Acts 3:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

ACTS CHAPTER 3 Acts 3:1-11 The lame man healed by Peter and John. Acts 3:12-26 Peter declares to the people that this cure was not wrought by any power or holiness in himself or John, but by the power of God through faith in the name of Jesus, whom they had ignorantly crucified, but whom God had raised from the dead according to the Scripture; exhorts them by faith to seek remission of sins and salvation in Jesus, whose coming had been spoken of by Moses and all the prophets. Went up together into the temple; not to communicate with the Jews in their worship, which was now antiquated, but that they might have a larger field to sow the seed of the gospel into; and therefore it was most probably upon some sabbath or festival day, and not unlikely in the evening of that great day of Pentecost (of which in the former chapter). At the hour of prayer: that God must be worshipped, and daily prayed unto, the law of nature and positive law of God requires; but, says Maimonides, there is no obligation by virtue of any command of God, unto any number of prayers, nor to any certain prayers, nor to any definite time of prayer. Howsoever, they did usually pray thrice a day, and thought each of those three times recommended unto them by one of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Howsoever, the time of offering up the morning and evening sacrifice was recommended or commanded by God, as a time of prayer; a sacrifice being an actual prayer, as the other is real or verbal. The ninth hour; about three o clock in the afternoon, the time of the evening sacrifice.

Acts 3:1

1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.