ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Acts 9.4

Book: Acts · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"2. and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3. And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven:"

"4. and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

"5. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: 6. but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:2-6, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"2. and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3. As he traveled, he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him."

"4. He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”"

"5. He said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6. But rise up, and enter into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”" (Acts 9:2-6, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"2. And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. of this way: Gr. of the way 3. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:"

"4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

"5. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:2-6, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"2. did ask from him letters to Damascus, unto the synagogues, that if he may find any being of the way, both men and women, he may bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3. And in the going, he came nigh to Damascus, and suddenly there shone round about him a light from the heaven,"

"4. and having fallen upon the earth, he heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute?'"

"5. And he said, 'Who art thou, Lord?' and the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute; hard for thee at the pricks to kick;' 6. trembling also, and astonished, he said, 'Lord, what dost thou wish me to do?' and the Lord [said] unto him, 'Arise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what it behoveth thee to do.'" (Acts 9:2-6, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Luke the physician (traditionally) / narrator + multiple speeches (Peter, Stephen, Paul)
  • Audience: Theophilus + Gentile Christian audience (companion to Luke)
  • Location: Jerusalem → Judea → Samaria → Asia Minor → Greece → Rome
  • Time period: events c. AD 30-62; composed c. AD 62-80

Theological reading

Key words

No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.