Acts 22:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

NIV: My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

NASB: But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me.

CSB: "Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.

NLT: I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.

KJV: And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

NKJV: And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

Paul is explaining to a murderous mob why he was seen in Jerusalem with a Gentile.

When he was young, Paul trained under the rabbi Gamaliel to become a Pharisee. He so devoted himself to the Mosaic law that he approved of Stephen's murder (Acts 7:54–60; 22:20). He then hunted Jewish Jesus-followers to bring them to court where he voted for their executions (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2; 26:10). On the way to Damascus to hunt Jesus-followers, Paul met Jesus in a literally blinding light. Jesus accused Paul of persecuting not His followers, but Himself. Jesus then told Paul to go to Damascus and wait for His messenger. When Ananias arrived, Paul was still blind, but when Ananias laid his hands on Paul, scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again (Acts 9:3–19).

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul writes, "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited." It's not sure what this "thorn" is—or even if it's physical or spiritual. Some think Paul never fully recovered his sight. Others think Paul's thorn was a sinful temptation. The day after Paul's speech here, he will present his case before the Sanhedrin and accidentally call the high priest a "whitewashed wall" (Acts 23:3). It's possible Paul does so because he can't see who is before him.

Paul goes on to explain that he eventually returned to Jerusalem, where his conversion and aggressive evangelism style led former allies to try to kill him. God sent him away from Jerusalem and told him to spread His story among the Gentiles. While doing that, Paul met Trophimus, who came to Jerusalem with support from his church for the poor believers living in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26; Acts 20:4). This is why Paul and Trophimus were in Jerusalem together.

Acts 22:6–16 continues Paul's defense against accusations that he both breaks the Mosaic law and associates with Gentiles. He has described his early life training to be a Pharisee and persecuting the church (Acts 22:3–5). Now, he explains how he came to follow Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. His accusers show polite interest in his story until he arrives at the point in the narrative where Jesus tells him to give Gentiles the way of salvation. Paul's conversion experience is also recorded in Acts 9:1–19 and reiterated in Acts 26:12–18.

In Acts 22, a young Roman military officer realizes he cannot control Jews who do not wish to be controlled. He has just rescued Paul from a crowd that largely doesn't know why they want to kill Paul. In hopes of gathering information, the tribune allows Paul to speak to the crowd. The crowd listens only briefly, then explodes again. The tribune tries flogging but is foiled by Paul's Roman citizenship. Finally, the tribune schedules a meeting with the Sanhedrin. It does not go well (Acts 23:1–10).

Paul came to Jerusalem to tell the church of his ministry's success with Gentiles. The leaders are more worried about a rumor that Paul no longer respects the Jewish law. Paul agrees to perform a very Jewish ritual, but in the process is falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. A mob assaults him, and the Roman tribune arrests him (Acts 21:17–36). The tribune tries to uncover the truth by letting Paul speak to the crowd, then almost flogging him (Acts 21:37—22). Next, he will bring Paul to the Sanhedrin, to no avail (Acts 23:1–10).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in 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 ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.