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Acts 3:1
ESV Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
NIV One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.
NASB Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.
CSB Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.
NLT Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service.
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.

What does Acts 3:1 mean?

A short time before, while Jesus' body lay in the tomb, Peter and John did not dare go to the temple. They were hiding in a room with the other disciples, terrified of the Jewish leadership (John 20:19). Now that Jesus has risen and ascended and the Holy Spirit has come on His followers, they display the boldness they will need to be Jesus' witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the farthest reaches of the earth (Acts 1:8). Far from avoiding the Jewish leadership, Jesus' followers are now "continually in the temple blessing God" (Luke 24:53).

"The ninth hour" is 3 p.m. It is the prayer for the evening sacrifice and the likely time of day during which Jesus died (Matthew 27:45–50). Other times of regular prayer are held at 9 a.m. and 12 noon. Adherence to these traditions shows that the church is still very Jewish. The original members were the twelve disciples (less Judas who had betrayed Jesus and plus Matthias who was chosen to replace Judas), Mary, Jesus' brothers, and other women and men who followed Jesus during His ministry (Acts 1:13–15, 26). The day the Holy Spirit came (Acts 2:1–4), three thousand Jews from Mesopotamia, Alexandria, Rome, and parts in between joined the congregation (Acts 2:9–11, 41).

Soon, Jesus' offer of forgiveness will reach the Samaritans (Acts 8:4–8), whom Jesus promised would worship in spirit and truth, not in Jerusalem (John 4:19–24). Later still, Gentiles will join and the Jews will not force them to follow the same traditions (Acts 15:1–35). For now, the church is very Jewish in both membership and practices, although the salvation Jesus offers can never be earned through the Mosaic law.
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