Acts 22:15
in Acts 22You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For thou shalt be a witness for him unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
KJV
For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
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This verse in Acts 22
Commentary
7 notes on this verseBecause you will not betray nor forget what you have seen and heard. "What you have seen and heard." The Lord persuades Saul by means of both senses, that is, by means of sight and hearing. "Because you will be His witness before all people." …
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.
This site's exposition
His witness to everyone
Theophylact notes that the Lord won Saul through both sight and hearing, so his witness would rest on both. Albert Barnes explains the witness as an apostle's, telling all people that the Messiah has come, died and risen. Adam Clarke reads everyone as Jews and Gentiles alike.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"For thou shall be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard." "And hear the voice of His mouth." See how high he raises the fact! "For thou shall be His witness - for this, because thou wilt not betray the sight and hearing - both of what thou hast seen, and of what thou hast heard:" by means of both the senses he claims his faithfulness - "to all men." For he did become a witness to Him, and a witness as it ought to be; by what he suffered, by what he did, and by what he said. Such witnesses ought we also to be, and not to betray the things we have been entrusted withal: I speak not only of doctrines, but also of the manner of life. For observe: because he had seen, because he had heard, he bears witness to all men, and nothing hindered him. We too bear witness that there is a Resurrection and numberless good things: we are bound to bear witness of this to all men. "Yes, and we do bear witness," you will say, "and do believe." How; when ye act the contrary? Say now: if any one should call himself a Christian, and then having apostatized should hold with the Jews, would this testimony suffice? By no means: for men would desire the testimony which is borne by the actions. Just so, if we say that there is a Resurrection and numberless good things, and then despise those things and prefer the things here, who will believe us? Not what we say, but what we do, is what all men look to. "Thou shalt be a witness," it says, "unto all men:" not only to the friendly, but also to the unbelievers: for this is what witnesses are for; not to persuade those who know, but those who know not. Let us be trustworthy witnesses.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
For thou shalt be his witness unto all men,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
For thou shalt be his witness ... - As an apostle - to testify to all people that the Messiah has come, that he has died, that he has risen, and that he is the Saviour of the world. Of what thou hast seen and heard - Of the remarkable proof which has been furnished you of the divine mission and character of the Lord Jesus.
Thou shalt be his witness unto all - Thou shalt proclaim Christ crucified, both to Jews and Gentiles.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὅτι | hoti | For | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἔσῃ | ese | you will be | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| μάρτυς | martus | a witness | G3144 → | 35 times |
| αὐτῷ | auto | for Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| πρὸς | pros | to | G4314 → | 700 times |
| πάντας | pantas | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| ἀνθρώπους | anthropous | men | G444 → | 549 times |
| ὧν | hon | of what | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ἑώρακας | he'orakas | you have seen | G3708 → | 60 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἤκουσας. | ekousas | heard. | G191 → | 425 times |
ὅτιFor
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἔσῃyou will be
eseG1510 →2333 times
μάρτυςa witness
martusG3144 →35 times
αὐτῷfor Him
autoG846 →5565 times
πρὸςto
prosG4314 →700 times
πάνταςall
pantasG3956 →1235 times
ἀνθρώπουςmen
anthropousG444 →549 times
ὧνof what
honG3739 →1405 times
ἑώρακαςyou have seen
he'orakasG3708 →60 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἤκουσας.heard.
ekousasG191 →425 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 1:8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
it leads to
- Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
- Mark 16:15
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
- Romans 15:19
by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
- Acts 4:33
With great power the apostles continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all.
- Acts 5:32
Through
Acts 4:20For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 20:9
If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of…
- Jeremiah 20:9
Through
Acts 23:11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”
it leads to
- Acts 18:9
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.
- 2 Timothy 4:17
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of…
- Acts 18:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
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.