Devine Scripture

Acts 22:2

What does Acts 22:2 mean?

A plain-English look at Acts 22:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Acts 22:2 means

When Paul speaks in the Hebrew language, the crowd grows quieter. Hearing their own sacred tongue assures them he is no foreign agitator and that he honors their heritage. This detail underscores Paul’s wisdom: he meets people where they are, removing unnecessary barriers so the real issues can come to light. The hush signals a brief window of receptivity. It also sets the stage for his testimony to be weighed not as rumor but as firsthand report. The quiet is not approval but attention—enough space for Paul to narrate his journey from zealot persecutor to servant of the very Jesus he once opposed.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And when they heard that he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, they were the more quiet: and he saith,

KJV

King James Version · 1611

(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And when they heard that he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, they were the more quiet: and he saith,

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And, hearing him talking in the Hebrew language, they became the more quiet, and he said,

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and they having heard that in the Hebrew dialect he was speaking to them, gave the more silence, and he saith, --

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

(And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more silence.)

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,

Context

Following his respectful appeal, Paul switches to Hebrew to secure the audience’s focus. The crowd’s increased quiet in verse 2 builds momentum for the autobiographical defense that begins in verse 3. This sequence matters because it shows how Paul gains a hearing in a hostile environment. The narrative will now move quickly: Paul will establish his Jewish credentials, confess his persecution of “the Way,” and then recount the Damascus encounter that transformed him. The quiet will not last; the turning point will come when he mentions his mission to the Gentiles.

v.1Brethren and fathers, hear ye the defence which I now make unto you.

v.2This passage

v.3I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye all are this day:

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Acts 21:40

    And when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with the hand unto the people; and when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, saying,

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