Acts 9:18

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

King James Version (1611)
And immediatly there fell from his eyes as it had bene scales, and he receiued sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

King James Version
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

English Standard Version
And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

New American Standard Bible
And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;

New Century Version
Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he was able to see again! Then Saul got up and was baptized.

Amplified Bible
Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;

Legacy Standard Bible
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized;

Berean Standard Bible
At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized,

Contemporary English Version
Suddenly something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see. He got up and was baptized.

Complete Jewish Bible
In that moment, something like scales fell away from Sha'ul's eyes; and he could see again. He got up and was immersed;

Darby Translation
And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he saw, and rising up was baptised;

Easy-to-Read Version
Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell off Saul's eyes. He was able to see! Then he got up and was baptized.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had bene scales, & suddenly he receiued sight, and arose, and was baptized,

George Lamsa Translation
And in that hour, there fell from his eyes something like scales; and his eyesight was restored; and he arose and was baptized.

Good News Translation
At once something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptized;

Lexham English Bible
And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight and got up and was baptized,

Literal Translation
And instantly it was as if scales fell away from his eyes. And rising up at the thing happening, he was baptized.

American Standard Version
And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized;

Bible in Basic English
And straight away it seemed as if a veil was taken from his eyes, and he was able to see; and he got up, and had baptism;

Hebrew Names Version
Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was immersed.

International Standard Version
All at once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,

Etheridge Translation
And instantly there fell from his eyes something which was like to scales; and his eyes were opened, and, arising, he was baptized.

Murdock Translation
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like a scab; and his eyes were opened. And he arose and was baptized.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And immediatly there fell from his eyes as it had ben scales, & he receaued syght foorthwith, and arose, and was baptized,

English Revised Version
And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized;

World English Bible
Immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And immediately as it were scales fell from his eyes, and he recovered his sight, and arose and was baptized.

Weymouth's New Testament
Instantly there dropped from his eyes what seemed to be scales, and he could see once more. Upon this he rose and received baptism;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And anoon as the scalis felden fro hise iyen, he resseyuede siyt. And he roos, and was baptisid.

Update Bible Version
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized;

Webster's Bible Translation
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

New English Translation
Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,

New King James Version
Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

New Living Translation
Instantly something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

New Life Bible
At once something like a covering fell from the eyes of Saul and he could see. He got up and was baptized.

New Revised Standard
And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, straightway, there fell from him - from his eyes, - as it were scales; he recovered sight also, and, arising, was immersed:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales: and he received his sight. And rising up, he was baptized.

Revised Standard Version
And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And immediatly ther fell from his eyes as it had bene scales and he receaved syght and arose and was baptised

Young's Literal Translation
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, he saw again also presently, and having risen, was baptized,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And immediatly there fell from his eyes as it had bene scales, and he receaued his sighte, and rose, and was baptysed,

Mace New Testament (1729)
immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he recover'd his sight; upon which he instantly arose, and was baptized.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Right then Saul's eyes were opened, and something like scales fell from them. He got up and immediately got baptized.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. ¹¹"Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." ¹³Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." ¹⁵But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." ¹⁷So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah. After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket. Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name. After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus. Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully. Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them. Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room. Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner. ²⁰The Blinding of Saul All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?" He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next." His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing. There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. "Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah. After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket. Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name. After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus. Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully. Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them. Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room. Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner. ²¹The Blinding of Saul All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?" He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next." His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing. There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. "Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" ²² But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

immediately: 2 Corinthians 3:14, 2 Corinthians 4:6

and was: Acts 2:38, Acts 2:41, Acts 13:12, Acts 13:13, Acts 13:37, Acts 13:38, Acts 22:16

Reciprocal: Isaiah 35:5 - the eyes Matthew 28:19 - baptizing Mark 16:18 - they shall lay Acts 9:8 - he saw Acts 9:12 - General Acts 26:18 - open Acts 28:8 - laid Galatians 3:27 - as many

Cross-References

Genesis 10:1
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.

Genesis 10:6
The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, Canaan.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it had been scales,.... Which were little thin skins or films, like the scales of fishes, which were formed from the defluxions that fell from his brain, through the excessive light that shone around him, and the surprise he was thrown into by it: these, as soon as Ananias put his hands upon him, dropped off; which were an emblem and representation of the scales of ignorance, of himself, of sin, of righteousness, of the law, of the Gospel, and of Jesus as the Messiah; and of unbelief in him, and of pride, malice, and envy, and of superstition and bigotry, and of error and false doctrine, which, upon his being enlightened by the Spirit of God, fell from him:

and he received sight forthwith; his corporeal sight, which was an emblem of that spiritual sight he had also received: the word "forthwith", or "immediately", is not in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, but seems necessary; and indeed, if it was not expressed, it would be understood; for as soon as the scales fell from his eyes, he must receive his sight: the Ethiopic version places it after the word "baptized", in the next clause:

and arose, and was baptized; that is, after Ananias had appointed it to him, as his duty, had pressed him to it, and called upon him to submit to it without delay, Acts 22:16 And this shows that baptism was performed by immersion; for had it been done in any other way, either by pouring or sprinkling a little water, Saul might have kept his seat, and water might have been brought to him, and so the ordinance might have been performed; but he arose and went, either to a bath that might be in Judas's house, fit for such a purpose; for the Jews had their baths to bathe their whole bodies in on certain occasions; or he went to some certain place of water without doors, convenient for the administration of baptism, where it was administered by Ananias unto him. And this also may suggest to us, that only enlightened persons are the proper objects of this ordinance; such as have the scales of darkness, ignorance, and unbelief removed from them, and have a spiritual sight and sense of divine things: hence the ancients used to call baptism by the name of φωτισμος, "illumination", and baptized persons "enlightened" ones.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As it had been scales - ὡσεὶ λεπίδες hōsei lepides. The word ὡσεὶ hōsei, “as it had been,” is designed to qualify the following word. It is not said that scales literally fell from his eyes, but that an effect followed as if scales had been suddenly taken off. Evidently, the expression is deigned to mean no more than this. The effect was such as would take place if some dark, imperious substance had been placed before the eyes, and had been suddenly removed. The cure was as sudden, the restoration to sight was as immediate, as if such an interposing substance had been suddenly removed. This is all that the expression fairly implies, and this is all that the nature of the case demands. As the blindness had been caused by the natural effect of the light, probably on the optic nerve (Acts 9:8-9, note), it is manifest that no literal removing of scales would restore the vision. We are therefore to lay aside the idea of literal scales falling to the earth. No such thing is affirmed, and no such thing would have met the case. The word translated “scales” is used nowhere else in the New Testament. It means properly “the small crust or layer which composes a part of the covering of a fish, and also any thin layer or leaf exfoliated or separated, as scales of iron, bone, or a piece of bark, etc.” (Webster). An effect similar to this is described in Tobit 11:8, 13. It is evident that there was a miracle in the healing of Saul. The “blindness” was the natural effect of the light. The “cure” was by miraculous power. This is evident:

(1) Because there were no means used that would naturally restore the sight. It may be remarked here that “gutta serena” has been regarded by physicians as one of the most incurable of diseases. Few cases are restored, and few remedies are efficacious (See the Edinburgh Encyclopedia’s “Surgery” on Amaurosis.)

(2) Ananias was sent for this very purpose to heal him, Acts 9:17.

(3) The immediate effect shows that this was miraculous. Had it been a slow recovery, it might have been doubtful; but here it was instantaneous, and it was thus put beyond a question that it was a miracle.

And was baptized - In this he followed the example of all the early converts to Christianity. They were baptized immediately. See Acts 2:41; Acts 8:12, Acts 8:36-39.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 9:18. There fell from his eyes as it had been scales — This was real: he had been so dazzled with the brightness of the light that we may suppose the globe of the eye, and particularly the cornea, had suffered considerable injury. The structure of the cornea was doubtless much disturbed, and the whole of that humour would be rendered opaque, and incapable of permitting the rays of light to pass through the different humours to the retina, where all the images of things transmitted through the lenses, or humours, are distinctly painted. In the miraculous cure the membrane was restored to its primitive state, and the opaque matter separated from the cornea, in the form of thin laminae or scales. This being done, the light would have as free a passage as formerly, and the result would be distinct vision.

And arose, and was baptized. — That he was baptized by Ananias there is every reason to believe; as he appears to have been the chief Christian at Damascus. As baptism implied, in an adult, the public profession of that faith into which he was baptized, this baptism of Saul proved, at once, his own sincerity, and the deep and thorough conviction he had of the truth of Christianity.