Acts 22:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance

NIV: When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance

NASB: It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,

CSB: "After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance

NLT: After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.

KJV: And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

NKJV: “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance

Paul stands accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. This was not only a capital offense against the Mosaic law, but it also defiled a religious structure, which was a capital offense against the Roman law. Paul did not bring a Gentile into the temple. However, he did travel to and within Jerusalem with several Gentiles. He is trying to explain to a mob on the temple mount why he travels with Gentiles (Acts 21:27–40).

He started by recounting his youth when he studied under the Pharisee rabbi Gamaliel. Paul valued the law so much that when a mob murdered Stephen for his faith, he approved of their actions and watched their coats (Acts 7:54–60; 22:20). He then earned authorization from the Sanhedrin to arrest Jewish Jesus-followers in Judea and abroad and bring them to trial and possibly execution (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2; 26:10).

It was on one such excursion that Paul met Jesus. He accepted Jesus' offer of salvation in Damascus, far north of Jerusalem, and spent time in Arabia (Acts 9:3–22; Galatians 1:17). When he finally returned to Jerusalem, the disciples refused to meet with him, thinking he wanted to arrest them. Finally, Barnabas agreed to listen to his story and subsequently vouched for his changed heart. Paul being Paul, he immediately started preaching about Jesus in Jerusalem to the point the Hellenists—Jews who adopted Greek culture—sought to kill him. The disciples realized Paul was a problem no matter which side he was on and sent him home to Tarsus (Acts 9:26–30).

Here, Paul gives details about his stay in Jerusalem after his conversion. While praying in the temple, Jesus warned him Jerusalem was too dangerous; his mission field would be outside of Judea, in the territories of the Gentiles (Acts229:18–21; 22:18, 21). In the original account, Jesus told Ananias that He chose Paul to share His story with the Gentiles (Acts 9:15); there's no contradiction if Jesus gave the same message to two different men years apart.

Acts 22:17–22 comes after a mob has accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the temple. He did not, but he has traveled to Jerusalem with them. He's trying to explain how years ago, Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus and not only saved him but selected him. Paul's new role was to bring that same message of forgiveness to the Gentiles, including the man seen with Paul in the city. The crowd rejects Paul's explanation, the Romans arrest him, and he stays under house arrest for five years. Paul's conversion experience is described in Acts 9:1–19 and he repeats his story 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.