Acts 22:15
What does Acts 22:15 mean?
A plain-English look at Acts 22:15 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Acts 22:15 means
Ananias declares that Paul will be a witness for the Lord to all people of what he has seen and heard. The heart of Paul’s vocation is testimony, not speculation: he is to tell what the Lord revealed, centered on the risen Jesus. “All men” signals the universal scope—Jews and Gentiles alike—flowing from the Messiah’s mission. Paul’s authority is derivative; he speaks because he has encountered the Lord. This vests his later preaching with gravity and explains his persistence despite suffering. His task is clear: faithfully report the reality of Jesus Christ so that others may hear and believe.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000For thou shalt be a witness for him unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
KJV
King James Version · 1611For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901For thou shalt be a witness for him unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and of what has come to your ears.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862because thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752For thou shalt be his witness to all men of those things which thou hast seen and heard.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Context
Verse 15 follows the explanation of Paul’s appointment and revelation, extending it outward into public mission. It anticipates the later flashpoint of verse 21—Paul’s sending to the Gentiles—by already hinting at a universal horizon. Next, verse 16 will summon immediate response in baptism, linking inward call with outward confession. Together these verses frame Paul’s life as one of obedient witness, setting up the later conflict with the crowd when the Gentile mission is named explicitly.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Acts 22:14
And he said, The God of our fathers hath appointed thee to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.
- Acts 10:39
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree.
- John 15:27
and ye also bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
- Acts 27:24
saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Cæsar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee.
- Acts 1:22
beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.
- Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
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