Acts 10:9-16

Drew nigh. The events that led to Peter’s vision were so timed as to bring the climax of that vision just at the hour the messengers arrived.

Housetop. Greek doma, “building,” “house.” To “go up on the house” was to ascend to the housetop, which in the East was usually flat. This was an appropriate place for prayer and meditation. In a city like Joppa, and in the tanner’s house, it was perhaps the only place suitable for such a purpose.

The sixth hour. That is, midday. Among the Jews this probably was not one of the regular hours for prayer, and early Jewish literature says nothing about it as such. Particularly pious persons may have observed it, and Peter’s prayer at this hour may possibly be so interpreted. However, other explanations are also possible. The regular morning prayer, which normally took place about 9:00 A.M., at the time of the morning offering, might be offered as late as noon. Thus it may have been his morning prayer that Peter was offering. Another interesting possibility is suggested by a Jewish regulation that goes back at least to the 3rd century A.D. This rule provided that if a man had not eaten until midday, he should then first offer his afternoon prayer before partaking of food, for the afternoon prayer (normally about 3:00 P.M.) was not to be said soon after eating. Inasmuch as Peter was “very hungry,” it may have been that on the day in question he had not yet eaten, and so purposely offered his evening prayer at an earlier hour.

Whatever explanation is adopted for Peter’s having prayed at this hour, it is clear that his meditation and devotion opened the way for his reception of a vision at exactly the right moment to prepare him to receive the messengers from the Gentile Cornelius.