Acts 14:9
What does Acts 14:9 mean?
A plain-English look at Acts 14:9 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Acts 14:9 means
While Paul preached, the lame man listened. Paul looked intently at him and perceived that he had “faith to be made whole.” Faith does not heal by itself; God heals. Yet God often works through faith as the hand that receives His mercy. Paul’s focused gaze suggests Spirit-given discernment. The man’s receptive heart met God’s gracious purpose, and Paul prepared to speak a commanding word. This moment shows the interplay of the preached gospel, the Spirit’s guidance, and personal trust. Public miracles in Acts are not random; they serve the proclamation and invite faith in the God who saves and restores.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The same heard Paul speaking: who, fastening his eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole,
KJV
King James Version · 1611The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The same heard Paul speaking: who, fastening his eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole,
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949This man was giving ear to the preaching of Paul, who, looking at him, and seeing that he had faith to be made well,
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862this one was hearing Paul speaking, who, having stedfastly beheld him, and having seen that he hath faith to be saved,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Said with a loud voice: Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped up and walked.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890This [man] heard Paul speaking, who, fixing his eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
Context
Following the introduction of the lame man (verse 8), verse 9 moves from description to engagement. The man is not a passive spectacle; he is a hearer of the gospel whose faith becomes evident to Paul. This primes the reader for the decisive act in verse 10, where Paul commands him to stand and the healing occurs. The flow is important: preaching first, perception of faith, then miracle. This order supports the apostles’ later insistence (verses 15–17) that the glory belongs to the living God, not to human power, and prepares for correcting the crowd’s misguided deification of the missionaries.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Mark 9:23
And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth.
- Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour.
- Matthew 9:28
And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
- Mark 2:11
I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.
- Acts 3:4
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, Look on us.
- Mark 1:40
And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
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