Acts 10:26

Act 10:26. Ἤγειρε, raised him up) Why then is the kissing of the Pope’s feet not only admitted, but made an ordinary ceremony?—[κἀγὼ, I also) as Cornelius, Act 10:28. Cornelius is not said to have worshipped Peter; and yet Peter, for all that, does not fail to check him.—V. g.]—ἄνθρωπος) a man, not God. On this account we ought to control both our own exaltation (conceit of ourselves) and the admiration of others. We ought not to look with admiration on mortals, but on the gifts of GOD in them. [As the Galatians had received Paul (Gal 4:14), so Peter had received Cornelius.—V. g.]

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act_10:26-29. Κἀγὼ αὐτός] also I myself, I also for mine own part, not otherwise than you. See on Rom_7:25.

συνομιλ αὐτῷ] in conversation with him. The word occurs elsewhere in Tzetz. Hist. iii. 377, συνόμιλος in Symm. Job_19:19.

εἰσῆλθε] namely, into the room. In Act_10:25, on the other hand, τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν τ. Π. was meant of the entrance by the outer door into the house.

Ye know how (how very) unallowed it is, etc.

ἀθέμιτον] (2Ma_6:5) is a later form (Plut., Dion. Hal., etc., 1Pe_4:3) for the old classical ἀθέμιστον (Herod. vii. 33; Xen. Mem. i. 1. 9, Cyrop. i. 6. 6). The prohibition to enter into closer fellowship with men of another tribe,[258] or (even but) to come to them, comp. Act_11:3, is not expressly found in the Pentateuch, but easily resulted of itself from the lofty consciousness of the holy people of God contrasted with the unholy heathen (Ewald, Alterth. p. 310), and pervades the later Judaism with all the force of contempt for the Gentiles (see, e.g., Lightfoot on Mat_18:17). The passage Mat_23:5, and the narrative of the conversion of Izates king of Adiabene in Joseph. Antt. xx. 2. 4 f., appear to testify against the utterance of Peter in our passage, and therefore Zeller, p. 187, holds it as unhistorical But Peter speaks here from the standpoint of the Judaistic theory and rule, which is not invalidated by exceptional cases (as Josephus I.c.) and by abuses (as in the making of proselytes, Matt. I.c.). Not even if Cornelius had been a proselyte of the gate (but see on Act_10:1-2) could the historical character of the saying be reasonably doubted; for the Rabbinical passages adduced with that view (according to which the proselyte is to regard himself as a member of the theocracy, as Schemoth Rabba 19 f., 118. 3, ad Exo_12:3) apply only to complete converts (proselytes of righteousness, comp. Sohar p. 22. 27 : quamvis factus sit proselytus, attamen nisi observet praecepta legis, habendus adhuc est pro ethnico), and are, moreover, outweighed by other expressions of contempt towards proselytes, as, e.g., Babyl. Niddah f. 13. 2 : Proselyti sunt sicut scabies Israeli. It is erroneous to derive the principle which Peter here expresses from Pharisaism (Schoettgen), or to limit it to an intentional going in quest of them (Hofmann, Schriftbew. II. 2, p. 39), or, according to Act_11:3, to the eating (Ebrard, Lange, Ewald), which must have been made clear from the context.

ἀναντιῤῥήτ.] without contradiction, Polyb. xxiii. 8. 11, vi. 7. 7, xxviii. 11. 4. Comp. ἀναντιλέκτως, Lucian. Cal. 6, Conviv. 9. Sanctum fidei silentium, Calvin.

καὶ ἐμοὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἔδειξε] Contrast to ὙΜΕῖς ἘΠΊΣΤΑΣΘΕ. The element of contrast lies not in the copula, but in the relation of the two clauses: Ye know … and to me God has showed. Comp. Bornemann, Schol. in Luc. p. 102; Hartung, Partikell. II. p. 147; Kühner, ad Xen. Mem. 3:7. 6. Very often so in John. The ὁ Θεὸς ἔδειξε took place through the disclosure by means of the vision, Act_10:3 ff., the allegorical meaning of which Peter understood.

μηδένα κ.τ.λ] namely, in and for itself.

ΤΊΝΙ ΛΌΓῼ] with what reason, i.e. wherefore. See examples from classical writers in Kypke. Comp. on Mat_5:32. The dative denotes the mediate cause. Comp. Plat. Gorg. p. 512 C: τίνι δικαίῳ λόγῳ τοῦ μηχανοποιοῦ καταφρονεῖς;

[258] The classical ἀλλόφυλος is not elsewhere found in the N. T., but often in the LXX. and Apocr. The designation is here tenderly forbearing. It is otherwise in ver. 45, Act_11:3.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 10:26 . The conduct of Christ may be contrasted with that of His Apostles, so Blass: “illi (Petro) autem is honor recusandus erat, cf. Apoc., Rev 19:10 ; Rev 22:8 ; quem nunquam recusavit Jesus, Luc., 4:8; 8:41” (see Hackett’s note and Knabenbauer in loco ).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 26. I myself also am a man.] "I am not an angel; I am come to you simply, on the part of God, to deliver to you the doctrine of eternal life."

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

26. But Peter took (raised) him up] Cp. with the way in which Peter here declines to permit such reverence, the way in which the angel (Rev_19:10) refused such worship, “See thou do it not. I am thy fellowservant.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But Peter took him up,.... As he lay at his feet, and lifted him up and set him on his legs:

saying, stand up; and continue in this posture:

I myself also am a man; a mortal man, a man of like passions with others, no better than others by nature: and it was by grace, and not any merit of his own, that he was a believer in Christ, and an apostle of his; and therefore he chose not to have any distinguishing homage and respect paid to him, and especially in any excessive and extravagant way; which though not designed, might carry in it a suggestion, as if he was more than a man.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.

Ver. 26. But Peter took him up] Longe aliter papa, the pope (Diocletian-like) holds forth his toe to be kissed, and suffers his parasites to deify him.

" Tu vere in terris diceris esse Deus."

"You truly on earth are said to be God."

I myself also am a man] We must glorify the word, not the preacher, Act 13:48.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Stand up ... - This does not imply that Peter supposed that Cornelius intended to do him religious reverence. It was practically saying to him, “I am nothing more than a man as thou art, and pretend to no right to such profound respects as these, but am ready in civil life to show thee all the respect that is due” (Doddridge).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

St. John Chrysostom (hom. xxi in Act.) thinketh Peter refused this homage through humility, because this falling down, Greek: proskunein, is frequently used in Scripture towards men. St. Jerome (adv. Vigil. chap. ii.) holds the contrary sentiment.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

It is certain that Peter did think this worship Cornelius gave him to have exceeded; and here he blames him for it, telling him, he was but a man like unto him; and he needed not give any further reason of his reproof, for man must adore, but by no means may be adored; no, nor take too much honour unto himself.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

26. A man—A noble title in itself; a humble title when worship is in question.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Raised for took, A.V.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I myself also am a man - And not God, who alone ought to be worshipped, Matt. iv, 10. Have all his pretended successors attended to this?

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

26. Cornelius, of course, paid to Peter the Oriental civility due a person of distinction, which here Peter modestly declines, having profited by the vision, which revealed to him for the first time in his life that a Jew is no better than a Gentile.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 25

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

26. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἤγειρεν αὐτόν, but Peter raised him up. Cf. with the way in which Peter declines such reverence the language of the angel to St John (Rev 19:10) refusing similar worship. ‘See thou do it not. I am thy fellow-servant.’

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26. καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτ. ἄνθρ. εἰμι] This was the lesson which Peter’s vision had taught him, and he now begins to practise it:—the common honour and equality of all mankind in God’s sight.

Those who claim to have succeeded Peter, have not imitated this part of his conduct. See Rev 19:10; Rev 22:8, in both which cases it is ἔμπροσθ. τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ ἀγγ., supporting the above rendering of ἐπὶ τ. πόδας. (See the gloss in D, ver. 25, digest.)

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.