He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side. He will tell thee what thou must do.
ουτος ξενιζεται παρα τινι σιμωνι βυρσει ω εστιν οικια παρα θαλασσαν
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Have you seen how the apostles, loving solitude and stillness, sought out remote places within cities? But what if there were another Simon, and he too a tanner? For this reason another sign was given: his dwelling near the sea. It was impossible for all three signs to coincide. The angel did not say why he should send, so as not to trouble Cornelius. Instead, having awakened in him a longing and desire to hear Peter, he left him so.
So that they would not go to someone else, he identifies this man not only by name but also by the place where he is staying: "whose house is by the sea." The apostles chose places removed from cities. They loved the desert and stillness. What if there were another Simon who was also a tanner? Here is the sign: this one lives by the sea. The angel did not say why this had to be done, so as to fill him with joy.
"Send," he says, "to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is called Peter." Behold a wondrous gift! Behold a marvelous benefaction! "He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea." Do you see how the angel revealed to him not only the guide's name, but also the name of the one who received him as a guest, and even the location of the house where he had found shelter? The angel did this so that Cornelius would not be mistaken and call someone else instead of Peter, and so fall upon a wolf instead of a shepherd.
The piety and religious devotion of Cornelius drew the mercy of God upon him. Once, when he was praying about the ninth hour, or about three o'clock in the afternoon by our reckoning, an angel of God entered his house in the form of a man in bright clothing (Acts 10:30).
The angel announced God's favor toward him for his fervent prayers and acts of charity. He commanded him to summon Simon Peter from Joppa to his house. He promised that from this man he would hear words by which he and all his household would be saved.
After the angel departed, Cornelius called two of his most trusted servants. The word οἰκέτης is a more honorable name than δοῦλος. Since they belonged to his household, which was pious in all its members (Acts 10:2), they were no doubt marked by the same religious devotion and piety as their master.
He also called one of the soldiers who personally attended him. Having summoned them, he told them everything. No doubt he did this so that they would understand the full greatness of their mission.
He also wished them to report accurately to Peter what had happened. In this way they would persuade him to fulfill their request and go with them to Caesarea. Then he sent them to Joppa.
Chapter 10 recounts the conversion of the centurion Cornelius to Christ. It says that even before his conversion he "feared God with all his household," "gave many alms," and "prayed to God always" (v. 2).
It says that "God had cleansed" him (v. 15; cf. v. 28). It also says that, as one who acted righteously, he was "acceptable" to God (v. 35). Yet in order to be saved, Cornelius had to hear the words, or preaching, of the apostle Peter (v. 6).
Here is instruction for those who rely self-confidently on the works of their supposed piety and on their righteous life. They neglect illumination by the light of true doctrine and their enrollment in the chosen flock, the Church of God.
If Cornelius was acceptable to God, and if he was cleansed, this means only that God had forechosen and prepared him to enter the Church and receive the Gospel. Without this, salvation is impossible.
"Summon Simon," more precisely, "a certain Simon." This expression indicates that Simon Peter had not previously been known personally to Cornelius, nor even by report.
For this reason the angel also gives the exact house in Joppa where Peter was then staying as a guest.
"He will tell you," and so forth. That is, he will give you the teaching. By believing it, you and your household will receive salvation.
As a reward for the prayers and alms of Cornelius, the highest spiritual good is promised to him: conversion to Christ for eternal salvation in Him.
He was a Gentile, and his alms and prayers would not have saved him by themselves, although they were good works. They had to be sanctified by Christian faith. Then they would become saving.
The command given to Cornelius to send for the apostle Peter in Joppa, with a detailed indication of his place of residence, shows that Cornelius knew neither Peter nor Simon the tanner.
It is generally significant that the charge is given to send for the apostle Peter. This movement was to proceed along its own path, like a distinct stream of pure water. Little of such water existed outside the wells dug by Abraham, Jacob, and the other forefathers of Israel.
The end of verse 6 in the received Greek text reads thus: οΰτος λαλήσει σοϊ τί σε δεϊ ποχεϊν, that is, "He will tell you what you must do."
Bishop Amphilochius, in the edition of the Karpinsky Apostle of the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries, says that the words "who will tell..." through "your" are copied from Apostle manuscript No. 1 of the fifteenth century.
They are not found here in St. Alexius, though they are present in Reineccius's variant readings. This other example of the special fullness of the commonly received Slavonic text shows that its original was a Greek text.
It was the fullest Greek text and, for that reason, supposedly the most perfect. Yet the fuller reading in verse 39 of chapter 8 was accepted by St. Alexius, while this one was not.
Therefore it may be said that the fullness of this text does not equal in dignity the fullness found in verse 39 of chapter 8. There that fullness introduces essential content into the circumstances of the narrative.
Here, evidently, a correction was made under the guidance of the apostle Peter's speech; see Acts 11:14.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 11 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS