Amplified Bible
Acts 26:18
18to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.’
Acts 26:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
- New International Version (NIV)to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
Context of Acts 26:18
16Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with authority,] not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, 17[choosing you for Myself and] rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.’ 19“So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but I openly proclaimed first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent [change their inner self—their old way of thinking] and turn to God, doing deeds and living lives which are consistent with repentance.
Read all of Acts 26Acts 26:18 word by word
ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις πίστει τῇ εἰς ἐμέ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- To openἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
- theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- eyesὀφθαλμόςophthalmos · eyeG3788
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- to turnἐπιστρέφωepistrephō · to turnG1994
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- darknessσκότοςskotos · darknessG4655
- toεἰςeis · towardG1519
- lightφῶςphōs · lightG5457
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- the powerἐξουσίαexousia · authorityG1849
- of SatanΣατανᾶςSatanas · SatanG4567
- untoἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- may receiveλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
- forgivenessἄφεσιςaphesis · forgivenessG859
- of sinsἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
- inheritanceκλῆροςklēros · lotG2819
- amongἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- are sanctifiedἁγιάζωhagiazō · to sanctifyG37
- by faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
Cross-references for Acts 26:18
- Acts 9:17So Ananias left and entered the house, and he laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came [to Damascus], has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit [in order to proclaim Christ to both Jews and Gentiles].”
- Psalms 119:18Open my eyes [to spiritual truth] so that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.
- Psalms 146:8The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous [the upright in heart].
- Isaiah 29:18On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see [the words of the book].
- Isaiah 32:3Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, And the ears of those who hear will listen attentively.
- Isaiah 35:5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
- Isaiah 42:7To open the eyes of the blind, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who sit in darkness from the prison.
- Isaiah 43:8Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears.
- Luke 4:18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy),
- Luke 24:45Then He opened their minds to [help them] understand the Scriptures,
- John 9:39Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me—to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God], so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:4among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
- Ephesians 1:18And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),
- Acts 26:23that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to suffer, and that He by being the first to rise from the dead [with an incorruptible body] would proclaim light (salvation) both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
- Acts 13:47For that is what the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, So that You may bring [the message of eternal] salvation to the end of the earth.’ ”
- Isaiah 9:2The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness Will see a great Light; Those who live in the dark land, The Light will shine on them.
Commentaries on Acts 26:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18To open their eyes - To be the instrument of informing their understanding in the things of God. To turn them from darkness to light - From heathenism and superstition to the knowledge and worship of the true God. From the power of Satan unto God - , From the authority and domination of Satan; for as the kingdom of darkness is his kingdom, so those who live in this darkness are under his dominion; and he has authority and right over them. The blessed…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18To open their eyes - To enlighten or instruct them. Ignorance is represented by the eyes being closed, and the instruction of the gospel by the opening of the eyes. See Ephesians 1:18. And to turn them from darkness to light - From the darkness of paganism and sin to the light and purity of the gospel. Darkness is an emblem of ignorance and of sin, and the pagan nations are often represented as sitting in darkness. Compare the Matthew 4:16 note; John…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-23Verses 12-23 Paul was made a Christian by Divine power; by a revelation of Christ both to him and in him; when in the full career of his sin. He was made a minister by Divine authority: the same Jesus who appeared to him in that glorious light, ordered him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. A world that sits in darkness must be enlightened; those must be brought to know the things that belong to their everlasting peace, who are yet ignorant of them. A…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18Throughout his defense in this trial for his life, Paul also clearly set out the conditions for receiving new life in Christ (also in 26:20, 23; see Matthew 10:19–20).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1816-18. But rise, &c.--Here the apostle appears to condense into one statement various sayings of his Lord to him in visions at different times, in order to present at one view the grandeur of the commission with which his Master had clothed him [Alford]. a minister ... both of these things which thou hast seen--putting him on a footing with those "eye-witnesses and ministers of the word" mentioned in Lu 1:2. and of those in which I will appear to…Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 26:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Acts 26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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