Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
Parallel translations
- WEB “When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
- KJV And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
- NKJV “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance
- NASB “It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,
- NLT “After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.
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
Returning to Jerusalem, Paul falls into a trance while praying in the temple. Even in the temple of the old covenant, the risen Christ meets and directs him.
Overview
Paul recounts a vision not described in Acts 9, showing how God guided his early ministry. That this revelation came in the temple would resonate with his Jewish hearers, affirming Paul's reverence for the place. God sovereignly redirects Paul's mission through prayer, underscoring that the spread of the gospel is divinely orchestrated.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Cor 12:1–4I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
- Acts 10:9–10The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
- Acts 26:20First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
- Acts 9:26–28When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.
- Rev 1:10On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
- Gal 1:18Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.
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 22:17 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.