And Cornelius said, Four days ago, until this hour, I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright apparel,

And Cornelius said: Four days ago, unto this hour, I was praying in my house, at the ninth hour, and behold a man stood before me in white apparel, and said:

And Cornelius said, Four days ago I had been fasting unto this hour, and the ninth I was praying in my house, and lo, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

And Cornelius said, 'Four days ago till this hour, I was fasting, and at the ninth hour praying in my house, and, lo, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

"Just at this hour, three days ago," replied Cornelius, "I was offering afternoon prayer in my house, when suddenly a man in shining raiment stood in front of me,

And Cornelius said, Four days from now I was in my house in prayer at the ninth hour; and I saw before me a man in shining clothing,

And Cornelius said: "It is now the fourth day, to this very hour, since I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in a white vestment, and he said:

"Just three days ago this very hour," Cornelius said, "I was in my house, saying the Afternoon Prayers, when a man in dazzling clothing suddenly stood before me.

I was fasting. Many Greek books [1] have emen, I sat. The old interpreter omitteth the word fasting, which I think was done through error or negligence, because it is expressed in all the Greek books. [2] Furthermore, he maketh express mention of fasting, partly that we may know that he prayed not coldly, or overfields [3] at that time; secondly, that the vision may be the less suspected. For doubtless the brain of a man that is fasting (where there is moderate sobriety) doth not easily admit any strong imaginations, wherein appear images and strange forms, whereby men are deceived. [4] Therefore Cornelius' meaning is, that he was earnestly bent to pray, at such time as the angel appeared to him, and that his mind was free from all such lets which use to make men subject to fantasies and imaginations. [5] And to the same end tendeth the circumstance of time, that this was done when it was now fair daylight, three hours before the going down of the sun. A man stood in shining garment. He calleth him a man, whom he knew was an angel of God; but it is a common thing for the name of the visible form wherein God or his angels appear to be translated unto him or them; so Moses doth sometimes call them angels, and sometimes men, which appeared to Abraham in shape of men. The shining garment was a token of heavenly glory, and, as it were a sign of the divine Majesty which appeared [6] in the angel. The evangelists declare, that there was such brightness in Christ's garment when he showed his glory to the three disciples in the mount. The same thing do they witness of the angels which were sent to testify Christ's resurrection. For, as the Lord beareth with our infirmity thus far that he commandeth his angels to descend under form of our flesh, so he casteth out upon them certain beams of his glory, that the commandments which he hath committed to them may be the more reverenced and believed. Here ariseth a question, whether that were a true and natural body, and whether that were a garment in deed, or Cornelius did only see such a shape and show; and though this be not so necessary to be known, and we can scarce affirm any thing for a truth, [7] yet it seemeth to me more probable as touching conjecture, that God to whom it belongeth to create all things gave to the angel a true body, and did clothe the same with a most gorgeous garment; but so soon as the angel had ended his embassage, I think he was restored to his own nature, the body and garment being brought to nought, and that he suffered no human thing [8] so long as he was in the shape of man.

Footnotes

1 - "Codices," manuscripts.

2 - "Codicibus," manuscripts.

3 - "Defunctorie," perfunctorily.

4 - "Hallucinationes in spectris," spectral delusions.

5 - "Phantasmatibus ac spectris," phantasms and specters.

6 - "Quae fulgere... debuit," which must have been refulgent.

7 - "Pro certo," for certain.

8 - "Neque tamen humani quidquam passum," and that he had no human property.

Four days ago - See the notes on Acts 10:23.
Until this hour - The ninth hour, or three o'clock, p. m. See Acts 10:3.
A man - Called, in Acts 10:3, an angel. He had the appearance of a man. Compare Mark 16:5.
In bright clothing - See the notes on Matthew 28:3.

Four days ago I was fasting until this hour - It was then about three o'clock in the afternoon; and it appears that Cornelius had continued his fasts from three o'clock the preceding day to three o'clock the day following; not that he had fasted four days together, as some supposes for even if he did fast four days consecutively, he ate one meal on each day. It is however necessary to remark that the word νηϚευων, fasting is wanting in ABC, one other; the Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, and Vulgate; but it has not been omitted in any edition of the Greek Testament.

And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until (m) this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
(m) He does not mean the very hour at the present time (as it was nine o'clock when he spoke to Peter), but the like, that is, about nine o'clock the other day.

And Cornelius said,.... The Syriac version adds, "to him", to the apostle; the following he said, in a very submissive and humble manner:
four days ago I was fasting unto this hour; in the Greek text it is, "from the fourth day unto this hour I was fasting": which looks as if he had been fasting four days, and was still fasting at that hour; though the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions leave out the phrase "I was fasting": but the sense which our version and others give is the truest; that four days ago, or reckoning four days back, Cornelius was fasting on that day, until such time in that day as now it was in this present day; and which perhaps might be the ninth hour, or three o'clock in the afternoon: the account of days exactly agrees; as soon as Cornelius had had the vision, he sends men to Joppa, which was one day; on the morrow they came to Joppa, which makes two days; Peter lodged them all night there, and the next day set out on the journey with them, so you have three days; and the day after that, which was the fourth, he entered into Caesarea, and came to Cornelius's house, where he now was:
and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house; which was one of the stated times of prayer; See Gill on Acts 3:1.
And behold a man stood before me in bright clothing; or "in a white garment", as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read: which was an emblem of the excellency, glory, and purity of the angel, and of the divine majesty in him: he calls him a man, because he appeared in the form of one, as angels used to do.

Four days ago--the messengers being despatched on the first; on the second reaching Joppa (Acts 10:9); starting for CÃ&brvbr;sarea on the third; and on the fourth arriving.

Four days ago I was fasting - The first of these days he had the vision; the second his messengers came to Joppa; on the third, St. Peter set out; and on the fourth, came to Cesarea.