Acts 22:15 kjv
For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Acts 22:15 nkjv
For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:15 niv
You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:15 esv
for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:15 nlt
For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 22:15 | "...be a witness for me to all people of what you have seen and heard." | Acts 26:16 (Similar commission) |
| John 15:27 | "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning." | John 15:27 (Witnessing as disciples) |
| 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.”" | Acts 1:8 (The scope of witnessing) |
| 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 | "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. And last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, since I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." | 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (Paul's testimony of his conversion and apostleship) |
| Galatians 1:11-12 | "For I make known to you, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ." | Galatians 1:11-12 (Paul's authority from Christ) |
| Ephesians 3:7 | "Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his mighty power." | Ephesians 3:7 (Ministry as a gift) |
| 2 Timothy 1:11 | "for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher of the Gentiles." | 2 Timothy 1:11 (Apostolic appointment) |
| Romans 1:1 | "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God," | Romans 1:1 (Paul's calling as an apostle) |
| Isaiah 43:10 | "“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me." | Isaiah 43:10 (God's witnesses in the OT) |
| Jeremiah 1:5 | "“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”" | Jeremiah 1:5 (Pre-birth calling of a prophet) |
| 1 Peter 2:9 | "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." | 1 Peter 2:9 (All believers as witnesses) |
| Revelation 1:5 | "...and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood..." | Revelation 1:5 (Christ as the ultimate witness) |
| Matthew 28:19 | "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," | Matthew 28:19 (The Great Commission) |
| Mark 16:15 | "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”" | Mark 16:15 (The Great Commission) |
| John 1:17-18 | "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." | John 1:17-18 (Jesus as the revealer of God) |
| Acts 26:22 | "To this day I have been helped by God, and therefore I stand testifying both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass—" | Acts 26:22 (Paul's consistency in his testimony) |
| Philippians 2:15 | "...that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world," | Philippians 2:15 (Believers shining as lights) |
| Acts 13:47 | "For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the remotest part of the earth.'”" | Acts 13:47 (The Gentiles' calling to salvation) |
| 1 John 4:14 | "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." | 1 John 4:14 (Testifying about Jesus) |
| 2 Corinthians 5:20 | "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." | 2 Corinthians 5:20 (Ambassadors for Christ) |
Acts 22 verses
Acts 22 15 Meaning
This verse is part of Paul's defense before the Jewish crowd in Jerusalem, recounting his conversion experience. It signifies the direct divine commission given to Paul by Jesus. It highlights that his apostleship and ministry were not self-appointed but were appointed by Christ himself, to be a witness to all that he had seen and would be shown.
Acts 22 15 Context
This verse occurs in Acts chapter 22, where the Apostle Paul is speaking to a hostile crowd of Jews on the temple stairs in Jerusalem. He has just been rescued from a mob by Roman soldiers, and under the pretense of addressing them, he begins to share his personal testimony. Specifically, he recounts the story of his conversion on the road to Damascus, a story he has told before (Acts 9 and Acts 26).
In this address, Paul emphasizes his former zealous persecution of Christians and then describes Jesus appearing to him, commissioning him to be a witness. The surrounding context of this verse shows Paul attempting to explain his gentile ministry to his Jewish audience, asserting that his call is directly from God and validated by divine revelation. The immediate preceding verses detail the blinding light and the voice of Jesus, while the following verses show the crowd’s rejection of Paul’s message, leading to his being scourged and then appealing to Caesar.
Acts 22 15 Word Analysis
- And (καὶ - kai): A common conjunction used to connect clauses or ideas, indicating continuation or addition.
- you (σὺ - su): The second person singular pronoun, directly addressing Paul.
- shall (ἔσῃ - esē): Future tense of the verb "to be," indicating a future state or role.
- be (ἔσῃ - esē): Future tense, present middle indicative of εἰμί (eimi), meaning "to be."
- a (μClCompile) [This seems to be a typo or irrelevant string. It should likely be a Greek article, but is not correctly represented.]
- witness (μάρτυς - martys): A witness, one who testifies to a fact, event, or religious truth. This word is the root of our English word "martyr," underscoring the potentially sacrificial nature of testifying.
- unto (πρὸς - pros): A preposition indicating "toward" or "to," signifying direction.
- me (ἐμοὶ - emoi): Dative case of ἐγώ (egō), meaning "me" or "to me," indicating the recipient of the testimony.
- of (ὧν - hōn): A relative pronoun in the genitive plural, meaning "of which things" or "concerning which."
- all (πάντων - panton): Genitive plural of πᾶς (pas), meaning "all" or "every."
- things (ὧν - hōn): Refers back to the previous "of which things."
- which (ἃ - ha): Neuter plural accusative of ὅς (hos), a relative pronoun, "which things."
- thou (εἶδες - eides): Second person singular perfect active indicative of ὁράω (horaō), meaning "you have seen." The perfect tense emphasizes the completed action with ongoing relevance.
- hast (εἶδες - eides): See above.
- seen (εἶδες - eides): See above.
- and (καὶ - kai): Conjunction.
- what (ἃ - ha): See above, "which things."
- thou (ἀκήκοας - akēkoas): Second person singular perfect active indicative of ἀκούω (akouō), meaning "you have heard." Similar to "seen," the perfect tense highlights the hearing of events with lasting impact.
- hast (ἀκήκοας - akēkoas): See above.
- heard (ἀκήκοας - akēkoas): See above.
Groups of Words Analysis:
- "be a witness unto me": This phrase encapsulates the core of Paul's apostolic commission. It’s not merely to be an informant but a personal testimony of Christ’s reality and power, rooted in Paul's own transformative experience. It implies testifying based on personal knowledge and encounter.
- "of all things which thou hast seen, and what thou hast heard": This specifies the content of Paul's testimony. It’s to bear witness to the visible manifestation of Christ (the blinding light, the appearance of Jesus) and the auditory revelation (the words spoken by Jesus). This is a comprehensive scope, covering both sensory and verbal instruction. The use of the perfect tense for both "seen" and "heard" signifies that the experience, though past, has enduring results and will continue to inform his testimony.
Acts 22 15 Bonus Section
Paul's call to be a witness is representative of the call of all believers. While Paul’s encounter was unique and apostolic, the command to testify about Christ's work in our lives echoes the Great Commission. Our witnessing is based on our personal experience of God’s grace and the truths revealed in Scripture, which itself is a testimony to Christ. The verse implicitly calls for fidelity in proclaiming what one has truly encountered and understood through faith in Christ. This passage is vital for understanding the direct impartation of Christ's authority and mission to his apostles.
Acts 22 15 Commentary
This verse states the primary purpose for which Jesus appeared to Paul: to commission him as a witness. Paul is to testify about what he personally experienced – the resurrected Christ who appeared to him. This is a crucial aspect of his apostleship; his authority and message stem directly from a divine encounter, not from human transmission alone. The testimony is comprehensive, encompassing both what he saw and what he heard directly from Christ. This personal encounter forms the foundation of his preaching, particularly his emphasis on the resurrection and the saving grace of God through Christ.