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Acts 9:11
ESV And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,
NIV The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
NASB And the Lord said to him, 'Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,
CSB "Get up and go to the street called Straight," the Lord said to him, "to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there.
NLT The Lord said, 'Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.
KJV And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
NKJV So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

What does Acts 9:11 mean?

Jesus is speaking through a vision to Ananias, one of His followers in Damascus. Saul, a Pharisee-trained devout Jew, set out for the city to arrest any Jewish Jesus-followers and return them to Jerusalem for trial. Part of the concessions the Roman government gave the Jewish leaders was that they had religious jurisdiction over all who followed their religion; even though Damascus is 133 miles from Jerusalem, Saul has the authority and Ananias knows it.

In addition, Saul is from Tarsus. Tarsus is one of the many cities outside of Italy where those born there receive Roman citizenship. Saul is doubly protected.

Even while still identified as the Judaism-following Saul, the man who will be best known as the Jesus-follower Paul already had a habit of prayer. Prayer will be a significant part of Paul's ministry, and he will write to the churches about its importance (Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Even now, after Jesus tells Saul to wait until he is told what to do (Acts 9:6), Saul communes with God and readies his heart for God's message. He knows that prayer isn't just for requests. Any time we communicate with someone, we understand them better and, hopefully, grow closer to them. Saul is at a very confusing point in his life, and he needs to stay grounded.
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