Acts 22:1 kjv
Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
Acts 22:1 nkjv
"Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now."
Acts 22:1 niv
"Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense."
Acts 22:1 esv
"Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you."
Acts 22:1 nlt
"Brothers and esteemed fathers," Paul said, "listen to me as I offer my defense."
Acts 22 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 21:39 | "But Paul said, 'I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure town." | Sets Paul's identity |
| Acts 22:2 | "And when they heard that he would speak to them in Aramaic, they heard him the more gladly." | Shows the impact of language |
| 1 Cor 9:20 | "To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews." | Paul's strategy of accommodation |
| Gal 3:28 | "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, that there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." | Universal unity in Christ |
| Rom 1:16 | "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to Jew first and also to Greek." | Gospel's power for all |
| Phil 3:5 | "circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;" | Paul's Jewish credentials |
| 2 Cor 11:22 | "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I." | Asserting Jewish identity |
| John 5:44 | "How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" | Seeking human approval |
| Acts 21:33 | "The commander then came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains..." | Immediate preceding events |
| Acts 22:22 | "They listened to him until this word, and then they lifted up their voices and cried, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he is not fit to live.'" | The crowd's reaction |
| Rom 10:2 | "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." | Zeal not based on knowledge |
| Ps 119:105 | "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." | Importance of God's word |
| Isa 55:11 | "so shall my word that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I aim, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." | Power of God's word |
| Luke 24:47 | "and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem." | Great Commission |
| Acts 1:8 | "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” | Commissioning of Witnesses |
| Mark 16:15 | "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." | Universal preaching |
| Eph 3:8 | "To me, though I am less than the least of all the saints—this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ," | Ministry to Gentiles |
| Acts 13:46 | "And Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly, saying, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. But since you thrust it away and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.'" | Turning to Gentiles |
| 1 Thess 2:15 | "...who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us..." | Jewish opposition |
| Acts 26:14 | "And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’" | Paul's conversion narrative |
Acts 22 verses
Acts 22 1 Meaning
Acts 22:1 introduces Saul (later Paul) addressing a crowd in Jerusalem. His primary purpose is to defend his actions and explain the divine origin of his ministry to the Gentiles. The verse highlights his desire to gain a hearing from his countrymen by speaking in Aramaic, the common tongue.
Acts 22 1 Context
This verse occurs in Jerusalem where Paul, having been rescued from a mob by Roman soldiers, is about to be interrogated. The soldiers mistakenly assumed he was an Egyptian rebel leader. Before facing scourging, Paul requests permission to address the crowd. He uses Aramaic, the common language of the people, as a strategic choice to gain their attention and potentially a more favorable reception, recalling his own heritage and prior zealousness for Jewish traditions.
Acts 22 1 Word Analysis
- "Brethren": (Greek: adelphoi) Refers to kinsmen or fellow Jews, a term of respectful address to his own people.
- "Fathers": (Greek: pateres) A term of respect for elders and authority figures within the Jewish community.
- "Hear": (Greek: akousate) To listen attentively, implying understanding and heeding.
- "Apology": (Greek: apologian) Defense or explanation, not an admission of guilt. Paul is not apologizing for his actions in the sense of saying "sorry," but rather presenting his case.
- "Speech": (Greek: laleo) To speak.
- "Ye": (Greek: humin) You (plural).
- "In the Hebrew tongue": (Greek: teebrais dialekto) Refers to Aramaic, the vernacular spoken by Jews in Palestine at that time, often conflated with or used interchangeably with "Hebrew" in some contexts.
Words-group Analysis
- "Brethren and fathers, hear ye my apology": This opening is a calculated appeal. By using "brethren" and "fathers" and requesting to speak in their common Aramaic dialect, Paul aims to bridge the gap with the agitated Jewish crowd, reminding them of his shared identity and heritage. This contrasts with his previous stance as a fierce persecutor.
- "The defense which I make unto you now": Paul is not begging for mercy but providing a reasoned explanation for his actions and the new direction of his ministry. It is a formal statement of his personal testimony and theological justification.
Acts 22 1 Bonus Section
The ability to speak Aramaic was a significant identifier of Jewish identity in the 1st century. Jesus Himself primarily spoke Aramaic. Paul, being a Hellenistic Jew from Tarsus, was educated and likely proficient in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew/Aramaic. His choice to speak in Aramaic here underscores his connection to his Jewish brethren and his sensitivity to their cultural and linguistic norms, even when facing extreme hostility. This echoes Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 10:16, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
Acts 22 1 Commentary
Paul's decision to address the crowd in Aramaic (Hebrew tongue) is a masterstroke in rhetoric and cultural understanding. It immediately disarms the crowd, which had been violently opposing him, by appealing to their common language and heritage. This act demonstrates his continued respect for his Jewish roots and his desire to be understood by his own people, even as he proclaimed a message that had alienated many of them. He shifts from being seen as a traitor to a fellow Jew presenting a personal testimony of faith. This demonstrates the principle of meeting people where they are in order to effectively communicate truth.