What is the meaning of Acts 9:35?

and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon

Lydda was a significant town on the road between Jerusalem and the coast, while Sharon described the fertile plain stretching northward. The phrase highlights:

• A broad regional impact—both a city (Lydda) and its surrounding countryside (Sharon).

• The scope of the miracle’s witness mirrors earlier moments in Acts where whole communities respond (Acts 8:6, 8; 13:49).

• God’s work through Peter reaches beyond Jerusalem, preparing the ground for Gentile inclusion that will unfold in Acts 10.

• As in Joshua 10:28-33, when God delivers entire regions, the emphasis is on collective acknowledgment of His power.

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saw him

The people “saw him,” referring to Aeneas, once bedridden for eight years and now walking because Peter said, “Jesus Christ heals you” (Acts 9:34). Seeing includes:

• Concrete evidence—physical transformation that cannot be denied (cf. John 9:25).

• Validation of apostolic testimony—miracles confirm the word (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3-4).

• Personal engagement—eyewitness experience pushes listeners from curiosity to conviction (Acts 4:16).

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turned to the Lord

Their response is immediate repentance and faith:

• “Turned” captures a decisive change in loyalty, echoing Peter’s call in Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God.”

• The focus is on the Lord Jesus, not merely admiration for Peter (Acts 10:26; 14:15).

• The phrase parallels Acts 11:21, where “a great number believed and turned to the Lord,” underscoring the pattern of evangelistic fruit that follows authentic gospel witness.

• The chain reaction from healing to conversion aligns with John 20:30-31—signs are recorded “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ.”

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summary

Acts 9:35 shows how a visible, undeniable act of Christ’s power through His servant sweeps across an entire region, moving observers from amazement to saving faith. Aeneas’s restored body becomes living proof that Jesus reigns, prompting whole communities to shift allegiance and embrace the Lord who heals both body and soul.