Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’
Parallel translations
- WEB Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
- KJV And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
- BSB And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’
- NKJV And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
- NLT What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
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
Ananias urges Paul to rise, be baptized, wash away his sins, and call on the Lord's name. Paul is summoned to respond openly to the grace he has received.
Overview
Baptism here is the outward sign accompanying the inward washing that comes through faith and calling on Christ (compare Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21). The cleansing of sins is grounded in the Lord's name, not the water itself; baptism signifies and seals what Christ accomplishes. Calling on the name of the Lord is the believer's response of saving faith (Romans 10:13).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Acts 2:38Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 2:21It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
- Heb 10:22let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water,
- Titus 3:5not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
- 1 Cor 6:11Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
- 1 Pet 3:21This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you — not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
- 1 Cor 12:13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.
- Ps 119:60I will hurry, and not delay, to obey your commandments.
- Gal 3:27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
- Rom 6:3–4Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
- Acts 9:14Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”
- Rom 10:12–14For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him.
- Acts 9:18Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized.
- 1 Cor 1:2to the assembly of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:
- Jer 8:14“Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for Yahweh our God has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 22:16 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.