Acts 10:33

Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(33) Thou hast well done.—The peculiar turn of the phrase, in social usage, made it the expression, not of mere approval, but of heartfelt gratitude. (Comp. St. Paul’s use of it in Philippians 4:14.)

Now therefore are we all here present.—The words imply that the circle that had gathered round Cornelius were sharers in his solicitude, ready to comply with whatever might come to them as the command of God, and yet anxiously hoping that it might not impose upon them a burden too heavy to be borne.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

10:19-33 When we see our call clear to any service, we should not be perplexed with doubts and scruples arising from prejudices or former ideas. Cornelius had called together his friends, to partake with him of the heavenly wisdom he expected from Peter. We should not covet to eat our spiritual morsels alone. It ought to be both given and taken as kindness and respect to our kindred and friends, to invite them to join us in religious exercises. Cornelius declared the direction God gave him to send for Peter. We are right in our aims in attending a gospel ministry, when we do it with regard to the Divine appointment requiring us to make use of that ordinance. How seldom ministers are called to speak to such companies, however small, in which it may be said that they are all present in the sight of God, to hear all things that are commanded of God! But these were ready to hear what Peter was commanded of God to say.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou hast well done - This is an expression of grateful feeling.

Before God - In the presence of God. It is implied that they believed that God saw them; that they were assembled at his command, and that they were disposed to listen to his instructions.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

33. we are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God—Beautiful expression of entire preparedness to receive the expected divine teaching through the lips of this heaven-commissioned teacher, and delightful encouragement to Peter to give free utterance to what was doubtless already on his lips!

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Immediately therefore I sent to thee; as a hungry soul delays not to send for food, as soon as he knows where to have it.

Thou hast well done that thou art come; which does not only approve of St. Peter’s coming, but thank him for it.

Present before God; we will set ourselves to attend to thy words, as if we saw God looking upon us, whom we call to witness that we are ready to do whatsoever he shall require of us. Thus it becomes every one that would profit by the word of God, to attend upon it. Men do not behave themselves as before God, and therefore they enjoy nothing less than God in an ordinance, and are as if God had taken no notice of them.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Immediately therefore I sent unto thee,.... This he said, to show his obedience to the heavenly vision, and his faith in it; and to remove from himself any suspicion of pride, vanity, and imperiousness: he did not send for the apostle of himself, but by a divine order; which as soon as he had, he executed; for the very same hour, he called his servants and gave them their instructions, and sent them away:

and thou hast well done, that thou art come; a phrase expressive of benignity and goodness in Peter, and of thankfulness to him for his coming; it was not only doing that which was right in the sight of God, but was kind in him, and acceptable to Cornelius and his house:

now therefore are we all here present before God; the searcher of hearts, the omniscient God, who knew the sincerity of their intentions in meeting together, and the eagerness of their souls, and their fervent desire to hear the word: it is a sort of an appeal to God, for the truth of all this: in Beza's most ancient copy, and in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, it is read "before thee"; before the apostle: to hear all things that are commanded thee of God; or "of the Lord", as the Alexandrian copy and the Vulgate Latin versions read; that is, of the Lord Jesus Christ; and designs all things, both with respect to doctrine and practice, which Christ had commanded his apostles to teach: and particularly, what he had ordered Peter to instruct Cornelius and his friends in.

Geneva Study Bible

Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 10:33. Ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου (see critical remarks), לְפְנֵי יְהֹוָה in conspectu Dei. Cornelius knows that it is God, who so wonderfully arranged everything, before whose eyes this assembly in the house stands. He knows Him to be present as a witness.

ἀπό (see the critical remarks), on the part of, divinitus. See Winer, p. 347 f. [E. T. 463].

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 10:33. ἐξαυτῆς, sc., ὥρας: four times in Acts, otherwise only once in Mark 6:25 and once in Php 2:23, not in LXX; for instances in Polyb., Jos., see Wetstein, sub Mark l.c.—καλῶς ἐποίησας, cf. Php 4:14, 2 Peter 1:19, 3 John Acts 10:6, 1Ma 12:18; 1Ma 12:22. In some instances it may be described as a formula of expressing thanks, see Page’s note.—ἀκοῦσαι: as in Acts 4:20, i.e., to obey.—ἐνώπ. τοῦ Θ.: this is the way we ought to attend to God’s servants, Chrys., Hom., xxii.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

33. to hear all things that are commanded thee of God] The oldest authorities read “of the Lord.” In “hear” there is implied the intention to obey. For the words which the centurion expected to hear from Peter were words “whereby he and all his house might be saved.”

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 10:33. Καλῶς ἐποίησας, thou hast done well) A formula of approbation. He praises Peter, in that he has not hesitated to come: Acts 10:29.—ἐνώπιόν σου, in thy presence) A most ancient reading.[63] A transcriber easily took τοῦ Θεοῦ for σοῦ, either from the end of the verse or from Acts 10:31.—πάρεσμεν, we are present) Cornelius, in his own house, speaks in the same way as if he and his friends were at Peter’s house. They had been religiously prepared for hearing. The soil was good; and in consequence the fruit was most speedy in its growth: Acts 10:44.—τὰ προστεταγμένα σοι, that have been commanded thee) It does not seem to have been previously told to Peter what he should say.

[63] Which the Germ. Vers. prefers, following the margin of Ed. 2 rather than the larger Ed.—E. B.

ABCEe (B has Κυρίου in the collation of Birch, probably an error of the collator) have τοῦ Θεοῦ. D corrected, d Vulg. Syr. and Theb. have σου.—E. and T.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 33. - Forthwith for immediately, A.V.; we are for are we, A.V.; in the sight of for before, A.V.; have been for are, A.V.; the Lord for God, A.V. and T.R. Acts 10:33

Vincent's Word Studies

Well (καλῶς)

You have done a courteous and handsome thing in coming. Compare 3 John 1:5, 3 John 1:6.