What Does Acts 9:13 Mean in the King James?

Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

Acts 9:13 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

The people Saul harms belong to the Lord so fully that Jesus soon speaks of their persecution as his own.

THE MEANING

Ananias names the danger plainly: Saul has done great harm to the Lord’s set-apart people. Calling them “thy saints” keeps their belonging visible even as he speaks of what has been done to them.

THE ROOT

ἁγίοις

hagiois

GROWS FROM

ἁγ-

hag-

set apart; holy

The word identifies these people by their belonging to the Lord, even while they are being harmed. English “saints” can sound like a special class; the Greek points to people set apart as his own.

ALSO GROWS

hagiazō: to set apart; to sanctify

ἁγιάζω

This verb makes the root’s action visible: being set apart is a belonging, not a measure of safety from harm.

hagiasmos: setting apart; holiness

ἁγιασμός

This noun names the state associated with the saints Ananias says Saul has harmed.

κακά

kaka

GROWS FROM

κακ-

kak-

bad; harmful

The word points to harmful acts, not merely an abstract idea of evil. Its force is sharpened by what follows: the harm is done to people who belong to the Lord.

ALSO GROWS

kakia: badness; malice

κακία

This branch names the hostile quality that can underlie harmful acts.

kakopoieō: to do harm; to do evil

κακοποιέω

This verb makes the connection between the root and the concrete harm Ananias reports.

THE PATTERN

Harm directed at God’s people reaches God himself.

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

Zechariah 2:8 · KJVThe LORD describes an attack on his people as touching the apple of his own eye.

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Acts 9:4 · KJVJesus names Saul’s persecution of his people as persecution directed at himself.

And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

1 Corinthians 12:26 · KJVThe body shares the suffering of any one of its members.

THE THREAD

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Acts 9:4 · KJV

Ananias names the people Saul has harmed as the Lord’s saints; Jesus’s question reveals that this belonging is more than a title. He receives their persecution as persecution of himself, which explains why Ananias’s report matters to the Lord.

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