Acts 10:2

2 a devout man and ¹one who feared God with all his household, and ²gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually *.

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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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Acts 10:2 In-Context

1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,

2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually .

3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!"

4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord ?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

5 "Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;