Acts 9:35

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

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(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.: 1Chronicles 5:16; 1Chronicles 27:29; Song of Solomon 2:1; Isaiah 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 (Isaiah 33:9; Isaiah 65:10).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:32-35 Christians are saints, or holy people; not only the eminent ones, as Saint Peter and Saint Paul, but every sincere professor of the faith of Christ. Christ chose patients whose diseases were incurable in the course of nature, to show how desperate was the case of fallen mankind. When we were wholly without strength, as this poor man, he sent his word to heal us. Peter does not pretend to heal by any power of his own, but directs Eneas to look up to Christ for help. Let none say, that because it is Christ, who, by the power of his grace, works all our works in us, therefore we have no work, no duty to do; for though Jesus Christ makes thee whole, yet thou must arise, and use the power he gives thee.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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 ct 9:16; Acts 27:29; Ca. Acts 2:1; Isaiah 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 Isaiah 33:9; Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 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, Acts 11:21; 2 Corinthians 3:16.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

35. 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.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Lydda: see Acts 9:32. Saron is the name of a city, 1 Chronicles 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, 1 Chronicles 27:29 Song of Solomon 2:1.

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

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron,.... Saron, which is here joined to Lydda, is the name of a fruitful country on the borders of the Mediterranean sea, between Joppa and Caesarea, beginning at Lydda. There were two countries in the land of Israel called Saron, as Jerom observes (n); there was one between Mount Tabor, and the lake of Tiberias; and there was another which reached from Caesarea of Palestine, to the town of Joppa; the former was inhabited by the Gadites, and was beyond Jordan, 1 Chronicles 5:16 the other was on this side Jordan, near Lydda. And this is what is here meant; and of which the same writer elsewhere says (o), the whole country by Joppa and Lydda is called Saron, in which are large and fruitful fields; and on Isaiah 65:10 which the Vulgate Latin renders, "and the plains shall be for folds of flocks", he observes, that "Sharon", in the Hebrew text, is put for plains or champaign country; and adds, all the country about Lydda, Joppa, and Jamnia, is fit to feed flocks: and agreeably to this, in Jewish writings, the calves of Sharon (p) are spoken of as the best; and the word is by the commentators of the Misna interpreted (q) by "a plain", or champaign country; for this was not the name of a single town or city, but of a country, bordering on Lydda, and the above mentioned places; in which were several towns and villages, and the inhabitants of those that were nearest Lydda are here designed. It was such a fruitful and delightful country, that the Targum on Sol 2:1 has rendered it by the garden of Eden: it had its name either from "Shur", which signifies to behold afar off, from the fine and large prospect that might be taken on it; or from "Shar", which signifies the navel, because it was a valley or plain surrounded on every side with mountains and hills: it abounded in flowers and fruits; hence mention is made of the rose of Sharon, Sol 2:1 and in vines; hence we frequently read of the wine of Saron (r), and which was so very good, that they mixed two parts of water with one of wine (s). It was a country, the Jews say (t), whose earth was not fit to make bricks of; and therefore houses made of them did not stand long, but needed repairing often in seven years: hence the high priest, on the day of atonement, used to pray for the Saronites, that their houses might not become their graves (u). Now when the inhabitants of this place, as well as of Lydda,

saw him; that is, Aeneas, made whole, who had been ill of a palsy, and had kept his bed eight years, they were so impressed with it, that it issued in their conversion:

and turned to the Lord: they believed in Christ, embraced his Gospel preached by Peter, professed faith in him, and submitted to his ordinances; being turned by powerful efficacious grace, they turned their feet to keep his testimonies.

(n) De locis Hebraicis, fol. 94. M. (o) Comment. in Isaiah 33.9. (p) Misn. Bava Kama, c. 10. sect. 9. (q) Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Bava Bathra, c. 6. sect. 2.((r) Misn. Nidda, c. 2. sect. 7. (s) T. Bab Sabbat, fol. 77. 1.((t) Gloss. in T. Bab. Sota, fol. 43. 1.((u) T. Hieros. Sota, fol. 23. 1. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 20. fol. 161. 4.

Geneva Study Bible

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

(o) Lydda was a city of Palestine, and Saron a first-class country, and a place which was excellent for grazing, between Caesarea of Palestine and Mount Tabor, and the lake of Gennesaret, which goes far beyond Joppa.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 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. 1 Chronicles 27:29, Isaiah 33:9; Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 37:24; Isaiah 65:10, celebrated for its pasturage, Song of Solomon 2:1. “The masculine article doth show that it is not named of a city, and so doth the LXX article in Isaiah 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 Acts 7:53, quoted by Page (Winer-Schmiedel, p. 235). For the phrase ἐπισ. ἐπὶ τὸν Κ. cf. Acts 14:15.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

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.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 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. Acts 11:21 (which presumes the reading, Acts 9:20, Ἑλληνιστὰς); 2 Corinthians 3:16. The Gentiles are said to be converted to God, Acts 15:19; Acts 20:21.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 35. - In Sharon for at Saron, A.V.; they turned for turned, A.V. In Sharon. The Greek represents the Hebrew שָׁרון, Sharon, which is the name of the rich plain which stretches from Joppa to Caesarea (see Isaiah 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 οἵτινες, 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. Acts 9:35

Vincent's Word Studies

Saron

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