Acts 22:6

6 1"As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.

Acts 22:6 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 22:6

And it came to pass, that as I made my journey
And had almost made an end of it:

and was come nigh unto Damascus;
about a mile from it, as some say,

about noon;
this circumstance is omitted in the account in ( Acts 9:3 ) and is mentioned here, not so much to inform what time of day it was, that Saul came to Damascus, as to observe how extraordinary that light must be, which then appeared, as follows:

suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me;
and not only about him, but those that were with him, ( Acts 26:13 ) . This must be a great light indeed, to be distinguished at noon, and to be above the brightness of the sun, and to have such effect upon the apostle and his company as it had; ( Acts 9:3 ) .

Acts 22:6 In-Context

4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,
5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 "As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8 And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'

Cross References 1

  • 1. For ver. 6-11, see Acts 9:3-8; Acts 26:12-18
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.