Chapter

Acts 9:32

ESV Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.
NIV As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda.
NASB Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to the saints who lived at Lydda.
CSB As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.
NLT Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda.
KJV And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.
NKJV Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda.

What does Acts 9:32 mean?

After the murder of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), a young Jew named Saul requested authority from the Sanhedrin: the ruling religious council of the Jews. His request was to actively seek out Jesus-followers and either force them to blaspheme against Christ or face possible execution (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2; 26:10–11). At the time, the message of Jesus hadn't traveled much beyond Jerusalem, but Saul's persecution drove the Jesus-followers away, as far as Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:19–20), and they took Jesus' message with them.

Saul expanded his reach, eventually traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers there and bring them to Jerusalem for trial. Before he arrived at Damascus, however, Jesus appeared and confronted him. Saul quickly realized he had been completely and horribly wrong. After being baptized, he became a powerful preacher, going to the synagogues and explaining how Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament (Acts 9:1–22). Eventually, he will go by the name Paul (Acts 13:9) and become the greatest missionary of the early church.

Now that Saul and the Sanhedrin are no longer a threat, Peter travels to spread the gospel. Lydda is 9 miles southeast of modern-day Tel Aviv and 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, it was the city of Lod (1 Chronicles 8:12). Peter is continuing the work he had done in Jerusalem: spreading the news about Jesus and performing miracles to authenticate his God-given message.

"Saint" is from the Greek root word hagios which literally refers to a holy person. In the Bible, it means any born-again believer in Jesus Christ. To be holy is to be set apart or sanctified. Every Jesus-follower is set apart by God for His redemption and His work.
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