Acts 9:7

7 (Now the men who were traveling together with him stood speechless, [because they] heard the voice but saw no one.)

Acts 9:7 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 9:7

And the men which journeyed with him
Out of respect to him, to keep him company; or rather to assist him in his designs:

stood speechless:
astonished and amazed, they had not power to speak one word, nor to rise from the ground, and move one step forward; they were as if they were thunderstruck, and fastened to the earth; for this standing is not opposed to their being fallen to the earth, but to their going forward, and only expresses the surprise and stupidity that had seized them:

hearing a voice, but seeing no man;
that is, they heard the voice of Saul, saying, who art thou? and what wilt thou have me to do? but saw nobody that he spoke to, which surprised them; for it is certain they did not hear the voice of Christ, that spake to him, ( Acts 22:9 ) or if they heard the voice of Christ, it was only the sound of his voice, but did not understand what he said; but the former seems rather to be the sense, and the best way of reconciling the two passages.

Acts 9:7 In-Context

5 So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he [said], "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting!

6 But get up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you {what you must do}."

7 (Now the men who were traveling together with him stood speechless, [because they] heard the voice but saw no one.)

8 So Saul got up from the ground, but [although] his eyes were open he could see nothing. And leading him by the hand, they brought [him] into Damascus.

9 And he was {unable to see} [for] three days, and he did not eat or drink.

Footnotes

• [a] *Here "[because]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("heard") which is understood as causal