Acts 22:17

17 "And it happened that [when] I returned to Jerusalem and I was praying in the temple courts, I was in a trance,

Acts 22:17 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 22:17

And it came to pass, that when I was come again to
Jerusalem
Which was three years after his conversion; for he did not immediately return to Jerusalem, but went into Arabia; and when he returned to Damascus, which was three years after he came to Jerusalem; see ( Galatians 1:17 Galatians 1:18 )

even while I prayed in the temple;
the temple was an house of prayer; hither persons resorted for that purpose; and as the apostle had been used to it, he continued this custom, and during the time of prayer he fell into an ecstasy:

I was in a trance:
and knew not whether he was in the body, or out of the body: whether this was the time he refers to in ( 2 Corinthians 12:2 ) is not certain, though probable.

Acts 22:17 In-Context

15 because you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.

16 And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name!'

17 "And it happened that [when] I returned to Jerusalem and I was praying in the temple courts, I was in a trance,

18 and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry and depart {quickly} from Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'

19 And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that from synagogue [to synagogue] I was imprisoning and beating those who believed in you.

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("returned") which is understood as temporal
• [b]. *Here "[courts]" is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself