As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him.
- KJV And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
- BSB As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.
- NKJV As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
- NASB When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Cornelius meets Peter and falls at his feet in worship. His impulse, though misguided, reveals the reverence and expectation he brings.
Overview
Cornelius, overwhelmed by the divinely arranged meeting, offers Peter a reverence due only to God. His error is understandable but must be corrected. The moment shows the danger of honoring God's messengers above measure and prepares for Peter's firm redirection of all worship to God alone.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Rev 19:10I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
- Rev 22:8–9Now I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me these things.
- Dan 2:46Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to him.
- Matt 8:2Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”
- Dan 2:30But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
- Acts 14:11–13When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
- Matt 14:33Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, “You are truly the Son of God!”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 10:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.