Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized.
Parallel Translations
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Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized.
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And immediatly ther fell from his eyes as it had bene scales and he receaved syght and arose and was baptised
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And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had bene scales, and suddenly he receiued sight, and arose, and was baptized,
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to Acts 9:18 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.
- Acts 22:16 Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
- Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 13:12-13 Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.
- Acts 13:37-38 But he whom God raised up saw no decay. Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins,
- 2 Corinthians 4:6 seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 18. There fell from his eyes as it had…
18. There fell from his eyes as it had been scales. The blindness of Paul, as we have said before did not proceed from fear alone or from amazedness; but by this means was he admonished of his former blindness, that he might quite abandon that boldness and vain confidence wherewith he was puffed up. He boasted that he was taught at the feet of Gamaliel, (Acts 22:3;) and undoubtedly he thought very well of his great wittiness, which was notwithstanding mere blindness. Therefore he is deprived of the sight of his body three days, that he may begin to see with his mind; for those must become fools, whosoever they be, which seem to themselves wise, that they may attain to true wisdom. For seeing that Christ is the Sun of righteousness, in seeing without him we see not; it is he also which openeth the eyes of the mind. Both things were showed to Paul, and to us are they showed in his person; for he hath his eyes covered with scales, that, condemning all his knowledge of ignorance, he may learn that he hath need of new light, which he hath hitherto wanted; and he is taught that he must let [seek] the true light from none other save only from Christ, and that it is given by no other means save only through his goodness. Furthermore, whereas being pined with three days hunger, he maketh no haste to receive meat until he be baptized, thereby appeareth the earnest desire he had to learn, because he refreshed not his body with meat until his soul had received strength.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as…
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Ver. 18. There fell from his eyes] God also at the same time tore the covering, rent the veil that was spread over the eyes of his understanding, Isa 24:7. See "The Blind Eye Opened" in a discourse on Eph 5:8, by my entire friend Mr Dugard.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Scales, as scales of fish: it was no ordinary…
Scales, as scales of fish: it was no ordinary blindness, nor from any ordinary cause, and could not have been cured by common means.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it…
And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it had been scales,.... Which were little thin skins or films, like the scales of fishes, which were formed from the defluxions that fell from his brain, through the excessive light that shone around him, and the surprise he was thrown into by it: these, as soon as Ananias put his hands upon him, dropped off; which were an emblem and representation of the scales of ignorance, of himself, of sin, of righteousness, of the law, of the Gospel, and of Jesus as the Messiah; and of unbelief in him, and of pride, malice, and envy, and of superstition and bigotry, and of error and false doctrine, which, upon his being enlightened by the Spirit of God, fell from him:
and he received sight forthwith; his corporeal sight, which was an emblem of that spiritual sight he had also received: the word "forthwith", or "immediately", is not in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, but seems necessary; and indeed, if it was not expressed, it would be understood; for as soon as the scales fell from his eyes, he must receive his sight: the Ethiopic version places it after the word "baptized", in the next clause:
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and arose, and was baptized; that is, after Ananias had appointed it to him, as his duty, had pressed him to it, and called upon him to submit to it without delay, Act 22:16 And this shows that baptism was performed by immersion; for had it been done in any other way, either by pouring or sprinkling a little water, Saul might have kept his seat, and water might have been brought to him, and so the ordinance might have been performed; but he arose and went, either to a bath that might be in Judas's house, fit for such a purpose; for the Jews had their baths to bathe their whole bodies in on certain occasions; or he went to some certain place of water without doors, convenient for the administration of baptism, where it was administered by Ananias unto him. And this also may suggest to us, that only enlightened persons are the proper objects of this ordinance; such as have the scales of darkness, ignorance, and unbelief removed from them, and have a spiritual sight and sense of divine things: hence the ancients used to call baptism by the name of "illumination", and baptized persons "enlightened" ones.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 18. There fell from his eyes as it…
Verse 18. There fell from his eyes as it had been scales] This was real: he had been so dazzled with the brightness of the light that we may suppose the globe of the eye, and particularly the cornea, had suffered considerable injury. The structure of the cornea was doubtless much disturbed, and the whole of that humour would be rendered opaque, and incapable of permitting the rays of light to pass through the different humours to the retina, where all the images of things transmitted through the lenses, or humours, are distinctly painted. In the miraculous cure the membrane was restored to its primitive state, and the opaque matter separated from the cornea, in the form of thin laminae or scales. This being done, the light would have as free a passage as formerly, and the result would be distinct vision.
And arose, and was baptized.] That he was baptized by Ananias there is every reason to believe; as he appears to have been the chief Christian at Damascus. As baptism implied, in an adult, the public profession of that faith into which he was baptized, this baptism of Saul proved, at once, his own sincerity, and the deep and thorough conviction he had of the truth of Christianity.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain As it had been scales - ὡσεὶ λεπίδες hōsei…
As it had been scales - ὡσεὶ λεπίδες hōsei lepides. The word ὡσεὶ hōsei, “as it had been,” is designed to qualify the following word. It is not said that scales literally fell from his eyes, but that an effect followed as if scales had been suddenly taken off. Evidently, the expression is deigned to mean no more than this. The effect was such as would take place if some dark, imperious substance had been placed before the eyes, and had been suddenly removed. The cure was as sudden, the restoration to sight was as immediate, as if such an interposing substance had been suddenly removed. This is all that the expression fairly implies, and this is all that the nature of the case demands. As the blindness had been caused by the natural effect of the light, probably on the optic nerve (Act 9:8-9, note), it is manifest that no literal removing of scales would restore the vision. We are therefore to lay aside the idea of literal scales falling to the earth. No such thing is affirmed, and no such thing would have met the case. The word translated “scales” is used nowhere else in the New Testament. It means properly “the small crust or layer which composes a part of the covering of a fish, and also any thin layer or leaf exfoliated or separated, as scales of iron, bone, or a piece of bark, etc.” (Webster). An effect similar to this is described in Tobit 11:8, 13. It is evident that there was a miracle in the healing of Saul. The “blindness” was the natural effect of the light. The “cure” was by miraculous power. This is evident:
(1) Because there were no means used that would naturally restore the sight. It may be remarked here that “gutta serena” has been regarded by physicians as one of the most incurable of diseases. Few cases are restored, and few remedies are efficacious (See the Edinburgh Encyclopedia’s “Surgery” on Amaurosis.)
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(2) Ananias was sent for this very purpose to heal him, Act 9:17.
(3) The immediate effect shows that this was miraculous. Had it been a slow recovery, it might have been doubtful; but here it was instantaneous, and it was thus put beyond a question that it was a miracle.
And was baptized - In this he followed the example of all the early converts to Christianity. They were baptized immediately. See Act 2:41; Act 8:12, Act 8:36-39.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain there fell from his eyes as it were scales--"This…
there fell from his eyes as it were scales--"This shows that the blindness as well as the cure was supernatural. Substances like scales would not form naturally in so short a time" [WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. And the medical precision of Luke's language here is to be noted.
was baptized--as directed by Ananias (Act 22:16).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 18. There fell—Ananias had put his hand upon him,…
18. There fell—Ananias had put his hand upon him, verse (12,) Saul received the Holy Ghost, (Act_9:17,) and what followed? The regenerated and Spirit-filled Saul burst away the bondage produced upon his external sense. Very probably during the three days the humours had dried upon his eyeballs, and as the abounding of his spirit quickened the whole man, the scale-like particles fell from his eyes, thus forming a striking emblem of his renewed spiritual eye-sight.
Arose, and was baptized—Apparently without leaving the room. The interpolation by Lechler of a journey to the banks of some branch of the Barada river is licentious mis-interpretation. There is in the text (whatever there may be in his commentary) no intermediate event or action between the arose and the was baptized. The baptism in this case was preceded by faith, justification, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and even the special bestowment of the Holy Ghost. It follows the regenerating affusion of the Spirit as the physical picture of a spiritual operation—the water-outpouring imaging the Spirit-outpouring.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as…
18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales] The word rendered “scales” is used as a technical term for a disease of the eye by Hippocrates, and the verb derived from it is found (Tob_11:13) used of the cure of a disease of similar character. “And the whiteness pilled away from the corners of his eyes.” This “whiteness” is rendered in the margin (Tob_2:10) “white films,” and was clearly something like the “scales” which caused Saul’s blindness, and a process for the cure thereof is called (Act_3:17) “to scale away the whiteness of Tobit’s eyes.” St Paul (Act_22:11) ascribes his blindness to the glory of the heavenly light, and it may have been some secretion, caused by the intensity of that vision, which formed over them, and at his cure fell away. Some have thought that his constant employment of an amanuensis, and the mention of the large characters in which he wrote in his Epistle to the Galatians (Act_6:11) “Ye see in what large letters I have written to you,” are indications that the Apostle suffered permanently in his eyesight from the heavenly vision.
and he received [recovered, and so in 17] sight forthwith] The oldest MSS. omit the last word.
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and arose, and was baptized] In the fuller account (Act_22:16) we learn that the exhortation to be baptized was part of the message with which Ananias was charged, and so was divinely commissioned to receive Saul thus into the Christian Church.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (18) There fell from his eyes as it had…
(18) There fell from his eyes as it had been scales.—The description suggests the thought that the blindness was caused by an incrustation, caused by acute inflammation, covering the pupil of the eye, or closing up the eye-lids, analogous to the “whiteness,” that peeled (or scaled) off from the eyes of Tobit (Tob_11:13). Like phenomena are mentioned by Hippocrates, and the care with which St. Luke records the fact in this instance, may be noted, with Act_3:7; Act_28:8, as one of the examples of the technical precision of his calling as a physician.
Arose, and was baptised.—It is clear that both Saul and Ananias looked on this as the indispensable condition for admission into the visible society of the kingdom of God. No visions and revelations of the Lord, no intensity of personal conversion, exempted him from it. For him, too, that was the “washing of regeneration” (Tit_3:5), the moment of the new birth, of being buried with Christ (Rom_6:3-4). It may be inferred almost as a matter of certainty that it was at the hands of Ananias that he received baptism. The baptism would probably be administered in one or other of the rivers which the history of Naaman had made famous, and so the waters of “Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus” (2Ki_5:12), were now sanctified no less than those of Jordan for the “mystical washing away of sin.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Straightway for immediately, A.V.; as it were for as…
Straightway for immediately, A.V.; as it were for as it had been, A.V.; received his sight for received sight forthwith, A.V. and T.R.; he arose for arose, A.V. As it were scales (lepidev); scales, or flakes; any thin substance which peals off; a frequent term in Greek medical writers. And was baptized. It is a curious difference between St. Paul and the other apostles that, if they were baptized at all, which is doubtful, they must have been baptized by Christ himself; whereas St. Paul received his baptism at the hands of Ananias. This is one mark of his being "born out of due time." And yet he was not behind the very chiefest apostles.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 18. He arose, and was baptized. The account is…
18. He arose, and was baptized. The account is more fully given by Paul himself (Acts 22:13–16). Ananias said, “Receive thy sight, and in the same hour I looked upon him.” Then, after stating why the Lord had called him, he added: “Why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Note (1) that “tarrying” for weeks or months before baptism was then unknown; (2) that there would be no necessity of “arising,” if water was applied in baptism, but there would be if he had to go to a place suitable for immersion; (3) that the term wash (Greek, “bathe”) implies more than a sprinkling or pouring; (4) that neither Ananias nor Paul (22:16) understood that his sins were remitted before baptism. Compare Acts 2:38 and 22:16.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain See notes on verse 17
See notes on verse 17
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.