Verses 9-10
Most Jews prayed twice a day, but pious Jews also prayed at noon, a third time of prayer (Psalms 55:17; Daniel 6:10). However, Peter may have been praying more because of the recent success of the gospel in Joppa (cf. Acts 9:42) than because praying at noon was his habit. The aorist tense of the Greek verb proseuchomai suggests that Peter was praying about something definite rather than generally. He probably went up on the flat housetop for privacy and the fresh sea air. Luke’s reference to Peter’s hunger, which God evidently gave him, explains partially why God couched His vision in terms of food. Food was what was on Peter’s mind. Peter’s trance (Gr. ekstasis, Acts 10:10) was a vision (horama, Acts 10:17; Acts 10:19; Acts 11:5).
". . . on weekdays Jews ate a light meal in mid-morning and a more substantial meal in the later afternoon." [Note: Marshall, The Acts . . ., p. 185.]
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