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And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Acts 9:6 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB But rise up, and enter into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
  • BSB “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
  • NKJV So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
  • NASB but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”
  • NLT Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

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

Jesus commanded Saul to rise and enter the city, where he would receive further instruction. Grace comes with a call to obedience.

Overview

The Lord does not reveal everything at once but directs Saul to wait for guidance through the church. This shows that even an apostle called directly by Christ is brought into the community of believers. Saul's submission marks the beginning of a life wholly surrendered to the will of the one he once opposed.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 29

  • Acts 22:10And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
  • 1 Tim 1:14–16And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
  • Acts 26:16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
  • Acts 9:15–16But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
  • Acts 11:13–14And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
  • Gal 1:15–16But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
  • Acts 24:25–26And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
  • Rom 7:9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
  • Rom 10:20But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
  • Acts 10:32Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
  • Rom 5:20Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
  • Acts 10:22And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
  • Rom 9:15–24For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
  • Rom 10:3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
  • Phil 2:12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
  • Acts 16:29–30Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
  • Isa 57:18I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.
  • Ps 94:12Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
  • 1 Sam 28:5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
  • Isa 66:2For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
  • Ps 25:12What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
  • Matt 19:30But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
  • Acts 2:37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
  • Ezek 16:6–8And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
  • Acts 10:6He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
  • Luke 3:10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
  • Ps 25:8–9Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
  • Hab 3:16When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
  • Jas 4:6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

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 9:6YouTube · 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 9:6 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.