Acts 3:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Now Peter and John went up together, &c.— About that time, according to Grotius and several others; as it does not seem to suit so well with the original, to take it to imply no more than that Peter and John went up together to the temple. It maysuffice, once for all, to observe, that the Jews divided the time from the rising to the setting of the sun, into twelve hours, which were consequently, at different times of the year, of unequal length, as the days were longer or shorter. The third hour therefore was nine in the morning, and the ninth three in the afternoon; but not exactly: for the third was the middle space between sun-rising and noon; which if the sun rose at five, (the earliest hour of its rising in that climate,) was half an hour after eight; if at seven, (the latest hour of its rising there,) was half an hour after nine, and so on. The chief hours of prayer were the third and ninth; at which seasons the morning andevening sacrifices were offered, and incense, as an emblem representing prayer, burned on the golden altar. Though by the death of Christ all sacrifices, and other things required in the ceremonial law, were utterly abolished, and a new covenant was introduced, yet, that the weak might not be offended and estranged from his divine religion, our Lord suffered his disciples to frequent the assemblies of the Jews, and in some points to comply with the observance of the law, till a more pure and spiritual form of worship could conveniently be established. This is the reason why we find the apostles so frequently in the temple, at the stated hours of prayer.