Bible Strands
Acts 9:15
“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord addresses Ananias in Damascus while Saul is still praying and awaiting healing. This occurs before Saul's sight is restored or his conversion is complete.
The words — The command πορεύου (poreuou) literally means "do go," while κύριος (kurios) identifies the speaker as the Lord. These terms anchor the directive in immediate action and divine authority.
The thread — This commissioning theme recurs in Paul’s later writings, where he identifies his apostleship to the Gentiles as a divine appointment (Galatians 1:15; Romans 11:13) and acknowledges receiving his gospel ministry as a gift of grace (Ephesians 3:7).
Why it lands — The text requires obedience to a specific divine assignment rather than personal preference. It establishes that ministry authority and scope originate from God’s explicit command, not human initiative.
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
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Cross-references
- Galatians 1:15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
- Ephesians 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.
- Romans 11:13 I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry
- 2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- Acts 26:17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
- Acts 22:21 Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
- Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
- Romans 1:5 Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
- 1 Timothy 2:7 For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.
- John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.