Acts 28:9 · Bible study
Acts 28:9 Commentary: The Rest Came and Were Healed, Meaning & Context
Greek · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
The collective healing on Malta reveals the purpose of Paul's miraculous ministry: to confirm the gospel and demonstrate God's power over disease.
Research Summary
- Meaning: After Paul heals Publius's father, all the sick on Malta come to him and are healed over the next three months, confirming the gospel through apostolic signs.
- Key words: ἀσθένεια (astheneia), infirmities; προσέρχομαι (proserchomai), come to; θεραπεύω (therapeuo), heal/cure.
- Main debate: Whether the healings were a one-time event or ongoing ministry (Greek imperfect supports sustained action).
- Theological theme: The gospel is confirmed by signs of divine power, even in remote places and circumstances.
- Best use: A model for mission that combines verbal proclamation with compassionate healing prayer.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
After this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured as well.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Then when this was done, the rest also who had diseases in the island came and were cured.
KJV King James Version 1769
So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And when this was done, the rest also that had diseases in the island came, and were cured:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
this, therefore, being done, the others also in the island having infirmities were coming and were healed;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But this having taken place, the rest also who had sicknesses in the island came and were healed:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Which being done, all that had diseases in the island came and were healed.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y esto hecho, también los otros que en la isla tenían enfermedades, llegaban, y eran sanados:
Tendo então isto acontecido, também vieram a ele outros que tinham enfermidades, e foram curados;
Là-dessus, vinrent les autres malades de l’ île, et ils furent guéris.
Da das geschah, kamen auch die andern auf der Insel herzu, die Krankheiten hatten, und ließen sich gesund machen.
Als dit dan geschied was, kwamen ook tot hem de anderen, die krankheden hadden in het eiland, en werden genezen.
Avvenuto questo, anche gli altri che aveano delle infermità nell’isola, vennero, e furon guariti;
To gdy się stało, tedy drudzy, którzy byli złożeni chorobami na onej wyspie, przychodzili i byli uzdrowieni;
После сего события и прочие на острове, имевшие болезни, приходили и были исцеляемы,
從此， 島 上 其餘的 病人 也 來， 得了醫治。
And when this took place, all the others in the island who had diseases came and were made well.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Acts 28:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Acts 28:9 describes a sustained outpouring of healing during Paul's three months on Malta. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown draw attention to the Greek imperfect tense: the sick “kept coming to us and getting healed” over time, not all at once. The Cambridge Bible prefers the rendering “the rest also” (οἱ λοιποί), indicating that after Publius’s father was healed, virtually every other ill person on the island came. Adam Clarke notes that Luke, a physician, is not called to assist; the cure came solely through Paul’s prayer and laying on of hands. Matthew Henry sees this as God’s purpose in the shipwreck: even a stormy wind fulfills divine counsel. The healings are not isolated miracles but a pattern of gospel confirmation, leading the Maltese to honor the missionaries and supply their needs (v.10).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The healings were a direct result of Paul's prayer and demonstrated God's power, leading to honor and provision for the missionaries.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of healings | The sick came from across the island over three months. | Whether 'the rest also' means all without exception (Cambridge) or simply many (other translations suggest 'others also'). |
| Role of Paul's prayer | Healing resulted from Paul's prayer and laying on of hands, not from medical skill (Clarke). | Whether Luke's silence about his own role as a physician implies that prayer alone was the means, or that Luke chose to highlight Paul's role. |
| Purpose of the healings | The healings served as confirmation of the gospel and led to honor and provision. | Some see the healings as primarily compassion, others as authenticating signs of apostolic authority. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The island of Melita (modern Malta) lay about 60 miles south of Sicily. After a harrowing shipwreck described in Acts 27, Paul and 275 others, prisoners, soldiers, sailors, washed ashore in late autumn. The inhabitants, called “barbarians” in the original sense of non-Greek speakers, showed unexpected kindness (v.2). Paul’s survival of a viper bite (v.3-6) shifted public opinion: first he was a murderer, then a god. This set the stage for his meeting with Publius, the “first man of the island,” whose estate likely provided hospitality.
The healing of Publius’s father of fever and dysentery (v.8) was the catalyst. Word spread, and over the three months before a spring sailing (v.11), “the rest also who had diseases” came. The passive verb “were cured” (ἐθεραπεύοντο) emphasizes God as the agent. Luke does not portray this as Paul’s initiative; the sick came to him. This mirrors earlier scenes in Acts where crowds flocked to the apostles (Acts 5:15-16). But here the setting is not Jerusalem or a synagogue; it is a remote island whose people had no prior exposure to the gospel. Paul carried his apostolic calling wherever God placed him, even a shipwreck became a mission field.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Acts 28:9. The Greek text is stable across the manuscript tradition.
Reception History
In the early church, this passage was read alongside Acts 5:15-16 as evidence that apostolic healing continued beyond the Jewish homeland. The island of Malta has traditionally been regarded as the place of Paul's winter stay, and local tradition preserves sites associated with this event. During the Reformation, commentators like Matthew Henry emphasized that God's providence brings his servants into unexpected fields. In modern mission studies, Acts 28:9 is often cited as an example of how hospitality and healing open doors for the gospel among those who have not heard.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- One healing opens a door. Paul’s prayer for Publius’s father (v.8) is not the end; it is the beginning. The word spreads, and the whole island hears.
- God’s power is not limited to Jewish or Roman centers. On a remote island, the same signs that confirmed the gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 5:15) confirm it here. No place is outside God’s reach.
- Physical healing points to a deeper salvation. The Maltese respond with honor and provision (v.10). They do not worship Paul, they serve him. The miracle leads to relationship, not mere amazement.
Five-point outline
- Catalyst: Paul prays and heals Publius’s father.
- Report: News travels across the island.
- Invitation: All who are sick come to Paul.
- Encounter: Paul prays and lays hands on each.
- Outcome: Healings, then honor and provision for the journey.
Illustration hooks
- A neighborhood where one family’s kindness draws others out of isolation. One act of trust invites a community.
- A mission team that arrives with no facility, just willingness, and finds that people come because they heard about a single answered prayer.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If Paul could heal all the sick on Malta, why does God not heal everyone today?
- Was Paul’s healing ministry a special apostolic gift, or should we expect similar results now?
- How do we balance physical compassion with spiritual proclamation?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows how the gospel spreads not only through preaching but through tangible compassion that meets real needs. In a small group, explore the connection between healing and witness.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about the timing and scope of these healings? (continuous over three months, all the sick came)
- Why do you think Luke highlights that Paul “prayed and laid his hands” on the sick? What does this teach about the source of healing?
- The Maltese responded with “many honors” and provision. What does this suggest about their understanding of what happened?
- What barriers might keep a modern church from being a place where people come with their physical needs?
- Paul did not seek out these sick people; they came to him. How can we create environments where people in need feel welcome to come to us?
- The shipwreck seemed like a disaster, but God used it for blessing. Share a time when a difficulty opened an unexpected opportunity for good.
- Pray for opportunities to serve physical needs in your community this week.
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 4:24 | The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. |
| Mark 6:54 | When they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, |
| Mark 6:56 | Wherever he entered—into villages, or into cities, or into the country—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched him were made well. |
| Acts 5:12 | By the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. They were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. |
| Acts 5:15 | They even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mattresses, so that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might overshadow some of them. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes the striking detail that Luke, though a physician, is never asked to treat the sick. Paul alone prays, lays on hands, and heals. The implication is that these cures came through divine power, not medicine, and were not limited to the chief official but extended to all the diseased on the island.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools notes that the honors Paul received were not fees for healing but genuine gifts from grateful people. They emphasize that "the rest" means all the sick on the island came for healing, and "departed" specifically refers to sailing. The bounty was generous, led by Publius's example.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
When this then was done, other also in the Yle, which had diseases, came to him, and were healed,
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the chain reaction set off by a single miracle: its fame spreads across the entire island, drawing people from every part to the apostle. The result is universal healing—every disease brought to him is cured, with no limitation mentioned.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB clarifies that the healings described were not instantaneous or all at once. Instead, people kept coming to Paul and his companions and were healed gradually, throughout the duration of their stay on the island. This ongoing work points to a sustained period of miraculous ministry.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry sees the shipwreck as no accident but God's purposeful guidance — Paul lands on Malta through a storm because God has work for him there. He notes the irony of how the islanders first judge Paul a murderer, then a god, while he simply gathers sticks like anyone else.