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John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:4

And he fell to the earth ,.... Not being able to bear the light, and still less the divine glory and majesty which he perceived was present; and therefore, in great confusion, amazement, and fear, he fell with his face to the ground, and lay there prostrate and so did also those that were with him, Acts 26:14 and heard a voice, saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? this voice was the real voice of Christ in his human nature, and who visibly and in person appeared, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:5

And he said, who art thou, Lord ?.... For he knew not whether it was God, or an angel, or who it was that spake to him; he knew not Christ by his form or voice, as Stephen did, when he saw him standing at the right hand of God; he was in a state of ignorance, and knew neither the person, nor voice of Christ, and yet his heart was so far softened and wrought upon, that he was desirous of knowing who he was; and the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest . The Alexandrian copy, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:6

And he trembling and astonished ,.... At the light and voice, and appearance of Christ, and especially at the words last spoken; he was now pricked to the heart, and filled with a sense of sin, and loaded with guilt, and had dreadful apprehensions of his state and condition, on account of his past wickedness, and the present course of sin he was in: so persons under first convictions "tremble" at the sight of their sins, which rise up like so many ghosts, and stare them in the face, and load... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:7

And the men which journeyed with him ,.... Out of respect to him, to keep him company; or rather to assist him in his designs: stood speechless : astonished and amazed, they had not power to speak one word, nor to rise from the ground, and move one step forward; they were as if they were thunderstruck, and fastened to the earth; for this standing is not opposed to their being fallen to the earth, but to their going forward, and only expresses the surprise and stupidity that had seized... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:8

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:9

And he was three days without sight ,.... Without bodily sight; for otherwise all this while his spiritual sight was increasing, and Christ was giving him by his Spirit a full view of himself, his state and case, and where his salvation was; and a clear insight into the doctrines of the Gospel, which he is said to have by the revelation of Christ, whereby he was fitted for the immediate preaching of it: and neither did eat nor drink ; having no regard unto, or time for either; being... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:10

And there was a certain disciple at Damascus ,.... Who perhaps came hither upon the persecution at Jerusalem, or rather might have lived here some time; Acts 9:13 that he was more than a private or ordinary disciple of Christ seems manifest, from his being sent to Saul on such an, important affair; from his putting his hands upon him, upon which he was filled with the Holy Ghost; and from his baptizing him: some think he was one of the seventy disciples; some say he was a deacon; but it is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:11

And the Lord said unto him, arise ,.... Quickly, directly, immediately, from off thy bed; the case required haste and dispatch: and go into the street which is called Straight ; a street in the city of Damascus so called; the streets of cities were called by different names, to distinguish them as ours now are. So in Jerusalem there was the street of the house of God, which led to the temple, Ezra 10:9 and the upper street, in which idolatrous Gentiles, and such as were fullers by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:12

And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias ,.... Some read this verse in a parenthesis, and take them to be the words of Luke the historian; but it is rather a continuation of the words of Christ, telling Ananias, for his greater encouragement to go to Saul, that he had seen him in a vision, and had knowledge both of his person, and of his name, and of what he was to do to him; for in the vision or dream, he had been represented to him as coming in ; to the house, and into the room... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 9:13

Then Ananias answered, Lord ,.... Though Ananias knew that it was the Lord that spoke, and acknowledged his power and dominion, and expressed his readiness to obey his commands; yet there was a timidity in him, and which was the more inexcusable, that it should appear after the Lord had told him of the vision which Saul had had of him; and yet still he was fearful of putting himself into his hands, who had been so violent a persecutor; and therefore obliquely excuses himself, by observing... read more

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