Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 10:46
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
46. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God ] The same kind of manifestation of God’s gifts was here made as in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. See Act 2:11.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Speak with tongues – In other languages than their own native tongue, Act 2:4.
And magnify God – And praise God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 46. And magnify God.] They had got new hearts as well as new tongues; and, having believed with the heart unto righteousness, their tongues made confession unto salvation; and God was magnified for the mercy which he had imparted.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
With tongues; with variety of languages, or strange tongues, as in the day of Pentecost, Act 2:6.
Answered; an ordinary Hebraism for speaking, though the first part of any discourse. And Peter, knowing that these miraculous fiery tongues did show that these men did partake of the same Spirit from whom the apostles had received them, he makes an inference from thence.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
46-48. Then answered Peter, Can anyman forbid water . . . which have received the Holy Ghost,&c.Mark, he does not say, They have received the Spirit, whatneed have they for water? but, Having the living discipleshipimparted to them and visibly stamped upon them, what objection canthere be to admitting them, by the seal of baptism, into the fullfellowship of the Church?
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For they heard them speak with tongues,…. With divers tongues, which they had never learned, and before did not understand: and magnify God; they spoke of the wonderful works of God in these languages, as the apostles did at Pentecost, Ac 2:11 they spoke greatly in the praise of God, and gave thanks for his rich grace and mercy bestowed on them:
then answered Peter; as follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
They heard (). Imperfect active, were hearing, kept on hearing.
Speak (). Present active participle, speaking, for they kept it up.
With tongues (). Instrumental case as in Acts 2:4; Acts 2:11 which see. The fuller statement there makes it clear that here it was new and strange tongues also as in Acts 19:6; 1Cor 14:4-19. This sudden manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s power on uncircumcised Gentiles was probably necessary to convince Peter and the six brethren of the circumcision that God had opened the door wide to Gentiles. It was proof that a Gentile Pentecost had come and Peter used it effectively in his defence in Jerusalem (Ac 11:15).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “For they heard them speak with tongues,” (ekouon gar auton lalounton glossais) “For they (the faithful brethren from Joppa) heard them (the new Gentile converts of Cornelius’ house) speaking in tongues (other languages) repeatedly,” as the company of witnesses of Jesus had done on Pentecost, Act 2:4; Act 2:6-8.
2) “And magnify God,” (kai megalunonton ton theon) “They heard them magnifying God,” Act 2:11-12; Act 2:17-18. They were extolling the name of God in elevated devotion thru their new birth experience thru believing in Jesus Christ and receiving remission of their sins, Act 10:43; Joh 5:1.
3) “Then answered Peter,” (tote apekrithe Petros) “Then answered Peter,” to the astonished, inquiring, and wondering minds of the Christian church brethren who had come with him from Joppa, Act 10:23; Act 10:45; Act 11:12-13. Peter promptly recognized the will of God, that those saved, who have received the remission of sins by faith in Christ, should be baptized to commit their lives of service to Jesus Christ and His church, Luk 9:23; Joh 14:15; Joh 15:14; Mat 28:19-20; Eph 2:10; Rom 6:5; Gal 3:24-25.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
46. For they heard them. He expresseth what gifts of the Spirit were poured out upon them, and therewithal he noteth the use; to wit, that they had variety of tongues given them, so that they did glorify God with many tongues. Also, it may be gathered out of this place, that the tongues were given them not only for necessity, seeing the gospel was to be preached to strangers and to men of another language, but also to be an ornament and worship to the gospel. But ambition did afterward corrupt this second use, forasmuch as many did translate that unto pomp and vain glory which they had received to set forth the dignity of the heavenly wisdom, as Paul doth sharply reprove this fault in the Corinthians. Therefore, no marvel if God took away that shortly after which he had given, and did not suffer the same to be corrupted with longer abuse.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
46. Speak with tongues The Roman was inspired beyond any power of his own to pour forth his soul, perhaps in exalted Hebrew, while he heard the Jew utter his joy in fluent and rapturous strains of Latin.
Magnify God The languages of both the Roman and the Jew were surely raised to their highest glory in praising Him who gave the marvellous utterance.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Peter recognised this immediately, and seizing the moment asked ‘the circumcised’ whether they could think of any reason why these uncircumcised Gentiles should not be baptised when they had received the Holy Spirit in exactly the same way as they had. The answer could only be that they could think of no reason. But the significance of the reply and what followed was stupendous. It indicated that men could be baptised who were not circumcised in the flesh. No longer was circumcision required in order to become one of the people of God and enter Christ’s new ‘congregation’ (Mat 16:18). All that was necessary was the circumcision of the heart (see Act 7:51; Deu 10:16; Deu 30:6; Jer 9:26), and to be circumcised in Christ by forgiveness (Col 2:13).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
Ver. 46. Spake with tongues ] This diversity of tongues, laid at first on mankind as a curse, Gen 11:1-9 , God turned into a blessing to his Church, which yet some of the Christian Corinthians abused to pomp and ostentation,1Co 14:1-401Co 14:1-40 ; which, as copperas, will turn milk into ink; or as leaven, which turns a very passover into pollution.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Act 10:46 . , see on Act 2:13 ; here no speaking in different languages is meant, but none the less the gift which manifested itself in jubilant ecstatic praise was a gift of the Spirit, and the event may well be called “the Gentile Pentecost”; see on Act 11:15 and Plumptre, in loco ; Wendt, edition 1899. The words of Act 10:47 need not mean that this gift of tongues was manifested precisely as the Pentecostal gift.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
speak = speaking. Greek. laleo, as in Act 10:7.
magnify = magnifying. Greek. megaluno, as in Act 5:13.
answered. App-122.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Act 10:46. , for) They draw the conclusion from the effect.-, tongues) various.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
speak: Act 2:4, Act 2:11, Act 19:6, 1Co 14:20-25
Reciprocal: Eze 47:3 – waters were to the ankles Mar 16:17 – they Luk 24:47 – among Joh 14:12 – greater Act 11:15 – the Holy Ghost 1Co 12:10 – divers
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8
Act 10:46-48. These verses may be bracketed and entitled, “end of the Patriarchal Dispensation.” Speaking with tongues was necessary as evidence that these Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost. Upon all the accumulated evidence before Peter, which began with his trance on the roof of the house, he proposed baptism in water for these believers. In His name. The first word is from EN, and means upon the authority of the Lord. It shows Peter’s right to command the baptism, and not as a “formula” to be uttered by the baptizer. It was natural for them to wish Peter to spend some time with them.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 10:46. They heard them speak with tongues. It is not said here, as in Act 2:4, that they spoke with other tongues. See note above on Act 10:44.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Seen notes on verse 44
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 46
Magnify; extol.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
There was no reason to withhold water baptism from these Gentile converts; they could undergo baptism in water as a testimony to their faith immediately. They had believed in Jesus Christ and had experienced Spirit baptism. Baptism with the Spirit was Jesus’ sign of His acceptance of them, and baptism with water was their sign of their acceptance of Him. They had done everything they needed to do. They did not need to experience anything more such as circumcision, or admission into the Jewish community, or the adoption of traditional Jewish dietary laws, or anything else.
"I have heard people say sometimes that if you are baptized with the Holy Ghost you do not need to be baptized in water. It is not a question of what you need-it is a question of what God has commanded." [Note: Ironside, Lectures on . . ., p. 257.]
The events Luke recorded in Act 9:32 to Act 10:48 prepared Peter for the Lord’s further expansion of His church to include Gentiles. Peter had unlocked the door of the church to Jews on Pentecost (Mat 16:19; cf. Eph 2:14). What happened in Cornelius’ house was "the Pentecost of the Gentile world." [Note: F. H. Chase, The Credibility of the Acts of the Apostles, p. 79.] By pouring out His Spirit on these Gentiles, God showed that in His sight Jews and Gentiles were equal. The Jew had no essential advantage over the Gentile in entering the church. God observes no distinction in race when it comes to becoming a Christian (cf. Eph 2:11 to Eph 3:12).
The Ethiopian eunuch was probably a descendant of Ham, Saul was a descendant of Shem, and Cornelius was a descendant of Japheth (cf. Genesis 10). [Note: McGee, 4:545.] Thus with the record of their conversions in chapters 8-10 Luke told us that the church is equally accessible to all branches of the human family.
Why was the conversion of Cornelius rather than the earlier conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch the opening of the church’s door to the Gentiles? The conversion of the Gentile eunuch was a case of individual private salvation. The conversion of Cornelius, on the other hand, involved several Gentiles, and it was public. God had saved individual Gentiles by faith throughout history (e.g., Rahab, Ruth, Naaman, et al.). With the conversion of Cornelius, He now, for the first time, publicly brought Gentiles into the church, the new creation of God, by Spirit baptism. The eunuch became a Christian and a member of the church, but that was not evident to anyone at the time of his conversion. With Cornelius’ conversion, God made a public statement, as He had at Pentecost, that He was doing something new, namely, forming a new body of believers in Jesus. In chapter 2 He showed that it would include Jews, and in chapter 10 He clarified that it would also include Gentiles. The sole prerequisite for entrance into this group (the church) was faith in Jesus Christ regardless of ethnicity, which had separated Jews from Gentiles for centuries. The distinctive difference between becoming a Christian and becoming a Jew (religiously) was that God gave the Holy Spirit to every Christian. The sign of this, for the benefit of the Jews, was that He enabled those to whom He gave the Spirit to speak in tongues. In the rest of Acts Luke proceeded to narrate the conversion of various sorts of Gentiles in various parts of the Mediterranean world.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Probably Peter and his Jewish companions heard these Gentiles praising God in Aramaic, which these Gentiles would not have known previously since Aramaic was a language the Jews spoke. The Jews present would have understood Aramaic immediately and would have recognized that the ability to speak in an unstudied language was an evidence of Spirit baptism, as it was at Pentecost.