Lydda

Biblical Account

Lydda appears in Acts 9:32-38. As Peter traveled throughout the region, he came down to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found Aeneas, who had been bedridden with palsy for eight years, and said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed" (Acts 9:34). Aeneas arose immediately. The text then reports the result: "And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord" (Acts 9:35).

Acts 9:38 adds that "Lydda was nigh to Joppa." When the disciples at Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent for him, and Peter went to Joppa, where he raised Tabitha from the dead.

Background

Lydda is a Greek name. In the Old Testament, Ezra 2:33 and Nehemiah 7:37 list "Lod" as the hometown of some who returned from the Babylonian exile, and Nehemiah 11:35 names it among the places where the descendants of Benjamin lived after the return. Scholars identify this Lod with Lydda. The same place name is also understood to appear in 1 Chronicles 8:12.

Lydda lay along the route from Jerusalem toward the Mediterranean, at the southern end of the Plain of Sharon. It is reported to have been about 18 km (11 miles) southeast of Joppa. In the later Roman period it was known as Diospolis. Today the Israeli city of Lod occupies the site, near Ben Gurion International Airport.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The Book of Acts traces the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). The account of Lydda belongs within that movement. Peter went from Lydda to Joppa, and from Joppa to the Gentile Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts 10). For this reason, Lydda is read as one stage in the journey that leads to the mission to the Gentiles.

Interpretation and Issues

• The healing of Aeneas and the healings of Jesus: Many interpreters see a resemblance between Peter's words and Jesus' words to the man sick of the palsy: "Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way" (Mark 2:11). On this basis they discern a theme in Acts: the apostles carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ. Some also interpret Peter's statement, "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole," as emphasizing that the one who heals is Christ, not Peter.
• The origin of the church at Lydda: The text says only that there were already saints at Lydda when Peter arrived. Some conjecture a connection with Philip the evangelist, who preached in all the cities from Azotus to Caesarea (Acts 8:40), or with the believers scattered from Jerusalem (Acts 8:4), but Scripture does not state this directly.
• Healing today: Whether this passage should be taken as evidence that the same kind of healing occurs today depends on one's position in the debate over cessationism and continuationism. Pentecostal and charismatic traditions often cite it as evidence that divine healing continues today. Some in the Reformed tradition hold that the signs of the apostolic age served a special role in confirming the gospel.
• The tradition of Saint George: According to tradition, the tomb of George, a martyr of the early church, is located in Lydda (Lod), and a church commemorating him stands there today. This is a later church tradition and not part of the biblical text.