Acts 10:21

21 So Peter went down to the men [and] said, "Behold, I am [he] whom you are looking for! What [is] the reason for which you have come?"

Acts 10:21 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 10:21

Then Peter went down to the men
The Ethiopic version adds, "from the third floor"; to the place where the men were: the following clause,

which were sent unto him from Cornelius,
is not in Beza's most ancient copy, nor in the Alexandrian copy, nor in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions:

and said, behold, I am he whom ye seek;
without being called by any of the family he came down, and without being informed in that way who the men were inquiring for; it being suggested to him by the Spirit of God, he declared himself to be the person they were seeking after: and put this question to them,

what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
for that was not intimated to him by the Spirit; it was only told him there were three men seeking him, and he was bid to go with them, without any scruple or hesitation; but what they came for, or he was to go with them about, was not suggested.

Acts 10:21 In-Context

19 And [while] Peter was reflecting about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, men are looking for you.
20 But get up, go down, and go with them--not hesitating at all, because I have sent them."
21 So Peter went down to the men [and] said, "Behold, I am [he] whom you are looking for! What [is] the reason for which you have come?"
22 And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man--and well spoken of by the whole nation of the Jews--was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear words from you."
23 So he invited them in [and] entertained them as guests, and on the next day he got up [and] went away with them. And some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("went down") has been translated as a finite verb
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