Acts 9:3-18
Context9:3 As he was going along, approaching 1 Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed 2 around him. 9:4 He 3 fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, 4 why are you persecuting me?” 5 9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 9:6 But stand up 6 and enter the city and you will be told 7 what you must do.” 9:7 (Now the men 8 who were traveling with him stood there speechless, 9 because they heard the voice but saw no one.) 10 9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, 11 he could see nothing. 12 Leading him by the hand, his companions 13 brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For 14 three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. 15
9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The 16 Lord 17 said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, 18 Lord.” 9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ 19 and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 9:12 and he has seen in a vision 20 a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 9:13 But Ananias replied, 21 “Lord, I have heard from many people 22 about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison 23 all who call on your name!” 24 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument 25 to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. 26 9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 27 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed 28 his hands on Saul 29 and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, 30 has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 31 9:18 Immediately 32 something like scales 33 fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He 34 got up and was baptized,
1 tn Grk “As he was going along, it happened that when he was approaching.” The phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
2 tn Or “shone” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαστράπτω). The light was more brilliant than the sun according to Acts 26:13.
3 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
4 tn The double vocative suggests emotion.
5 sn Persecuting me. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus.
6 tn Or “But arise.”
7 tn Literally a passive construction, “it will be told to you.” This has been converted to another form of passive construction in the translation.
8 tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which is used only rarely in a generic sense of both men and women. In the historical setting here, Paul’s traveling companions were almost certainly all males.
9 tn That is, unable to speak because of fear or amazement. See BDAG 335 s.v. ἐνεός.
10 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Acts 22:9 appears to indicate that they saw the light but did not hear a voice. They were “witnesses” that something happened.
11 tn Grk “his eyes being open,” a genitive absolute construction that has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
12 sn He could see nothing. This sign of blindness, which was temporary until v. 18, is like the sign of deafness experienced by Zechariah in Luke 1. It allowed some time for Saul (Paul) to reflect on what had happened without distractions.
13 tn Grk “they”; the referents (Saul’s companions) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Grk “And for.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
15 tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader. The fasting might indicate an initial realization of Luke 5:33-39. Fasting was usually accompanied by reflective thought.
16 tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
17 sn The Lord is directing all the events leading to the expansion of the gospel as he works on both sides of the meeting between Paul and Ananias. “The Lord” here refers to Jesus (see v. 17).
18 tn Grk “behold, I,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).
19 sn The noting of the detail of the locale, ironically called ‘Straight’ Street, shows how directive and specific the Lord was.
20 tc ‡ The words ἐν ὀράματι (en oramati, “in a vision”) are not found in some of the earliest and best
sn Apparently while in Damascus Paul had a subsequent vision in the midst of his blindness, fulfilling the prediction in 9:6.
21 sn Ananias replied. Past events might have suggested to Ananias that this was not good counsel, but like Peter in Acts 10, Ananias’ intuitions were wrong.
22 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
23 tn Grk “to bind.”
24 sn The expression “those who call on your name” is a frequent description of believers (Acts 2:21; 1 Cor 1:2; Rom 10:13).
25 tn Or “tool.”
26 tn Grk “the sons of Israel.” In Acts, Paul is a minister to all nations, including Israel (Rom 1:16-17).
27 tn Or “because of my name.” BDAG 1031 s.v. ὑπέρ 2 lists Acts 9:16 as an example of ὑπέρ (Juper) used to indicate “the moving cause or reason, because of, for the sake of, for.”
28 tn Grk “and placing his hands on Saul, he said.” The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the same reason καί (kai) has not been translated before the participle.
29 tn Grk “on him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
30 tn Grk “on the road in which you came,” but the relative clause makes for awkward English style, so it was translated as a temporal clause (“as you came here”).
31 sn Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Here someone who is not an apostle (Ananias) commissions another person with the Spirit.
32 tn Grk “And immediately.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
33 tn The comparison to “scales” suggests a crusty covering which peeled away (cf. BDAG 592 s.v. λεπίς 2).
34 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence was started, with “and” placed before the final element of the previous clause as required by English style.