Acts 26

Acts · Chapter 26

Acts 26:14

1Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:2I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:3Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.4My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;5Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.8Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,13At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.19Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:20But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.21For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.22Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:23That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.24And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.25But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.26For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.27King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.28Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.29And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.30And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:31And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.32Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
AllπάντωνpantōnG3956
all

πᾶς (pas) πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν, genitive, παντός, πάσης, παντός, [in LXX chiefly for כֹּל ;] all, every. I. As adj., 1. with subst. anarth., all, every, of every kind: Mat.3:10 4:23, Mrk.9:49, Luk.4:37, Jhn.2:1o, Act.27:20, Rom.7:8, Rev.18:17, al. mult.; pl., all, Act.22:15, Rom.5:12, Heb.1:6, al.; of the highest degree, π. ἐξουσία (προθυμία, χαρά), Mat.28:18, Act.17:11, Phi 2:29, al.; also the whole (though in this sense more frequently with art.), Mat.2:3, Act.2:36, Rom.11:26. …

andτεteG5037
and/both

τε (te) τέ, enclitic copulative particle (= Lat. -que as καί = and, ac, atque, not very frequently in NT, more than two-thirds of the occurrences being in Ac. 1. τέ solitarium, and, denoting a closer affinity than καί between words and sentences which it connects (BL, §77, 8): Mat.28:12, Jhn.4:42, Act.2:33, 37 40 10:22 11:21, al. 2. Denoting a closer connection than simple καί, τὲ . . . καί, τὲ καί, τὲ . . . τέ (Act.26:16 Rom.14:8), as well . . . as also, both . . . and: Luk.12:45, Act.1:1 15:9, 21:30, al.; τὲ . . . δέ, and . . . and, Act.19:2; τὲ γάρ . . . ὁμοίως δὲ καί, Rom.1:26, 27. (AS)

when were falling downκαταπεσόντωνkatapesontōnG2667
to fall down

καταπίπτω (katapiptō) κατα-πίπτω [in LXX: Psa.145:14 (נָפַל), etc. ;] to fall down: Act.28:6; before εἰς, Act.26:14; ἐπί with accusative, Luk.8:6.† (AS)

weἡμῶνhēmōnG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

toεἰςeisG1519
toward

εἰς (eis) εἰς, prep. with accusative, expressing entrance, direction, limit, into, unto, to, upon, towards, for, among (Lat. in, with accusative). I. Of place. 1. After verbs of motion; (a) of entrance into: Mat.8:23, 9:7, Mrk.1:45, Luk.2:15, 8:31, al.; (b) of approach, to or towards: Mrk.11:1, Luk.6:8, 19:28, Jhn.11:31, 21:6, al.; (with) before pl. and collective nouns, among: Mrk.4:7, 8:19, 20, Luk.11:49, Jhn.21:23, al.; …

groundγῆνgēnG1093I
earth: planet

γῆ (gē) γῆ, γῆς, ἡ, [in LXX for אֲדָמָה ,אֶרֶץ, etc. ;] 1. the earth, world: Luk.21:35, Act.1:8, Heb.11:13, Rev.3:10, al.; opposite to οὐρανός, Mat.5:18 11:25, Mrk.13:27, al. 2. land; (a) opposite to sea or water: Mrk.4:1, Luk.5:3, Jhn.6:21, al.; (b) as subject to cultivation: Mat.13:5, Mrk.4:8, Luk.13:7, Heb.6:7, al.; (with) the ground: Mat.10:29, Mrk.8:6, Luk.24:5, Jhn.8:6, al.; (d) a region, country: Luk.4:25, Rom.9:28, Jas.5:17; γῆ Ἰσραήλ, Mat.2:20, 21; Χαλδαίων, Act.7:4; ἡ Ἰουδαία γῆ, Jhn.3:22; with genitive of person(s), Act.7:3. (AS)

I heardἤκουσαēkousaG0191
to hear

ἀκούω (akouō) ἀκούω, [in LXX chiefly for שׁמע ] to hear, listen, attend, perceive by hearing, comprehend by hearing. 1. Intrans.: Mrk.4:3 7:37, Jas.2:5, Rev.2:7, al.; τ. ὠσίν, Mat.13:15 (LXX); with cogn. dative, ακοῇ ἀ. (see: ἀκοή), Mat.13:14, Act.28:26" (LXX) ; ὁ ἔχων ὦτα (οὖς) ἀκούειν, ἀκουσάτω, Mat.11:15, Mrk.4:23, Rev.2:7, al. …

a voiceφωνὴνphōnēnG5456G
voice/sound: voice

φωνή (phōnē) φωνή, -ῆς, ἡ, [in LXX chiefly and very frequently for קוֹל ;] a voice; (a) prop., of persons, Mat.2:18 (LXX), al.; φ. αἴρειν (ἐπαίρειν), Luk.17:13, Act.2:14, al.; φ. μεγάλῃ εἰπεῖν (λέγειν, φωνεῖν, etc.), Luk.8:28, Act.7:57, Rev.5:12, al.; γίνεται (ἔρχεται) φ. ἐκ τ. οὐρανῶν (ἐξ οὐρανοῦ), Mrk.1:11, Luk.3:22, Jhn.12:28, al. (cf. DCG, ii, 810a; Dalman, Words, 204f.); ἀκούειν φωνήν (-ῆς; see: ἀκούω), Act.9:4, 7 al.; φ. βοῶντος, Mat.3:3, Mrk.1:3, Luk.3:4, Jhn.1:23" (LXX) ; τ. θεοῦ, Jhn.5:37, Heb.3:7, al. By meton., (α) of the speaker, βλέπειν τὴν φ., Rev.1:12; …

sayingλέγουσανlegousanG3004G
to say

λέγω (legō) λέγω, [in LXX very freq., chiefly for אמר; λέγει for נְאֻם, Gen.22:16, al. ;] 1. in Hom., to pick out, gather, reckon, recount. 2. In Hdt. and Att., to say, speak, affirm, declare: absol., Act.13:15, 24:10; before orat. dir., Mat.9:34, Mrk.3:11, Jhn.1:29, al.; before ὅτι recit., Mrk.3:21, Luk.1:24, Jhn.6:14, al.; accusative and inf., Luk.11:18, Jhn.12:29, al.; after another verb of speaking, προσφωνεῖν κ. λέγειν, Mat.11:17, al.; ἀπεκρίθη (ἐλάλησεν) λέγων (καὶ λέγει; Dalman, Words, 24 ff.), Mat.25:9, Mrk.3:33, 7:28, Luk.24:6, 7, al.; of unspoken thought, λ. ἐν ἑαυτῷ, Mat.3:9, Luk.3:8, al.; of …

toπρόςprosG4314
to/with

πρός (pros) πρός, prep. with genitive, dative, accusative I. I. C. genitive, of motion from a place, from the side of, hence metaphorically, in the interests of, Act.27:34 (cf. Page, in l.). II. II. C. dative, of local proximity, hard by, near, at: Mrk.5:11, Luk.19:37, Jhn.18:16 20:11, 12 Rev.1:13. III. C. accusative, of motion or direction towards a place or object, to, towards. 1. Of place, …

meμεmeG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

andκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

sayingλέγουσανlegousanG3004G
to say

λέγω (legō) λέγω, [in LXX very freq., chiefly for אמר; λέγει for נְאֻם, Gen.22:16, al. ;] 1. in Hom., to pick out, gather, reckon, recount. 2. In Hdt. and Att., to say, speak, affirm, declare: absol., Act.13:15, 24:10; before orat. dir., Mat.9:34, Mrk.3:11, Jhn.1:29, al.; before ὅτι recit., Mrk.3:21, Luk.1:24, Jhn.6:14, al.; accusative and inf., Luk.11:18, Jhn.12:29, al.; after another verb of speaking, προσφωνεῖν κ. λέγειν, Mat.11:17, al.; ἀπεκρίθη (ἐλάλησεν) λέγων (καὶ λέγει; Dalman, Words, 24 ff.), Mat.25:9, Mrk.3:33, 7:28, Luk.24:6, 7, al.; of unspoken thought, λ. ἐν ἑαυτῷ, Mat.3:9, Luk.3:8, al.; of …

HebrewἙβραΐδιHebraidiG1446
Hebrew

Ἑβραΐς (Hebrais) Ἑβραΐς (WH, Ἐβ-), -ίδος (Aram. עִבְרַי), peculiar form of Ἑβραϊκός, [in LXX, ἡ Ἑ. φωνή, 4Ma.12:7 16:15 * ;] in NT, ἡ Ἑ. διάλεκτος, Hebrew, i.e. the Aramaic vernacular of Palestine: Act.21:40 22:2 26:14.† (AS)

language;διαλέκτῳ·dialektōG1258
language

διάλεκτος (dialektos) διά-λεκτος, -ου, ἡ (διαλέγομαι), [in LXX: Dan LXX 1:4 (לָשׁוֹן), Est.9:26 * ;] 1. conversation, discourse, speech (Plat., Dem., al.). 2. As in Polyb. and later writers, the language or dialect of a particular country or district: Act.1:19 2:6, 8 21:40 22:2 26:14.† (AS)

SaulΣαοὺλSaoulG4549G
Saul

Σαούλ (Saoul) Σαούλ, ὁ indecl. (in FlJ, Σάουλος; Heb. שָׁאוּל) Saul; (a) the King of Israel: Act.13:21; (b) the Jewish name of the Apostle Paul, used in the indecl. form only in address (cf. Σαῦλος): Act.9:4, 17 22:7, 13 26:14.† (AS)

Saul,Σαούλ,SaoulG4549G
Saul

Σαούλ (Saoul) Σαούλ, ὁ indecl. (in FlJ, Σάουλος; Heb. שָׁאוּל) Saul; (a) the King of Israel: Act.13:21; (b) the Jewish name of the Apostle Paul, used in the indecl. form only in address (cf. Σαῦλος): Act.9:4, 17 22:7, 13 26:14.† (AS)

whyτίtiG5101
which?

τίς (tis) τίς, neut., τί, genitive, τίνος, interrog. pron., [in LXX for מָה ,מִי ;] in masc. and fem., who, which, what?; in neut., which, what?, used both in direct and in indirect questions. I. I. As subst., 1. 1. masc., fem.: τίς; who, what?, Mat.3:7 26:68; Mrk.11:28, Luk.9:9, al. mult.; with genitive partit., Act.7:52, Heb.1:5, al; before ἐκ (= genitive partit.), Mat.6:27, Luk.14:28, Jhn.8:46; = ποῖος, Mrk.4:41 6:2, Luk.19:3, Act.17:19, al.; = πότερος (M, Pr., 77), Mat.21:31 27:17, Luk.22:27, al.; = ὅς or ὅστις (rare in cl.; cf. Bl., §50, 5; M, Pr., 93), Act.13:25. …

MeμεmeG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

persecute you?διώκεις;diōkeisG1377
to pursue

διώκω (diōkō) διώκω [in LXX chiefly for רָדַף ;] 1. to put to flight, drive away: Mat.23:34. 2. to pursue; (a) of persons; with accusative, without hostility, to follow after: Luk.17:23; with hostile purpose: Act.26:11, Rev.12:13. Hence, to persecute: Mat.5:10-12, 44 10:23, Luk.11:49 21:12, Jhn.5:16 15:20, Act.7:52 9:4-5 22:4, 7-8 26:14-15 Rom.12:14, 1Co.4:12 15:9, 2Co.4:9, Gal.1:13, 23 4:29 5:11 6:12, Php.3:6, 2Ti.3:12; …

[It is] hardσκληρόνsklēronG4642
hard

σκληρός (sklēros) σκληρός, -ά, -όν (σκέλλω, to dry), [in LXX chiefly for קָשָׁה ;] hard to the touch, rough, harsh, (opposite to μαλακός); metaphorically, in various uses; (a) of men, hard, stern, severe: Mat.25:24; (b) of things, hard, rough, violent: σκληρόν σοι (ἐστι), Act.26:14; λόγος, Jhn.6:60; ἄνεμος, Jas.3:4; σκληρὰ λαλεῖν, Ju 15.† SYN.: αὐστηρός, q.v (AS)

for youσοιsoiG4771
you

σέ (se) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

againstπρὸςprosG4314
to/with

πρός (pros) πρός, prep. with genitive, dative, accusative I. I. C. genitive, of motion from a place, from the side of, hence metaphorically, in the interests of, Act.27:34 (cf. Page, in l.). II. II. C. dative, of local proximity, hard by, near, at: Mrk.5:11, Luk.19:37, Jhn.18:16 20:11, 12 Rev.1:13. III. C. accusative, of motion or direction towards a place or object, to, towards. 1. Of place, …

[the] goadsκέντραkentraG2759
sting

κέντρον (kentron) κέντρον, -ου, τό (εκντέω, to prick), [in LXX: Pro.26:3 (מֶתֶג), Hos.13:14 (קֹטֶב), Hos.5:12, Sir.38:25, 4Ma.14:19 * ;] 1. a sting (4Mac, l.with): Rev.9:10. Metaphorical (as Hos.13:14): τ. θανάτου, 1Co.15:55 (LXX), 1Co.15:56, 2. a goad: pl., Act.26:14.† (AS)

to kick.λακτίζειν.laktizeinG2979
to kick

λακτίζω (laktizō) λακτίζω (λάξ, with the foot), to kick: Act.26:14.† (AS)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.