Ananias (ananiav). Name common enough (cf. Acts 5:1 for another Ananias) and means "Jehovah is gracious." Nomen et omen (Knowling). This Ananias had the respect of both Jews and Christians in Damascus (Acts 22:12).

In a vision (en oramati). Zeller and others scout the idea of the historicity of this vision as supernatural. Even Furneaux holds that "it is a characteristic of the Jewish Christian sources to point out the Providential ordering of events by the literary device of a vision," as "in the early chapters of Matthew's and Luke's Gospels." He is content with this "beautiful expression of the belief" with no interest in the actual facts. But that is plain illusion, not to say delusion, and makes both Paul and Luke deceived by the story of Ananias (Acts 9:10-18; Acts 22:12-16, Acts 22:26). One MS. of the old Latin Version does omit the vision to Ananias and that is basis enough for those who deny the supernatural aspects of Christianity.

Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Acts 9:10:

Acts 9:10

 

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