The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me.
- KJV And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
- BSB My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.
- NKJV “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
- NASB And those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to 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's companions saw the light and were afraid but did not understand the voice speaking to him. The revelation was directed personally to Paul.
Overview
The detail that the others saw the light but did not grasp the words (compare Acts 9:7) marks the encounter as a personal call to Paul. Some take this as a distinction between hearing a sound and understanding meaning. Either way, God's saving call came to Paul himself, illustrating that spiritual understanding is granted by God (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Acts 9:7The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the sound, but seeing no one.
- Dan 10:7I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men who were with me didn’t see the vision; but a great quaking fell on them, and they fled to hide themselves.
- Acts 26:13at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me.
- John 12:29–30The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to 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 22:9 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.