And a great uproar occurred; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
Parallel translations
- WEB A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”
- KJV And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
- BSB A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
- NKJV Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”
- NLT So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue forcefully. “We see nothing wrong with him,” they shouted. “Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him.”
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
Pharisaic scribes rise to defend Paul, conceding a spirit or angel may have spoken to him. His former party finds no fault in him.
Overview
The Pharisees' partial defense unintentionally testifies to Paul's innocence and to the reality of his vision. Their warning not to 'fight against God' echoes Gamaliel's earlier counsel (Acts 5:39). Though they stop short of faith, even Paul's opponents are made to vindicate him as God overrules the proceedings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 20
- Acts 22:17–18“When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
- Acts 22:7I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
- John 12:29The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
- Acts 25:25But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor I determined to send him,
- Acts 23:29I found him to be accused about questions of their law, but not to be charged with anything worthy of death or of imprisonment.
- Prov 16:7When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- Mark 2:16The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
- Acts 26:31When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”
- Acts 5:39But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it, and you would be found even to be fighting against God!”
- 1 Cor 10:22Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
- Acts 9:4He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
- Luke 23:4Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
- 1 Sam 24:17He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have done good to me, whereas I have done evil to you.
- Acts 11:17If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”
- Acts 26:14–19When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
- Luke 5:30Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
- Luke 23:22He said to them the third time, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.”
- Luke 23:14–15and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and see, I have examined him before you, and found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.
- Acts 27:23For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve,
- Acts 23:8For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.
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 23:9 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.