I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’
Parallel translations
- WEB I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
- KJV And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
- NKJV And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
- NASB and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
- NLT I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
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 fell to the ground and heard a voice asking, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' The risen Christ confronts him personally.
Overview
Christ identifies himself so closely with his church that to persecute believers is to persecute him (Matthew 25:40). The repeated name 'Saul, Saul' carries both solemnity and tenderness. This question pierced Paul's conscience and began his turning from enemy to apostle of the very Lord he had opposed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jer 2:9Therefore, I will contend with you again, declares the LORD, and I will bring a case against your children’s children.
- Matt 25:45Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
- 1 Tim 1:13I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
- Jer 2:5This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me, and followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves?
- 1 Sam 3:10Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
- Gen 22:11Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
- Gen 3:9But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
- Gen 22:1Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Isa 43:22–26But you have not called on Me, O Jacob, because you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.
- Exod 3:4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Gen 16:8“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.
- Matt 27:23“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
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 22:7 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.