Acts 9:8

And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. AND SAUL AROSE FROM THE EARTH; AND WHEN HIS EYES WERE OPENED, HE SAW NO MAN - `seeing nothing' [ ouden (G3762), in place of oudena (G3762)] is the slightly preferable reading. After beholding the glory of the Lord, since he "could not see for the glory of that light" (Acts 22:11), he would involuntarily close his eyes to protect them from the glare, and on opening them again he found his vision gone. That the apostle never recovered entirely from this supernatural blindness; that the "thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan sent to buffet him" ...

8._He was raised up from the earth. _Luke addeth now, that he was taken with so great fear that he could not rise of himself; and not that only, but he was also blind for a time, that he might forget his former wit and wiliness. (580) When as he saith, that _after that his eyes were opened, he saw not, _it seemeth that it doth not agree with the other words which shall follow by and by, that his eyes were covered, as it were, with scales; but the meaning of this place is, that he was blind indeed, and deprived of his sight for that three days; because when he opened his eyes he saw nothing....

1-9 So ill informed was Saul, that he thought he ought to do all he could against the name of Christ, and that he did God service thereby; he seemed to breathe in this as in his element. Let us not despair of renewing grace for the conversion of the greatest sinners, nor let such despair of the pardoning mercy of God for the greatest sin. It is a signal token of Divine favour, if God, by the inward working of his grace, or the outward events of his providence, stops us from prosecuting or executing sinful purposes. Saul saw that Just One, ch. Acts 22:14; Acts 26:13. How near to us is the unseen world! It is but for God to draw aside the veil, and objects are presented to the view, compared with which, whatever is most admired on earth is mean and contemptible. Saul submitted without reserve, desirous to know what the Lor...

Verse Acts 9:8. _WHEN HIS EYES WERE OPENED, HE SAW NO MAN_] Instead of ουδενα, _no man_, the _Codex Alexandrinus_, the _Syriac, Vulgate_, and some others, have ουδεν _nothing_. He not only saw no _man_, but he saw nothing, being quite blind; and therefore was led by the hand to Damascus, μη βλεπων, being _without sight_....

WHEN HIS EYES WERE OPENED - He naturally closed them at the appearance of the light, and in his fright kept them closed for some time. HE SAW NO MAN - This darkness continued three days, Acts 9:9. There is no reason to suppose that there was a miracle in this blindness, for in Acts 22:11, it is expressly said to have been caused by the intense light. “And when I could not see for the glory of that light,” etc. The intense, sudden light had so affected the optic nerve of the eye as to cause a temporary blindness. This effect is not uncommon. The disease of the eye which is thus produced is called “amaurosis,” or more commonly “gutta serena.” It consists in a loss of sight without any apparent defect of the eye. Sometimes the disease is periodic, com

EXPOSITION ACTS 9:1 _But _for _and, _A.V.; _breathing _for _breathing out, _A.V.; _threatening _for _threatenings, _A.V. THREATENING AND SLAUGHTER. The phrase ἐμπνέων ἀπειλῆς κ.τ.λ., is rather a difficult one, and is variously explained. Schleusner takes the genitives in "threatening and slaughter" as genitives of the thing desired, "punting after threatening and slaughter" (comp. Amos 2:7). Meyer explains it "out of the threatenings and murder [in his heart] breathing hard at the disciples"—an expression indicating passion. Alford, taking nearly the sense of the A.V., makes "threatenings and slaughter" to be as it were the very material of his breath, whether breathed out or breathed in. Considering that ἐμπνέω means "to br

AND SAUL AROSE FROM THE EARTH,.... As he was bid by Christ, Acts 9:6 AND WHEN HIS EYES WERE OPENED HE SAW NO MAN; neither Christ, who appeared to him from heaven, whom he had before seen, nor even any of his companions, nor indeed any object: the Syriac version renders it, "he saw nothing"; not anything at all; and the Ethiopic version, "he could not see": when he opened his eye lids, he perceived his sight was gone, and this showed it to be real blindness; and which was an emblem of the ignorance and blindness he had been in: BUT THEY LED HIM BY THE HAND; the men that were with him, perceiving that he could not guide himself, took him by the hand, and led him on his journey; AND BROUGHT HIM INTO DAMASCUS; and now was fulfilled, at least in part, the prophecy in...

Acts 9:1. _And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem._ His very breath was hot with malice against the saints, he could not live without venting his spite upon the disciples of Christ. He showed this by the fact that he not only sought to arrest men, but he was equally cruel towards women, who, from their weakness, one would have thought might have been let alone but he expressly desired it to be written in the letters that, «whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.» Acts 9:3. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and sudden

ACTS 9:8 hvge,rqh … gh/j Instead of the statement hvge,rqh de. Sau/loj avpo. th/j gh/j, several Western witnesses heighten the pathos of the account by reading e;fh de. pro.j auvtou,j( VEgei,rate, me avpo. th/j gh/j (ith, p vgmss), followed by kai. evgeira,ntwn auvto,n (ith Ephraem)....

CHAPTER 9 __ 1. The vision of Glory on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1). 2. Instructions given to Ananias (Acts 9:10). 3. Saul filled with the Spirit, is baptized and preaches that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:17). 4. Saul persecuted and back in Jerusalem (Acts 9:23). 5. Further Acts of Peter (Acts 9:32). The previous chapter must be looked upon in its main part as a parenthesis. The record now leads us back to the close of the seventh, and the person who was connected with the great tragedy enacted there is prominently brought n