Bible Strands
Acts 22:13
came and stood beside me. ‘Brother Saul,’ he said, ‘receive your sight.’ And at that moment I could see him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Ananias, a devout Jew highly regarded by the local community, speaks to Saul at the exact moment he arrives and stands beside him. The address occurs during Saul’s temporary blindness, immediately preceding the restoration of his physical sight.
The words — ἐπιστάς (epistas) translates literally as "having stood by," denoting deliberate physical proximity before speech. Σαοὺλ (Saoul) is the Greek transliteration of Saul, preserved in the direct address without alteration.
The thread — The encounter runs parallel to Acts 9:17, where Ananias repeats the "Brother Saul" greeting after laying hands on him. The familial address anticipates the New Testament pattern of spiritual kinship later articulated in Philemon 1:16.
Why it lands — The text commands immediate physical restoration rather than gradual healing or personal negotiation. It requires the reader to acknowledge that divine appointment and obedience precede spiritual sight, and that the gospel address bypasses religious status to call the blinded directly.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
Cross-references
- Acts 9:17 So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
- Philemon 1:16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.