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 9:15 | "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings..." | Jesus reveals Saul's mission to Ananias. |
| Acts 26:16-18 | "...I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness..." | Christ directly commissions Paul for his universal witness. |
| Acts 1:8 | "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses..." | General commission to the apostles for witness. |
| Matt 28:19 | "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." | The Great Commission's universal scope. |
| Luke 24:48 | "You are witnesses of these things." | Jesus instructs His disciples about their witness. |
| 1 Cor 9:1 | "Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?" | Paul defends his apostleship based on seeing Christ. |
| 1 Cor 15:8 | "Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me." | Paul's unique personal encounter with the risen Christ. |
| Gal 1:12 | "For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." | Paul asserts his gospel's divine, direct origin. |
| Rom 1:5 | "Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles." | Paul's mission for global Gentile inclusion. |
| Rom 11:13 | "Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles..." | Paul's clear identification with his Gentile ministry. |
| Gal 2:7-8 | "...the gospel to the uncircumcised was entrusted to me, just as the gospel to the circumcised was entrusted to Peter..." | Acknowledgment of distinct apostolic callings. |
| Eph 3:8 | "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ..." | Paul's mission to preach Christ's riches to Gentiles. |
| Col 1:23 | "...the gospel, which you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven..." | Gospel's universal reach through apostolic efforts. |
| Acts 1:22 | "Beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." | Requirement for apostolic witness to Christ's resurrection. |
| Acts 4:33 | "And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus..." | Power accompanying early apostolic testimony. |
| Acts 5:32 | "And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given..." | The Holy Spirit confirms the apostles' witness. |
| 1 Tim 2:6 | "...who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time." | The core message of the testimony: Christ's atoning sacrifice. |
| Rev 1:5 | "...Jesus Christ the faithful witness..." | Jesus Himself is the ultimate faithful witness. |
| 2 Pet 1:16 | "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." | Peter emphasizes eyewitness testimony to Christ's majesty. |
| 1 John 1:1-3 | "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched..." | John’s declaration of his firsthand experience with Christ. |
| Isa 6:8-9 | "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.' And he said, 'Go, and tell this people...'" | Isaiah's prophetic call to witness (with a initially specific audience). |
| Jer 1:7-8 | "...but you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you..." | Jeremiah's broad prophetic call and divine assurance. |
| Ezek 2:3 | "...Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel..." | Ezekiel's prophetic call to Israel. |
| Joel 2:28-29 | "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh... Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit." | Prophecy of universal Spirit-empowered witness (Acts 2 fulfillment). |
Acts 22 verses
Acts 22 15 Meaning
Acts 22:15 presents Ananias's divine commission to Saul (who later became Paul), clearly articulating his future role as an appointed witness for Jesus Christ. This verse grounds Saul's entire ministry on his direct, personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the Damascus road—what he "saw and heard." Furthermore, it definitively establishes the universal scope of his testimony, proclaiming it "to all people," which primarily signified his calling as the Apostle to the Gentiles, thereby validating his apostleship through firsthand divine revelation.
Acts 22 15 Context
Acts chapter 22 details Paul's defense before a hostile Jewish crowd in Jerusalem. After being arrested in the Temple, he is permitted to speak, recounting his life-changing conversion on the Damascus Road. Verse 15 is a direct quote from Ananias, a devout Jew who was sent by the Lord to Saul. These words articulate a pivotal moment, following Saul's blindness and miraculous restoration of sight, delivering God's explicit commission for Saul's future ministry. This narrative serves as Paul's personal vindication for his actions and message, particularly his work among the Gentiles, which was highly contentious for many Jews. The historical context reflects the burgeoning tensions within early Christianity as it expanded beyond its Jewish origins, leading to friction over inclusion of Gentiles and the relevance of Mosaic Law. Paul's emphasis on his direct, divine call "to all people" was a direct challenge to the prevalent Jewish exclusivism, inevitably inciting further opposition from his audience.
Acts 22 15 Word analysis
- For (γὰρ - gar): This Greek conjunction serves as an explanatory link, introducing the reason for Ananias's prior statements to Saul in Acts 22:14. It highlights the divine purpose and necessity behind Saul's transformation—his destiny to become a witness.
- you will be (ἔσῃ - esē): This is a future active indicative verb, a declarative statement rather than a suggestion. It signifies a divine decree and a certain, predetermined aspect of Saul's calling and identity as willed by God.
- a witness (μάρτυς - martys): This Greek term denotes someone who provides testimony based on personal observation or experience. In the New Testament, martys often encompasses the willingness to suffer, even to death, for one's testimony (the root of the English word "martyr"). It speaks of authenticity, authority, and the inherent cost of following Christ.
- for him (αὐτῷ - autō): Dative case of the pronoun "he/him." This specifies Jesus Christ—"the Righteous One" from the previous verse—as both the subject of the testimony and the one on whose behalf the witness is borne. Christ is the focal point and beneficiary of Paul's mission.
- to all people (πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους - pros pantas anthrōpous): This phrase unequivocally establishes the universal scope of Paul's divinely appointed mission. It stands in stark contrast to the traditionally narrow, ethno-centric Jewish view of God's covenant, emphasizing God's inclusive plan for all humanity and foreshadowing Paul's unique calling as the Apostle to the Gentiles, a provocative claim to his Jewish audience.
- of what (ὧν - hōn): Genitive plural relative pronoun. It signifies the specific, experiential content and foundational basis of Paul's witness. His message stems from direct revelation, not human tradition or secondary reports.
- you have seen (εἶδες - eides): An aorist active indicative verb referring to Paul's actual visual encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road. This personal, firsthand "seeing" constitutes irrefutable, empirical evidence of Christ's resurrection and glorified state, providing the bedrock authority for Paul's apostleship, akin to that of the original Twelve who had also "seen" the Lord.
- and heard (ἤκουσας - ēkousas): Also an aorist active indicative verb, referring to Paul's auditory encounter with Christ's voice and direct words. The combination of "seen and heard" (a common phrase for establishing credible eyewitness accounts) highlights the complete, personal, multi-sensory, and undeniable nature of Paul's revelatory experience, establishing the objective reality and divine origin of his calling and gospel message.
- "you will be a witness" (ἔσῃ γὰρ αὐτῷ μάρτυς - esē gar autō martys): This declarative statement powerfully conveys divine commissioning. It underscores Paul's definite and unchangeable future role as Christ's appointed messenger. The phrasing combines certainty ("will be") with a profound office ("witness"), emphasizing the authoritative and essential nature of his testimony rooted in personal encounter with the resurrected Christ.
- "of what you have seen and heard" (ὧν εἶδες καὶ ἤκουσας - hōn eides kai ēkousas): This crucial phrase encapsulates the empirical, personal revelation from the resurrected Jesus that underpins Paul's authority and message. It serves as the experiential foundation that bypasses any need for validation from human sources or traditions, granting him unique, independent apostolic legitimacy and setting his message apart as divinely inspired truth. This direct encounter distinguishes his apostleship, consistent with other apostles who saw and heard the risen Lord.
Acts 22 15 Bonus section
- This verse represents one of three distinct accounts of Paul's conversion and commissioning within the Book of Acts (chapters 9, 22, and 26). The consistent details across these accounts—Paul seeing the Lord, hearing His voice, and being appointed as a witness to the Gentiles—underscores the reliability and divine authenticity of his experience and his foundational mission.
- The fact that Ananias, a devout Jew observing the Law, delivered this prophecy to Saul, who would become the "apostle to the Gentiles," serves as a significant bridge. It foreshadows and implicitly sanctifies the future Gentile mission within a Jewish context, even while it caused deep division, hinting at God's broader, inclusive plan through even unexpected human instruments.
- Paul often had to vigorously defend his apostolic authority, particularly against those who argued he wasn't truly an apostle since he wasn't one of the original Twelve. This verse, with its emphasis on his direct, divine encounter and personal instruction from Jesus, provided a fundamental argument for his God-given authority, demonstrating his message originated directly from God, not from men (cf. Galatians 1:1, 11-12).
- The phrase "seen and heard" evokes principles of legal testimony from the Old Testament, where eyewitness accounts were paramount for establishing truth. By rooting Paul's calling in such concrete sensory experience, the narrative affirms the factual, objective nature of his encounter and his subsequent testimony, positioning it as undeniable evidence.
Acts 22 15 Commentary
Acts 22:15 succinctly encapsulates the heart of Paul's apostleship, functioning as a definitive divine pronouncement through Ananias. It highlights that Paul's entire ministry stems from an unassailable personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus—a direct "seeing and hearing." This immediate, authoritative revelation not only validates his message as firsthand truth, not merely human doctrine, but also elevates his standing as a legitimate apostle alongside the original Twelve. The designated scope "to all people" marks the profound universalism of his mission, particularly his pivotal role in expanding Christianity to the Gentiles, shifting the Gospel's trajectory beyond its Jewish cradle. Paul's life became a living embodiment of this commission, replete with hardship, unwavering proclamation, and eventually, martyrdom—all faithful expressions of being Christ's designated martys.