His kinsmen - His relatives, or the connections of his family. A man may often do vast good by calling his kindred and friends to hear the gospel.

His kinsmen and near friends - Συγγενεις, His, relatives, and αναγκαιους φιλους , his necessary friends; but the Syriac makes αναγκαιους an epithet as well as συγγενεις, and thus the passage may be read, his kinsmen, his domestics, and his friends. It appears that he had collected the whole circle of his intimate acquaintance, that they also might profit by a revelation which he expected to come immediately from heaven; and these amounted to many persons; see Acts 10:27.

And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea,.... So that they were one day, and part of another, on their journey:

and Cornelius waited for them; he had an eager desire to hear the word from Peter's mouth; and was longing and looking for the coming of him, with the men he sent for him; and he and his family were in a waiting posture, and ready to hear the word, when the apostle of Christ should come: it would be well if this was always the case of the hearers of the word, to assemble before their ministers come; and be waiting for them, and in full expectation of them, and ready to receive them, and the words of grace which drop from their lips:

and had called together his kinsmen and near friends; or necessary ones: not only his relations according to the flesh, which might be in the Italian band, but his most familiar acquaintance, with whom he was in the strictest friendship; who may be called "necessary", as they are both by the Greeks and Romans, because they are often necessary for assistance and counsel: this shows the true grace of God in him, which wherever it is, puts a man on seeking after the spiritual and eternal welfare of all with whom he is concerned, and especially his relatives and friends.

Near (ἀναγκαίους)

The word originally means necessary; hence of those who are bound by necessary or natural ties; blood-relations. But as relatives or kinsmen is expressed by συγγενεῖς, this must be taken in the sense of intimate friends, a meaning which it has in later Greek writers.

And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and he had called together his kinsmen and near friends.

10:24 And the morrow after. Parts of two days were employed on the journey.

Cornelius... had called together his kinsmen and near friends, who were like-minded with himself.

10:24 Cornelius was waiting for them - Not engaging himself in any secular business during that solemn time, but being altogether intent on this one thing.

24. Cornelius . called together his kinsmen and near friends-implying that he had been long enough at Cæsarea to form relationships there and that he had intimate friends there whose presence he was not ashamed to invite to a religious meeting of the most solemn nature.

10:19-33 When we see our call clear to any service, we should not be perplexed with doubts and scruples arising from prejudices or former ideas. Cornelius had called together his friends, to partake with him of the heavenly wisdom he expected from Peter. We should not covet to eat our spiritual morsels alone. It ought to be both given and taken as kindness and respect to our kindred and friends, to invite them to join us in religious exercises. Cornelius declared the direction God gave him to send for Peter. We are right in our aims in attending a gospel ministry, when we do it with regard to the Divine appointment requiring us to make use of that ordinance. How seldom ministers are called to speak to such companies, however small, in which it may be said that they are all present in the sight of God, to hear all things that are commanded of God! But these were ready to hear what Peter was commanded of God to say.