Then He said to me, ‘Depart,for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
Parallel translations
- WEB “He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’”
- KJV And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
- BSB Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
- NASB And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
- NLT “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
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
Christ tells Paul to depart, for he will send him far away to the Gentiles. This is the climactic word that reveals Paul's calling to the nations.
Overview
The commission to the Gentiles is the turning point of Paul's defense and the flashpoint for the crowd's fury. It fulfills the promise that Christ would be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6; Acts 13:47). God's saving purpose reaches beyond Israel to embrace all peoples in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Acts 9:15But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.
- 1 Tim 2:7to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
- Eph 3:6–8that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,
- Rom 15:16that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
- Gal 2:7–8but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcision
- Acts 13:46–47Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
- Rom 11:13For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;
- 2 Tim 1:11For this, I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
- Gal 1:15–16But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me through his grace,
- Acts 26:17–18delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,
- Rom 16:26—
- Acts 18:6When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”
- Rom 1:5through whom we received grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake;
- Acts 13:2As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 22:21 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.