Acts 22:14
in Acts 22Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear His voice.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said, The God of our fathers hath appointed thee to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.
KJV
And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
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This verse in Acts 22
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHe said beautifully: "The God of our fathers," in order to show that they are not Jews, but apostates from the law, and that they do not act out of zeal for God. "He saw the Righteous One." He speaks so directly and forcefully, because …
This site's exposition
to see the Righteous One
on Acts 22:14-16
Ananias says the God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear His voice, making Paul an eyewitness like the twelve. The words His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard carry the vocabulary of witness running from chapter one. The command to be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name joins baptism to cleansing and to Christ’s name.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will, and see That Just One." It is well said, "Of the fathers," to show that they were not Jews, but aliens from the law, and that it was not from zeal for the law that they were acting. "That thou shouldest know His will." Why then His will is this. See how in the form of narrative it is teaching. "And see That Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth." See how high he raises the fact! For the present he says no more than this: if He is Just, they are guilty.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And he said, the God of our fathers hath chosen thee,.... From all eternity, in his everlasting purposes and decrees; or "he hath taken thee into his hand"; in order to form, and fit, and qualify him for his service; and may design both his call by grace, and to apostleship. The apostle represents Ananias as speaking of God, as the God of the Jewish fathers, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to show that the Christian doctrine was not contrary to the faith of the one God of Israel; nor did it introduce any other, or any new deity.
Christ is here called that Just One; for he is Jesus Christ the righteous, and suffered wrongfully. Observe, Those whom God has chosen to know his will must have an eye to Christ, and must see him, and hear the voice of his mouth; for it is by him that God has made known his will, his good-will to us, and he has said, Hear you him.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
And see that Just One - The Lord Jesus, called the Just One, in opposition to the Jews, who crucified him as a malefactor: see the note on Act 7:52. This is an additional proof that Jesus Christ did actually appear unto Saul of Tarsus.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Shouldest know his will - His will in the plan of salvation, and in regard to your future life. And see that Just One - The Messiah. See the notes on Act 3:14. As Paul was to be an apostle, and as it was the special office of an apostle to bear witness to the person and deeds of the Lord Jesus (see the notes on Act 1:21-22), it was necessary that he should see him, that thus he might be a competent witness of his resurrection. Shouldest hear the voice of his mouth - Shouldst hear and obey his commands.
The words behind it
25 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | And | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| εἶπεν· | eipen | he said; | G2036 → | 925 times |
| ὁ | ho | The | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεὸς | theos | God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πατέρων | pateron | fathers | G3962 → | 410 times |
| ἡμῶν | hemon | of us | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| προεχειρίσατό | proecheirisato | has appointed | G4400 → | 3 times |
| σε | se | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| γνῶναι | gnonai | to know | G1097 → | 221 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θέλημα | thelema | will | G2307 → | 62 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | of Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἰδεῖν | idein | to see | G1492 → | 374 times |
| τὸν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δίκαιον | dikaion | Righteous One | G1342 → | 79 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἀκοῦσαι | akousai | to hear | G191 → | 425 times |
| φωνὴν | phonen | [the] voice | G5456 → | 139 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| στόματος | stomatos | mouth | G4750 → | 78 times |
| αὐτοῦ· | autou | of Him; | G846 → | 5565 times |
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
δὲAnd
deG1161 →2765 times
εἶπεν·he said;
eipenG2036 →925 times
ὁThe
hoG3588 →19766 times
θεὸςGod
theosG2316 →1312 times
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
πατέρωνfathers
pateronG3962 →410 times
ἡμῶνof us
hemonG3165 →1936 times
προεχειρίσατόhas appointed
proecheirisatoG4400 →3 times
σεyou
seG4771 →2973 times
γνῶναιto know
gnonaiG1097 →221 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
θέλημαwill
thelemaG2307 →62 times
αὐτοῦof Him
autouG846 →5565 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἰδεῖνto see
ideinG1492 →374 times
τὸνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
δίκαιονRighteous One
dikaionG1342 →79 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἀκοῦσαιto hear
akousaiG191 →425 times
φωνὴν[the] voice
phonenG5456 →139 times
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
στόματοςmouth
stomatosG4750 →78 times
αὐτοῦ·of Him;
autouG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 9:15“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.
it leads to
- Galatians 1:15–16
But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
- Ephesians 3:7–8
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.
- Romans 11:13
I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry
- 2 Timothy 4:16–17
At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- Acts 26:17–20
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
- Galatians 1:15–16
Through
1 Corinthians 9:1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship in the Lord?
it leads to
- Acts 9:17
So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 9:17
Through
1 Corinthians 15:8And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 9:1
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship in the Lord?
- Acts 26:16
‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I…
- 1 Corinthians 9:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About Acts
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 47; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.