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He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
Acts 9:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
  • KJV And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
  • NKJV Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul,why are you persecuting Me?”
  • NASB and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
  • NLT He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “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

Saul fell to the ground and heard Jesus ask why he persecuted him. Christ identifies himself with his suffering people.

Overview

The piercing question reveals a profound truth: to persecute the church is to persecute Christ himself, so closely is he united to his people. Saul, brought low, must reckon with the living Lord he opposed. This union of Christ and his body becomes central to Paul's later teaching on the church.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • Zech 2:8For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—
  • 1 Cor 12:12The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.
  • Isa 63:9In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
  • Rom 11:22Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
  • Gen 22:11Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
  • John 21:15When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”
  • Acts 26:14–15We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
  • Gen 3:9But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
  • Acts 22:7–8I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’
  • Matt 25:40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
  • 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.
  • Luke 10:41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
  • Eph 5:30For we are members of His body.
  • Matt 25:45–46Then 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.’
  • 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.
  • 1 Cor 4:7For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
  • Num 16:45“Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aaron fell facedown.
  • John 20:16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
  • John 18:6When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
  • Acts 5:10At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (9)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 9:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 9:4 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.