Acts 10:30-35

10:30 Cornelius ¹  replied, ²  “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, ³  I was praying in my house, and suddenly ⁴  a man in shining clothing stood before me 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity ⁵  have been remembered before God. ⁶  10:32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, ⁷  by the sea.’ 10:33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. ⁸  So now we are all here in the presence of God ⁹  to listen ¹⁰  to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” ¹¹ 

10:34 Then Peter started speaking: ¹²  “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, ¹³  10:35 but in every nation ¹⁴  the person who fears him ¹⁵  and does what is right ¹⁶  is welcomed before him.

[10:30]  ¹ tn Grk “And Cornelius.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:30]  ² tn Grk “said.”

[10:30]  ³ tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.

[10:30]  ⁴ tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.

[10:31]  ⁵ tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”

[10:31]  ⁶ sn This statement is a paraphrase rather than an exact quotation of Acts 10:4.

[10:32]  ⁷ tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname.

[10:33]  ⁸ tn Grk “you have done well by coming.” The idiom καλῶς ποιεῖν (kalw" poiein) is translated “be kind enough to do someth.” by BDAG 505-6 s.v. καλῶς 4.a. The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as an English infinitive due to the nature of the English idiom (“kind enough to” + infinitive).

[10:33]  ⁹ tn The translation “we are here in the presence of God” for ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ πάρεσμεν (enwpion tou qeou paresmen) is given by BDAG 773 s.v. πάρειμι 1.a.

[10:33]  ¹⁰ tn Or “to hear everything.”

[10:33]  ¹¹ tn The words “to say to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Cornelius knows Peter is God’s representative, bringing God’s message.

[10:34]  ¹² tn Grk “Opening his mouth Peter said” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:34]  ¹³ tn Grk “God is not one who is a respecter of persons,” that is, “God is not one to show partiality” (cf. BDAG 887 s.v. προσωπολήμπτης). L&N 88.239 translates this verse “I realize that God does not show favoritism (in dealing with people).” The underlying Hebrew idiom includes the personal element (“respecter of persons”) so the phrase “in dealing with people” is included in the present translation. It fits very well with the following context and serves to emphasize the relational component of God’s lack of partiality. The latter is a major theme in the NT: Rom 2:11; Eph 2:11-22; Col 3:25; Jas 2:1; 1 Pet 1:17. This was the lesson of Peter’s vision.

[10:35]  ¹⁴ sn See Luke 24:47.

[10:35]  ¹⁵ tn Or “shows reverence for him.”

[10:35]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “works righteousness”; the translation “does what is right” for this phrase in this verse is given by L&N 25.85.