· Translation: KJV

Acts 18:9The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Don't be afraid, but speak and don't be silent;

The setting

Corinth, Greece, ~51 AD. Night vision in a rented room. Paul had just been rejected by the synagogue and was considering leaving this notoriously immoral city.

The emotion here: exhausted and considering retreat after repeated persecution

The original word

phobou (φοβοῦ) — paralyzing fear that stops action, not just worry

Why it matters

Corinth was Rome's most sexually immoral city, with 1,000 temple prostitutes serving Aphrodite

Read with care

What most readers miss in Acts 18:9

Paul had ALREADY been beaten and imprisoned in Philippi just months before this vision

Common misconceptionPeople think this was Paul's first fear. Actually, he'd been fearless through beatings and stonings. This shows even the strongest believers sometimes need God's reassurance.

Bible Genome reading

Acts 18:9 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerJesus
Eraearly_church
Primary emotionresting
Literary typevision
MarkPromise of God
MarkCommand

Emotional genome

Comfort power90%
Quotability80%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance80%
Standalone70%
Themes:divine encouragementfearlessness

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Acts 18

Acts 18:9 comes from the book of Acts, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Jesus. The dominant emotion in this verse is resting, with a comfort power of 90% and a tone that is tender. It belongs to the vision genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine encouragement, fearlessness. Notable phrases: Don't be afraid, but speak. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains a command.

Your reflection

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