One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
Parallel translations
- WEB Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
- KJV Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
- NKJV Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
- NASB Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.
- NLT Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service.
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
Peter and John went to the temple at the afternoon hour of prayer. The apostles continued faithful Jewish piety even as they led the new church.
Overview
The ninth hour (about 3 p.m.) was a recognized time of prayer tied to the evening sacrifice. The apostles' temple-going shows the early church initially worshiping within Judaism rather than apart from it. This ordinary act of devotion becomes the setting for a sign that opens the door to Peter's second great sermon and points beyond temple sacrifice to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 23
- Ps 55:17Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.
- Acts 10:3One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
- Acts 4:13When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
- Luke 1:10And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
- Luke 24:53praising God continually in the temple.
- Acts 5:25Then someone came in and announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people!”
- Acts 8:14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
- Dan 6:10Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- John 20:2–9So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”
- Acts 2:46With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,
- Matt 17:1After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
- John 21:7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea.
- John 13:23–25One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side.
- Matt 26:37He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
- Dan 9:21while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
- Luke 23:44–46It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.
- Luke 22:8Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare for us to eat the Passover.”
- 1 Kgs 18:36At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.
- Acts 10:30Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me
- John 21:18–22Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
- Exod 29:39Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight.
- Num 28:4Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,
- Gal 2:9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
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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 3:1 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
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