“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
- KJV And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
- BSB “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.
- NKJV And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
- NASB And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
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
When Saul asked who was speaking, the voice answered that he was Jesus, whom Saul persecuted. The crucified one is alive and reigning.
Overview
Saul's question and the Lord's answer confront him with the reality of the resurrection he had denied. The very Jesus he believed dead and discredited stands glorified in heaven. This revelation shatters Saul's worldview and lays the foundation for his lifelong proclamation that Jesus is Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Tim 1:13although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
- 1 Sam 3:4–10Yahweh called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”
- Job 9:4God who is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who has hardened himself against him, and prospered?
- Job 40:9–10Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?
- Isa 45:9Woe to him who strives with his Maker — a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’ or your work, ‘He has no hands?’
- Acts 26:9“I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- 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?
- Deut 32:15But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned God who made him, and rejected the Rock of his salvation.
- Ps 2:12Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
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 9:5 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.