Acts 10:7-9

10:7 When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius ¹  called two of his personal servants ²  and a devout soldier from among those who served him, ³  10:8 and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

10:9 About noon ⁴  the next day, while they were on their way and approaching ⁵  the city, Peter went up on the roof ⁶  to pray.

[10:7]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Cornelius) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:7]  ² tn Or “domestic servants.” The Greek word here is οἰκέτης (oiketh"), which technically refers to a member of the household, but usually means a household servant (slave) or personal servant rather than a field laborer.

[10:7]  ³ tn The meaning of the genitive participle προσκαρτερούντων (proskarterountwn) could either be “a soldier from the ranks of those who served him” (referring to his entire command) or “a soldier from among his personal staff” (referring to a group of soldiers who were his personal attendants). The translation “from among those who served him” is general enough to cover either possibility.

[10:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[10:9]  ⁵ tn The participles ὁδοιπορούντων (Jodoiporountwn, “while they were on their way”) and ἐγγιζόντων (engizontwn, “approaching”) have been translated as temporal participles.

[10:9]  ⁶ sn Went up on the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.