Acts 10:4

ὁ δὲ�, and when he had fastened his eyes on him. The dazzling brightness of the vision would first rivet the centurion’s gaze, and the terror would come afterwards when he realized that he was in the presence of an angel. Cf. Manoah’s alarm from a similar cause. Judges 13:21-22.

ἔμφοβος. When found in classical Greek, which is rare, this word has the sense of ‘terrible.’ It occurs twice in the LXX. with the meaning ‘afraid’ as here. Cf. Sir 19:24 and 1Ma 13:2, εἶδεν τὸν λαὸν ὅτι ἐστὶν ἔντρομος καὶ ἔμφοβος.

τί ἐστιν, κύριε; what is it, Lord? His words express his readiness to do whatever he may be bidden.

αἱ προσευχαί σου καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου�, thy prayers and thine alms have gone up. ἀναβαίνω is used Ezekiel 8:11 of the rising up of the cloud of incense, and this is the figure here. Cf. Revelation 8:3-4, also Revelation 5:8, ‘vials full of odours which are the prayers of saints.’ See too Psalms 141:2.

εἰς μνημόσυνον ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ, for a memorial before God. They have been such that God remembers them and is now about to answer them. The portion of the meal-offering which the priest was commanded to burn upon the altar to be an offering of a sweet savour unto the Lord (Leviticus 2:2) was called a μνημόσυνον, and the allusion is to offerings of this kind. Cf. the words of the angel (Tob 12:12), ‘I did bring the remembrance (μνημόσυνον) of your prayers before the Holy One.’