Acts 9:7

7 And those men that went with him, stood astonished; for they heard a voice, but they saw no man. [Forsooth those men that went with him, stood made afeared, or out of mind; soothly hearing a voice, forsooth seeing no man.]

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 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou pursuest. It is hard to thee, to kick against the prick [It is hard to thee, for to kick against the prick].
6 And he trembled, and wondered, and said, Lord, what wilt thou that I do [And he trembling and wondering, said, Lord, what wilt thou me to do]? And the Lord said to him, Rise up, and enter into the city, and it shall be said to thee, what it behooveth thee to do.
7 And those men that went with him, stood astonished; for they heard a voice, but they saw no man. [Forsooth those men that went with him, stood made afeared, or out of mind; soothly hearing a voice, forsooth seeing no man.]
8 And Saul rose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. And they drew him by the hands, and led him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days not seeing; and he ate not, neither drank.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.