Acts 9:3

περιήστραψεν αὐτὸν φῶς — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular of περιστρέφω, “to whirl around, wheel around, rotate.”

Morphology:

• περι- = “around, about” (prefix indicating circular or encompassing motion)

• ήστραψεν = aorist indicative active 3rd person singular of στρέφω (“to turn”) → completes the stem περιστρέφω.

• αὐτὸν = accusative masculine singular pronoun, “him” (direct object).

• φῶς = accusative or nominative singular of φῶς, “light” (goal or direction of the turning, or if nominative, the cause/subject).

Literal sense:

• “He turned him toward the light” or “He made him face the light.”

• Action is completed (aorist), physical rotation or reorientation is implied.

Figurative / extended sense:

• Could indicate moral, intellectual, or spiritual reorientation (“turning toward enlightenment, truth, or revelation”).

• Common metaphor in Greek literature for guidance or awakening.

Construction note:

• περιήστραψεν + accusative object + accusative goal is classical Greek syntax for “turn X toward Y.”

• The verb here is transitive, and the accusative object marks the entity being turned; φῶς indicates the target/direction.

• φῶς as nominative (emphasizing emergent light, predicate sense) or accusative (emphasizing goal/direction).

• In περιήστραψεν αὐτὸν φῶς, context usually favors accusative directional reading: “He turned him toward the light.”

• If taken as nominative, the phrase could suggest light as the resulting state or effect of the turning.

Etymological clarification:

• περιήστραψεν derives from περιστρέφω, not ἀστράπτω (“to flash, to shine”).

• Though the stem -στραψ- superficially resembles ἀστράπτω, morphology and classical usage confirm the rotational sense, not luminous flash.

• If one wanted to form a verb from ἀστράπτω with the idea of “turning around in a flash,” the correct aorist infinitive would be περιαστράψαι (“to flash around”), which is used later in Acts 22:6.

Parallel Hebrew/LXX concepts:

• Transitive “bring near” or “turn toward” parallels סַב / פנה / הפך.

• The addition of φῶς as the goal mirrors Hebrew figurative language פנה אל האור (“turn to the light”) or סוב את פניו לאור (“turn one’s face to the light”), used both literally and metaphorically for guidance, enlightenment, or salvation.

Summary:

• περιήστραψεν αὐτὸν φῶς = “he turned him to the light” (physical, moral, or spiritual).

• Verb is rotational (περιστρέφω), not luminous (ἀστράπτω).

• Accusative construction marks the person being turned; φῶς marks the direction.

• Any figurative meaning (“enlightenment,” “awakening”) derives from the collocation with φῶς, not from the verb stem.

(cf. LSJ περιστρέφω)