Acts 9:12

9:10-22 A good work was begun in Saul, when he was brought to Christ's feet with those words, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And never did Christ leave any who were brought to that. Behold, the proud Pharisee, the unmerciful oppressor, the daring blasphemer, prayeth! And thus it is even now, and with the proud infidel, or the abandoned sinner. What happy tidings are these to all who understand the nature and power of prayer, of such prayer as the humbled sinner presents for the blessings of free salvation! Now he began to pray after another manner than he had done; before, he said his prayers, now, he prayed them. Regenerating grace sets people on praying; you may as well find a living man without breath, as a living Christian without prayer. Yet even eminent disciples, like Ananias, sometimes stagger at the commands of the Lord. But it is the Lord's glory to surpass our scanty expectations, and show that those are vessels of his mercy whom we are apt to consider as objects of his vengeance. The teaching of the Holy Spirit takes away the scales of ignorance and pride from the understanding; then the sinner becomes a new creature, and endeavours to recommend the anointed Saviour, the Son of God, to his former companions.

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 where he was: and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight; without which he had been three days, and which he did receive upon Ananias's putting his hands on him.

If this verse be the words of St. Luke, continuing the history, then they must be included in a parenthesis, the sense being entire without them; but they seem to be the words of the Lord continued to Ananias, telling him how he had provided for his welcome to Saul, contrary to his expectation.

Acts 9:12 . [ Καὶ εἶδεν , and hath seen ) A pair of visions, the one of which corresponds to the other; as in this place the corresponding visions vouchsafed to Ananias and Saul respectively, set aside all suspicion of fallacious fantasy (phantasm). The same observation applies also in the case of Cornelius and Peter, ch. 10.—V. g.]— Ἀνανίαν , Ananias ) This name Saul caught up, either with his ear or his mind, during the vision.— ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃ , that he may recover his sight ) The peculiar (extraordinary) effect of laying on the hands is expressed: the more ordinary one is to be understood: Acts 9:17 , “that thou mightest be filled with the Holy Ghost.”

12. And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias, &c.—Thus, as in the case of Cornelius and Peter afterwards, there was a mutual preparation of each for each. But we have no account of the vision which Saul had of Ananias coming unto him and putting his hands upon him for the restoration of his sight, save this interesting allusion to it in the vision which Ananias himself had.

(12) And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias. —The coincidence of the two visions has seemed to some critics, as afterwards in the history of Cornelius, to betray something like the skill of the artistic historian. To those who reject the supernatural altogether, this may, of course, seem a short and easy explanation. To those who have not brought themselves to that point of denial, it will not seem strange that there should be in the work of the highest Designer the same unity of purpose and convergence of varied means which rouse our admiration in works of human skill. For Ananias what he was now told was an implied command that he should fulfil the vision thus reported to him.

And he hath seen in a vision ... - When this was shown to Saul, or how, is not recorded. The vision was shown to Saul to assure him when Ananias came that he was no impostor. He was thus prepared to receive consolation from this disciple. He was even apprised of his name, that he might be the more confirmed.

Acts 9:12 . ἐν ὁράματι , see critical notes.— ἄνδρα Ἀ . ὀνόμ .: the words would certainly indicate, as Wendt points out (seventh edition, not eighth), that Saul was previously unacquainted with Ananias. Jesus communicates the contents of the vision, and speaks as it were from the standpoint of Saul (see Felten’s note, p. 190).— ἐπιθέντα κ . τ . λ ., see above on Acts 8:17 .

Acts 9:10 . Ὁ κύριος ] Christ. See Acts 9:13-14 ; Acts 9:17 . ἐν ὁράματι ] in a vision ( Acts 10:3 , Acts 16:9 , al. ; differently Acts 7:31 ); whether awake or asleep, the context does not decide (not even by ἀναστάς , Acts 9:11 ). Eichhorn’s view, with which Kuinoel and partially also Heinrichs agree,—that Saul and Ananias had already been previously friends, and that the appearance in a dream as naturally resulted in the case of the former from the longing to speak with Ananias again and to get back sight by virtue of a healing power which was well known to him, as in the case of Ananias, who had heard of his friend’s fate on the way and of his arrival and dream,—is a fiction of exegetical romance manufactured without the slightest hint in the text, and indeed in opposition to Acts 9:11 f., 14. The course of the conversion, guided by Christ directly revealing Himself, is entirely in accordance with its commencement ( Acts 9:3-9 ): “bat we know not the law according to which communications of a higher spiritual world to men living in the world of sense take place, so as to be able to determine anything concerning them” (Neander). According to Baur, the two corresponding visions of Ananias and ( Acts 9:12 ) Saul are literary parallels to the history of the conversion of Cornelius.