Acts 22:21

But the Lord said to me, ‘No, do not stay here! Leave Jerusalem, because I am going to send you (sg) far away from here to non-Jewish people!’”

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

In Context

20They remember that when Stephen was killed [MTY] {when people killed [MTY] Stephen} because he told people about you, I stood there watching it all and approving what they were doing. I even guarded the outer garments that those who were murdering him had thrown aside. So if I stay here, the fact that I have changed how I think about you will surely impress those leaders of our people.’

22The people listened quietly to what Paul was saying until he mentioned the Lord sending him to non-Jewish people. Then they began shouting angrily, “Kill him! He does not deserve to live any longer!” They said that because they could not believe that God would save anyone except Jews.

Read all of Acts 22

Cross References

Acts 9:15But the Lord Jesus told Ananias, “Go to Saul! Do what I say, because I have chosen him to serve me in order that he might speak about me [MTY] both to non-Jewish people and their kings and to the Israeli people.

Acts 13:46Then, speaking very boldly, Paul and Barnabas said to those Jewish leaders, “ We two had to speak the message from God about Jesus to you Jews first before we proclaim it to non-Jews, because God commanded us to do that. But you are rejecting God’s message. By doing that, you have shown that you are not worthy ◄to have eternal life/to live eternally with God►. Therefore, we are leaving you, and now we will go to the non-Jewish people to tell them the message from God.

Acts 26:17I will protect you from those who will try to harm you, both your own people and also those who are not Jewish. I am sending you to non-Jews

Romans 11:13Now it is to you non-Jews that I am saying what follows. I am the one who is the apostle to non-Jews, and I highly esteem this work that God appointed me to do.

Romans 16:26but which has now been {which he has now} revealed. I, along with others, have proclaimed what the prophets wrote about Christ. We are doing what the eternal God commanded us(exc)/me to do. We want people in all ethnic groups to know Christ so that they can believe in him and obey him.

Galatians 2:7Instead of those leaders adding to the message that I tell people, they understood that I had been given the good message {God had given the good message to me} so that I might proclaim it to the non-Jews [MTY], just like God had given the good message to Peter so that he might tell it to those who are Jews [MTY].

Matthew Henry on Acts 22:4-22

Paul's First Defence. 3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Acts 22:21