Bible Strands
Acts 10:9
The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Peter goes up on the roof to pray at about the sixth hour on the day after he sent Cornelius’s messengers toward Joppa. The messengers are approaching the city while he prepares to pray.
The words — `ἐπαύριον` (epaurion) means next day, and `ὁδοιπορούντων` (hodoiporountōn) describes the men as approaching or journeying. `τῇ` (tēa) functions as the preposition to the.
The thread — Roof prayers appear in 1 Samuel 9:25 and Zephaniah 1:5, while regular prayer times are noted in Psalms 55:17. These references show the verse aligns with established biblical patterns of prayer locations and rhythms.
Why it lands — The text records a specific time and action before noting Peter’s hunger and trance, requiring the reader to track the sequence of events carefully. It asks the reader to observe how a routine prayer moment directly precedes a divine vision.
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
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
Cross-references
- Zephaniah 1:5 those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,
- Psalms 55:17 Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.
- 1 Samuel 9:25 And after they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof of his house.
- Jeremiah 19:13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like that place, Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”
- Jeremiah 32:29 And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come in, set it on fire, and burn it, along with the houses of those who provoked Me to anger by burning incense to Baal on their rooftops and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.
- Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
- Matthew 20:5 So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
- Matthew 24:17 Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house.
- Matthew 27:45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.