words — The Greek ἔφη (ephē) literally renders "was saying," anchoring the narrative to his direct speech. ἀπὸ τεττάρης ἡμέρας (apo tetartēs hēmeras) translates to "from the fourth day," establishing the exact temporal frame of his experience.
The thread — The emphasis on fixed prayer times and divine interruption echoes the vision at the ninth hour in Acts 10:3 and the intercessory posture of Daniel 9:20. These references link Cornelius’s disciplined devotion to a broader biblical pattern of covenantal prayer.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize that divine encounters interrupt ordinary routines at appointed hours. It demands attention to the specificity of prayer times as the context for receiving God’s message.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
Cross-references
- Daniel 9:20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain—
- Acts 10:3 One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
- Nehemiah 9:1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads.
- Ezra 9:4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat there in horror until the evening offering.
- Matthew 28:3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
- Mark 16:6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.
- Luke 24:4 While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.
- Acts 1:10 They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
- Acts 10:23 So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
- Acts 3:1 One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.