Acts 9:35

Act 9:35. [Πάντες, all) Lydda, according to Josephus, was a town as large in compass as a city. Therefore this was a numerous conversion.—V. g.]—τὸν Σάρωνα, Saron) Saron was the name of the tract, in which was the town of Lydda. Hence the article is added.—ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, to the Lord) Jesus Christ. Those are said to be converted to the Lord who have already before embraced the Old Testament: ch. Act 11:21 (which presumes the reading, Act 9:20, Ἑλληνιστὰς); 2Co 3:16. The Gentiles are said to be converted to God, Act 15:19; Act 20:21.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 9:35 . τὸν Σάρωνα , on accentuation see critical notes: “at Lydda and in Sharon,” R.V. In Sharon, because it was not a town as Lydda, but rather a level tract, the maritime plain between Carmel and Joppa, so called in Hebrew (with article), meaning “the Level”; in Greek, the Forest, δρυμός , LXX, because it was once covered by a great oak forest; full of quiet but rich beauty; cf. 1Ch 27:29 , Isa 33:9 ; Isa 35:2 ; Isa 37:24 ; Isa 65:10 , celebrated for its pasturage, Son 2:1 . “The masculine article doth show that it is not named of a city, and so doth the LXX article in Isa 33:9 ,” J. Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. There is no ground for supposing that it meant a village in the neighbourhood, as no place bearing the name Saron can be satisfactorily cited, but cf. Nösgen, in loco; see G. A. Smith, Hist. Geog. of the Holy Land , pp. 52, 147, 148; Edersheim, Jewish Social Life , p. 74; Hamburger, Real-Encyclopädie des Judentums , i., 6, p. 897. πάντες : the expression may be taken to mean that a general conversion of the inhabitants followed. Rendall renders “and all that dwelt, etc., who had turned to the Lord, saw Him,” i.e. , attested the reality of the miracle, Acts , pp. 72 and 232. But it might fairly be urged that many would see the man besides those who had become Christians. It helps us to understand the passage if we remember with Nösgen (so Bengel) that the expression ἐπὶ τὸν Κ . applies not to God the Father, but to Jesus Christ, so that we learn that a conversion of the Jewish population at Lydda to the claims of Jesus as the Messiah was the result of the miracle (see also Hackett’s useful note). On the use of οἵτινες see Alford’s note on Act 7:53 , quoted by Page (Winer-Schmiedel, p. 235). For the phrase ἐπισ . ἐπὶ τὸν Κ . cf. Act 14:15 .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lydda was a city of Palestine, and Sharon a Champion country and a place of good pasturage between Caesarea of Palestine and the mountain Tabor, and the lake of Gennesaret, which extendeth itself in great length beyond Joppa.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron--(or "Sharon," a rich vale between Joppa and Cæsarea).

saw him, and turned to the Lord--that is, there was a general conversion in consequence.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 35. All that dwelt in Lydda and Saron saw him] Saron was that champaign country that lay between Joppa and Lydda. The long affliction of this man had been well known; and his cure, consequently, became a subject of general examination: it was found to be real. It was known to have been performed by the grace and mercy of Christ; and the consequence of all this conviction was that all these people became Christians.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

35. And all those. His meaning is, that the miracle was published abroad, and was known throughout the whole city. For when the Scripture saith all, it doth not comprehend every one how many so ever it noteth; but it putteth all for the more part, or for many, or for the common sort of men. Therefore, the sense is, that whereas there was but a small number of godly men there, a great part of the people became members of the Church. And in this clause is expressed the fruit of the miracle, because they embraced Christ and his gospel. Wherefore those men corrupt miracles, whosoever they be, which look only upon men, and do not turn their eyes toward this end, that being instructed concerning the power and grace of Christ, they may stick only to him. Therefore that token of Christ’s divine power which he showed was the beginning of turning to him.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(35) All that dwelt at Lydda and Saron.—The latter name indicates a district rather than a town. The presence of the article with it, and its absence from Lydda, indicates that men spoke of “the Saron”—the plain—the woodlands (so it is rendered by the LXX.: 1Ch_5:16; 1Ch_27:29; Son_2:1; Isa_35:2)—as we speak of “the weald.” It lay between the central mountains of Palestine and the Mediterranean, and was proverbial for its beauty and fertility (Isa_33:9; Isa_65:10).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

35. all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him] No doubt his case of eight-years-long paralysis was well known to the dwellers in the village and neighbourhood, and to see such a one about in their midst again would be a cause for general remark and enquiry into the manner of his restoration. “When the Scripture saith all it doth not comprehend every one, how many soever it noteth, but it putteth all for the more part, or for many, or for the common sort of men” (Calvin on this verse).

Saron] Heb. Sharon. It is doubtful whether by this name is intended some village in the neighbourhood of Lydda or the whole district known as the “plain of Sharon,” and extending along the coast from Joppa to Cæsarea. No place of this name has been noticed in the neighbourhood, and as in the original the word has the article, “the Sharon,” it is better to refer it to the district.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now there was at Joppa,.... The same with Japho, Jos 19:46 a sea port town in the tribe of Dan, said by some historians (w) to be a very ancient one, even before the flood. It is now called Jaffa, and its name, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies beauty: some say it had its name from Jope, the daughter of Aeolus, the wife of Cepheus, the founder of it; and others derive it from the name of Japhet, because it looks towards Europe, which is inhabited by the sons of Japhet. It was built upon a hill, as Pliny (x) says; and so high, as Strabo (y) reports, that Jerusalem, the metropolis of Judea, might be seen from thence, which was distant from it forty miles; as may be concluded from what Jerom, (z) says, who lived at Bethlehem many years: his words are; from Joppa, to our little village Bethlehem, are forty six miles; now Bethlehem was six miles distant from Jerusalem, to the south of it, and Joppa was to the west of it. The place is well known by Jonah's taking ship there, and going for Tarshish, when he was cast into the sea, and devoured by a fish; from whence the Ionian sea might have its name: and this was the occasion of the fable of Andromeda being exposed to a fish of a prodigious size at this place; the bones of which, Pliny (a) relates, were brought to Rome from hence, being forty foot long; and, the stones, to which she was bound, Jerom (b) says, were shown in his time on this shore: and here also, the inhabitants report, may be seen some stones in the sea, on which Peter stood and fished, when he dwelt in this place.

A certain disciple, called Tabitha; this was a woman's name, the masculine name was Tabi. R. Gamaliel had a manservant of this name (c), and also a maidservant, whose name was Tabitha (d); yea, every maidservant of his was called mother Tabitha, and every manservant father Tabi (e):

which by interpretation is called Dorcas; which signifies a roe in the Greek language, as Tabitha does in the Syriac:

this woman was full of good works; was constantly employed in doing good; her works were both many and good:

and alms deeds which she did; she was very kind and beneficent to the poor; she wrought with her hands much for their sakes, as appears by what follows.

(w) Mela, l. 1. Solin. Polyhistor. c. 47. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 13. (x) Nat. Hist. ib. (y) Geograph. l. 16. (z) Epist. ad Dardanum, Tom. 3, fol. 23. K. (a) Nat. Hist. l. 9. c. 5. (b) Comment. in Jonam, c. 1. v. 3. (c) Misn. Beracot, c. 2. sect. 7. (d) T. Hieros. Nidda, fol. 49. 4. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 160. 4. (e) Massecheth Semachot, c. 1. sect. 13.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

Ver. 35. And Saron] Alias Assaron, the same perhaps with Acheron or Ekron, counted by the very heathens the devil’s house; for there Beelzebub, the prince of devils, was worshipped, 2Ki 1:3. {a}

{a} Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo. Virg.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And all - The mass, or body of the people. The affliction of the man had been long, and was probably well known; the miracle would be celebrated, and the effect was an extensive revival of religion.

Saron - This was the champaign, or open country, usually mentioned by the name of “Sharon” in the Old Testament, 1 Ch Act 9:16; Act 27:29; Ca. Act 2:1; Isa 33:9. It was a region of extraordinary fertility, and the name was almost proverbial to denote “any country of great beauty and fertility.” Compare Isa 33:9; Isa 35:2; Isa 65:10. It was situated south of Mount Carmel, along the coast of the Mediterranean, extending to Caesarea and Joppa. Lydda was situated in this region.

Turned to the Lord - Were converted; or received the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, Act 11:21; 2Co 3:16.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Saron, or Assaron, is a mountain and city mentioned by Josue, xii. 18. From it all the plain from Cæsarea of Palestine to Joppe, is called Saron. It is a rich fertile country. (Tirinus)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Lydda: see Act 9:32. Saron is the name of a city, 1Ch 5:16, but here it is rather the name of a country, (which the masculine article usually shows), lying between Mount Tabor and the lake of Tiberias, a very fruitful plain, 1Ch 27:29; Son 2:1.

Turned to the Lord; to the owning of his truth. Error (if in fundamentals) keeps us from God.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

35. Saron—The ancient and beautiful plain of Sharon, celebrated in the Old Testament for its fertility and flowers. In Canticles it is said, “I am the rose of Sharon;” and Isaiah celebrates “the excellency of Carmel and of Sharon.” The richness and beauty of the plain survives the desolations of the land.

All… turned to the Lord—It became an entirely Christian locality. It was a mixed population, Jew and Gentile, but all adopted one faith.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In Sharon for at Saron, A.V.; they turned for turned, A.V. In Sharon. The Greek represents the Hebrew wOrv; Sharon, which is the name of the rich plain which stretches from Joppa to Caesarea. (see Isa_33:9) The name still lingers in the village of Saron. They turned; manifestly an improvement on the A.V., as giving the sense of oitinev, viz. that all who saw the paralytic walking, turned, as a consequence, to the Lord, in whose Name the wonderful miracle had been wrought. A very extensive conversion of the people of Lydda and of Sharon is signified.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lydda was a large town, one day's journey from Jerusalem. It stood in the plain or valley of Sharon, which extended from Caesarea to Joppa, and was noted for its fruitfulness.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

35. Here we find that the healing of Aeneas was wonderfully blessed of God in the awakening of the entire community, including the city of Lydda and the Plain of Sharon, extending from the sea back to the great mountain highlands of Judah and Benjamin. Consequently, many in those regions turned to the Lord. We see that it is our glorious privilege to serve our Master in the ministry of both soul and body, either proving an inspiration and an auxiliary of the other. Paul commands us earnestly to seek these gifts of the Spirit (1Co 12:31); among which you will find the “gifts of healings.” In the Apostolic succession, we should preach from house to house, everywhere ministering to’ the sick in the interest of the soul and body. Thus you will find the Lord will bless your ministry to the sick, making it a valuable auxiliary in your access to the souls of the healthy as well as the sick.

DORCAS IS RAISED FROM THE DEAD

The mechanical arts were then in their infancy, no factories having been invented. Weaving cloth was an art so rare that it was sought after by the wives and daughters of kings, appreciated as a royal encomium, embellishing their names with historic renown. Homer very graphically describes how Penelope, the beautiful queen of Ulysses, the king of Ithaca, excelled as a weaver, executing the work with her own royal hands. Hence Dorcas was celebrated, appreciated, honored and beloved not only for the rarity of her genius, but for her saintly philanthropy, which proved a benediction to many.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 32

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

35. All that dwelt at Lydda and Saron. In the plain of Sharon, a term often applied to the sea-coast plain between Joppa and Cæsarea. See Song of Solomon 2:1. The passage means, not that every soul turned, but that there was a general turning as the result of the miracle.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

35. καὶ εἶδαν αὐτὸν πάντες, and they all saw him. No doubt his case of eight-years-long paralysis was well known to the dwellers in the village and neighbourhood, and to see such a one about in their midst again would be a cause for general remark and enquiry into the manner of his restoration. ‘When the Scripture saith all it doth not comprehend every one, how many soever it noteth, but it putteth all for the more part, or for many, or for the common sort of men’ (Calvin on this verse).

τὸν Σάρωνα, Saron. The O.T. Sharon. It is doubtful whether by this name is intended some village in the neighbourhood of Lydda or the whole district known as the ‘plain of Sharon,’ and extending along the coast from Joppa to Cæsarea. No place of this name has been noticed in the neighbourhood, and as in the original the word has the article, ‘the Sharon,’ it is better to refer it to the district.

οἵτινες ἐπέστρεψαν ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον, and they turned unto the Lord. ὅστις in this and similar sentences is almost like the Latin quippe qui, when it can be rendered ‘and in fact.’ So here the force of this strengthened relative is somewhat of this kind, ‘they saw him, and as a fact in consequence of their seeing, they turned.’

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

35. πάντες.… οἵτινες] Not ‘all, who had turned to the Lord,’ as Kuin.: this would make the mention of the fact unmeaning,—and surely more would see him than the believers merely. The similar use of οἵτινες in the ref. shews its meaning to be commensurate with the preceding πάντες, and to gather them into a class, of which that which follows is predicated. All that dwelt in L. and S. saw him;—which also (i.e. and they) turned to the Lord. A general conversion of the inhabitants to the faith followed.

τὸν Σάρωνα] Perhaps not a village, but (and the art. makes this probable) the celebrated plain of that name, extending along the coast from Cæsarea to Joppa, see Isa 33:9; Isa 35:2; Isa 65:10; Son 2:1; 1Ch 27:29; and Jerome on Isa_33 and 65, vol. iv., pp. 436, 780.

Mariti (Travels, p. 350) mentions a village Saren between Lydda and Arsuf (see Jos 12:18, marg. E. V.): but more recent travellers do not notice it. See Winer, Realw., where other places of the same name are mentioned.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Saron. Rev., properly, Sharon. Always with the definite article : the plain; extending thirty miles along the sea from Joppa to Caesarea.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.