Acts 10:3

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."

Acts 10:3 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 10:3

He saw in a vision evidently
He was not in a dream, or in a trance, but he was thoroughly awake, and his eyes open, and was himself; it was not in the night, but in clear day:

about the ninth hour of the day;
or three o'clock in the afternoon, which was the hour of prayer, ( Acts 3:1 ) in which exercise he was now engaged, ( Acts 10:30 ) at this time he saw

an angel of God coming to him;
into the room where he was at prayer:

and saying unto him, Cornelius;
he called him by his name, to let him know that he knew him, as angels are very knowing spirits; and to express his affection and friendship to him, and that he was a messenger, not of bad, but of good news to him; as well as to engage his attention to him; for he might be so intent at his devotion, that had he not called him by name, he would not have minded him.

Acts 10:3 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.