Bible Strands
Acts 9:8
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Saul’s immediate physical state after his road-to-Damascus encounter, while his companions stand nearby speechless. This moment occurs precisely as he rises from the ground following the blinding light.
The words — ἀνεῳγμένων (aneōgmenōn) literally means "opened," describing the mechanical action of Saul opening his eyes. ἠγέρθη (ēgerthē) translates to "rose up," denoting his sudden physical movement from the earth.
The thread — The text notes in Acts 22:11 that his companions led him by hand into Damascus due to the blindness. The contrast of sight restoration appears in 2 Kings 6:17, where prayer precedes eyes being opened to perceive reality.
Why it lands — The passage first establishes that Saul required physical guidance and a three-day period of fasting before his sight returned. It then requires the reader to recognize that his subsequent role depends on external intervention rather than self-directed action.
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
And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
Cross-references
- Acts 22:11 Because the brilliance of the light had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.
- Acts 9:18 At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized,
- 2 Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
- Acts 13:11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
- Genesis 19:11 And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
- Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?