For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Parallel translations
- WEB For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
- BSB You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
- NKJV For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
- NASB For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard.
- NLT For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul is told he will be a witness for Christ to all people of what he has seen and heard. His conversion comes with a commission to testify universally.
Overview
Paul's experience of the risen Lord qualifies him as an eyewitness and apostle (1 Corinthians 15:8). The scope 'to all men' anticipates his mission to Jews and Gentiles alike. Salvation in Christ is never merely private; those who receive grace are sent to bear witness to it before the world.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Acts 23:11And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
- Acts 4:20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
- John 15:27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
- Acts 10:39–41And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
- Acts 27:24Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
- Luke 24:47–48And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
- Acts 1:8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
- Acts 26:20But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
- Acts 1:22Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
- Acts 22:14And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
- Acts 26:16–18But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 22:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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