Bible Strands
Acts 9:13
But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ananias speaks to the Lord in direct response to a divine command to go to Damascus. This exchange occurs immediately after the Lord instructs him to visit Saul to restore his sight.
The words — The Greek ἤκουσα (ēkousa) means "I have heard," grounding Ananias's objection in secondhand reports. The particle δὲ (de) translates as "but," structurally marking his resistance against the preceding command.
The thread — The reported harm connects to Acts 8:3, where Saul drags believers to prison, and 1 Timothy 1:13, which records his former violent persecution. Ezekiel 3:14 parallels this pattern of a messenger receiving a divine directive that conflicts with earthly reputation.
Why it lands — The verse requires obedience to God's command regardless of a target's known record of harm. It forces the reader to prioritize divine instruction over human reputation or prior knowledge.
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
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
Cross-references
- 1 Timothy 1:13 I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
- Acts 8:3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
- Ezekiel 3:14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
- Acts 22:19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.
- Acts 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest
- Exodus 4:13 But Moses replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
- 1 Samuel 16:2 “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
- 1 Kings 18:9 But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?
- Jeremiah 20:9 If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.
- Jonah 1:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.”