Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 9]
such a distinction here coincides with the two senses of \ph•n•\.
They heard the sound (9:7), but did not understand the words
(22:9). However, this distinction in case with \akou•\, though
possible and even probable here, is by no means a necessary one
for in Joh 3:8 where \ph•n•n\ undoubtedly means "sound" the
accusative occurs as Luke uses \•kousen ph•n•n\ about Saul in Ac
9:4. Besides in 22:7 Paul uses \•kousa ph•n•s\ about himself,
but \•kousa ph•n•n\ about himself in 76:14, interchangeably.
9:8 {He saw nothing} (\ouden eblepen\). Imperfect active
indicative, was seeing nothing. "The glory of that light"
(22:11) when he saw Jesus had blinded his eyes now wide open
(\ane•igmen•n\, perfect passive participle of \anoig•\ with
double reduplication). The blindness was proof that something had
happened to him and that it was no hallucination that he had seen
the Risen Christ. Saul arose after the others were on their feet.
{They led him by the hand} (\cheirag•gountes\). From
\cheirag•gos\ (\cheir\, hand and \ag•\, to lead). Only here in
the N.T., but in LXX and late writers though not in the old
Greek. It was a pathetic picture to see the masterful Saul,
victorious persecutor and conqueror of the disciples, now
helpless as a child.
9:9 {Not seeing} (\m• blep•n\). The usual negative \m•\ of the
participle. It was a crisis for Saul, this sudden blindness for
three days (\h•meras treis\, accusative of extent of time). Later
(Ga 4:15) Paul has an affection of the eyes which may have been
caused by this experience on the road to Damascus or at least his
eyes may have been predisposed by it to weakness in the glare of
the Syrian sun in the land where today so much eye trouble
exists. He neither ate nor drank anything, for his appetite had
gone as often happens in a crisis of the soul. These must have
been days of terrible stress and strain.
9:10 {Ananias} (\Hananias\). Name common enough (cf. 5:1 for
another Ananias) and means "Jehovah is gracious." _Nomen et omen_
(Knowling). This Ananias had the respect of both Jews and
Christians in Damascus (22:12). {In a vision} (\en horamati\).
Zeller and others scout the idea of the historicity of this
vision as supernatural. Even Furneaux holds that "it is a
characteristic of the Jewish Christian sources to point out the
Providential ordering of events by the literary device of a
vision," as "in the early chapters of Matthew's and Luke's
Gospels." He is content with this "beautiful expression of the
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