Acts 10:2

2 devout and fearing God together with all his household, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God {continually}.

Acts 10:2 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 10:2

A devout man
A truly religious person, who had forsaken the Roman idolatry and superstition, in which he was brought up:

and one that feared God:
the one only living and true God, the God of Israel; he had the fear of God wrought in his heart, which is a part of the covenant of grace, a blessing of it, and the beginning of wisdom; he was truly a gracious man, a converted person, and who from an internal principle worshipped God externally:

with all his house;
he brought up his family in a religious way, as every good man should; and which was very remarkable in a Gentile, a soldier, and an officer:

which gave much alms to the people;
to the Jews that dwelt at Caesarea, and therefore was of good report among them, and much beloved by them, ( Acts 10:22 ) he had regard to both tables of the law, both to the worship of God, and the love of the neighbour: and prayed to God always; every day, at the usual times of prayer; prayed privately in his closet, and with his family, as well as attended public service of this kind.

Acts 10:2 In-Context

1 Now [there was] a certain man in Caesarea {named} Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Cohort,

2 devout and fearing God together with all his household, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God {continually}.

3 About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, "Cornelius."

4 And he stared at him and became terrified [and] said, "What is [it], Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your charitable deeds have gone up for a memorial offering before God.

5 And now, send men to Joppa and summon a certain Simon, who is also called Peter.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "through everything"