Acts 9:7
in Acts 9The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man.
KJV
And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
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This verse in Acts 9
Commentary
11 notes on this verse"And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one." The light shines upon all who were with him, so that they might bear witness to this apparition, but it blinds not all of them, but only Paul alone, …
This site's exposition
stood there speechless
on Acts 9:7-9
The men with Saul stood there speechless and heard the voice but did not see anyone, while 22:9 says they did not understand it. The Greek puts voice in a different case in each verse.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
And they which were with him heard the voice of Paul, but saw no person to whom he answered-for the Lord suffered them to be hearers of what was less important. Had they heard the other Voice, they would not have believed; but perceiving Paul answering some person, they marvelled.
And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
Why then did those with him not believe? So that they might be credible witnesses attesting concerning Paul. For if they had believed, they would have seemed to testify in favor out of courtesy.
Those who were with Paul did not hear a voice from above, but Paul's voice. And they saw no one to whom he answered; Paul alone saw the one from above. For when they led him in, Paul himself says, "Those who were with me …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The men - stood - Having risen before Saul; for they also fell to the ground, chap. xxvi, 14. It is probable they all journeyed on foot. Hearing the noise - But not an articulate voice.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
No external means will of themselves work a change in the soul, without the Spirit and grace of God, which distinguish between some and others; among these that journeyed together, one is taken, and the others left. They stood speechless; none of them said, Who art thou, Lord? or, What wilt thou have me to do? as Paul did, but none of God's children are born dumb.
And the men which journeyed with him,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And the men which journeyed with him - Why these men attended him is unknown. They might have been appointed to aid him, or they may have been travelers with whom Saul had accidentally fallen in. Stood speechless - In Act 26:14, it is said that they all fell to the earth at the appearance of the light. But there is no contradiction. The narrative in that place refers to the immediate effect of the appearance of the light. They were immediately smitten to the ground together. This was before the voice spake to Saul, Act 26:
Stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man - The men were εννεοι, stupified, hearing της φωνης, the voice or thunder, but not distinguishing the words, which were addressed to Saul alone; and which were spoken out of the thunder, or in a small, still voice, after the peal had ceased. The remarkable case, 1Ki 19:11-13, may serve to illustrate that before us. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord; and the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lard; and after the wind an earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; and after the fire a still small voice; and when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What Dost Thou Here, Elijah! The thunder must have been heard by all; the small, still voice by Saul alone. This consideration amply reconciles the passage in the text with that in Act 22:9, where Paul says, They that were with me saw the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke with one. They had heard the thunder which followed the escape of the lightning, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to Saul; they did not hear the words, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest, etc.; but they saw and heard enough to convince them that the whole was supernatural; for they were all struck down to the earth with the splendor of the light, and the sound of the thunder, which I suppose took place on this occasion. It has been a question among divines, whether Jesus Christ did really appear to Saul on this occasion. The arguments against the real appearance are not strong. St. Luke tells us that those who were with him heard the voice, but they saw no man; which is a strong intimation that he saw what they did not. […]
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οἱ | hoi | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | And | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἄνδρες | andres | the men | G435 → | 216 times |
| οἱ | hoi | those | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| συνοδεύοντες | sunodeuontes | traveling with | G4922 → | |
| αὐτῷ | auto | him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| εἱστήκεισαν | heistekeisan | had stood | G2476 → | 153 times |
| ἐνεοί, | eneoi | speechless, | G1769 → | |
| ἀκούοντες | akouontes | hearing | G191 → | 425 times |
| μὲν | men | indeed | G3303 → | 176 times |
| τῆς | tes | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| φωνῆς, | phones | voice, | G5456 → | 139 times |
| μηδένα | medena | no one | G3367 → | 90 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| θεωροῦντες. | theorountes | seeing. | G2334 → | 58 times |
οἱ<the>
hoiG3588 →19766 times
δὲAnd
deG1161 →2765 times
ἄνδρεςthe men
andresG435 →216 times
οἱthose
hoiG3588 →19766 times
συνοδεύοντεςtraveling with
sunodeuontesG4922 →
αὐτῷhim
autoG846 →5565 times
εἱστήκεισανhad stood
heistekeisanG2476 →153 times
ἐνεοί,speechless,
eneoiG1769 →
ἀκούοντεςhearing
akouontesG191 →425 times
μὲνindeed
menG3303 →176 times
τῆςthe
tesG3588 →19766 times
φωνῆς,voice,
phonesG5456 →139 times
μηδέναno one
medenaG3367 →90 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
θεωροῦντες.seeing.
theorountesG2334 →58 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 22:9My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.
it leads to
- Daniel 10:7
Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them, and they ran and hid themselves.
- Daniel 10:7
Through
John 12:29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.
it leads to
- Job 37:2–5
Listen closely to the thunder of His voice and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
- Revelation 6:1
Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”
- Revelation 14:2
And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.
- Job 37:2–5
Through
Daniel 10:7Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them, and they ran and hid themselves.
it leads to
- Acts 22:9
My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.
- Genesis 3:10
“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
- Isaiah 2:10
Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty.
- Hebrews 12:21
The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
- Acts 22:9
Where this verse is studied
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Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 19; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.
