SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:7
Y los hombres que iban con Saulo, se pararon atnitos, oyendo a la verdad la voz, mas no viendo a nadie.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 9:7
Verse 7. Stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.] The men were enneoi, stupified, hearing thv fwnhv, the voice or thunder, but not distinguishing the words, which were addressed to Saul alone; and which were spoken out of the thunder, or in a small, still voice, after the peal had ceased. The remarkable case, 1 Kings xix. 11-13, may serve to illustrate that before us. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord; and the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lard; and after the wind an earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; and after the fire a still small voice; and when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, WHAT DOST THOU HERE, ELIJAH! The thunder must have been heard by all; the small, still voice by Saul alone. This consideration amply reconciles the passage in the text with that in chap. xxii. 9, where Paul says, They that were with me saw the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke with one. They had heard the thunder which followed the escape of the lightning, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to Saul; they did not hear the words, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest, &c.; but they saw and heard enough to convince them that the whole was supernatural; for they were all struck down to the earth with the splendour of the light, and the sound of the thunder, which I suppose took place on this occasion. It has been a question among divines, whether Jesus Christ did really appear to Saul on this occasion. The arguments against the real appearance are not strong. St. Luke tells us that those who were with him heard the voice, but they saw no man; which is a strong intimation that he saw what they did not.
Ananias, it seems, was informed that there had been a real appearance, for, in addressing Saul, ver. 17, he says, The Lord Jesus that APPEARED unto THEE in the way as thou camest, &c. And Barnabas intimates thus much, when he brought him before the apostles at Jerusalem, for he declared unto them how he had SEEN the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken unto him; and, chap. xxii. 14, where the discourse of Ananias is given more at large, he says, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee that thou shouldest know his will, and SEE that JUST ONE, and shouldest HEAR the voice of his mouth; so we find that hearing the voice, or words of his mouth, was not what is called the appearance; for, besides this, there was an actual manifestation of the person of Christ. But St. Paul's own words, 1 Cor. ix. 1, put the subject out of dispute: Amos i not an apostle? Amos i not free? HAVE I NOT SEEN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD? To which may be added, 1 Cor. xv. 8, And last of all, HE WAS SEEN OF ME ALSO, as of one born out of due time.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 7. And the men which journeyed with him , etc.] 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - So ill informed was Saul, that he thought he ought to do all he coul against the name of Christ, and that he did God service thereby; he seemed to breathe in this as in his element. Let us not despair of renewing grace for the conversion of the greatest sinners, nor let suc despair of the pardoning mercy of God for the greatest sin. It is signal token of Divine favour, if God, by the inward working of his grace, or the outward events of his providence, stops us from prosecuting or executing sinful purposes. Saul saw that Just One, ch 22:14; 26:13. How near to us is the unseen world! It is but for God to draw aside the veil, and objects are presented to the view, compare with which, whatever is most admired on earth is mean and contemptible Saul submitted without reserve, desirous to know what the Lord Jesu would have him to do. Christ's discoveries of himself to poor souls ar humbling; they lay them very low, in mean thoughts of themselves. For three days Saul took no food, and it pleased God to leave him for tha time without relief. His sins were now set in order before him; he wa in the dark concerning his own spiritual state, and wounded in spiri for sin. When a sinner is brought to a proper sense of his own stat and conduct, he will cast himself wholly on the mercy of the Saviour asking what he would have him to do. God will direct the humble sinner, and though he does not often bring transgressors to joy an peace in believing, without sorrows and distress of conscience, unde which the soul is deeply engaged as to eternal things, yet happy ar those who sow in tears, for they shall reap in joy.
Greek Textus Receptus
οι 3588 T-NPM δε 1161 CONJ ανδρες 435 N-NPM οι 3588 T-NPM συνοδευοντες 4922 5723 V-PAP-NPM αυτω 846 P-DSM ειστηκεισαν 2476 5715 V-LAI-3P εννεοι 1769 A-NPM ακουοντες 191 5723 V-PAP-NPM μεν 3303 PRT της 3588 T-GSF φωνης 5456 N-GSF μηδενα 3367 A-ASM δε 1161 CONJ θεωρουντες 2334 5723 V-PAP-NPM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
7. Speechless (eneoi). Only here in New Testament.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
9:7 {That journeyed with him} (hoi sunodeuontes autwi). Not in the older Greek, but in the _Koin_, with the associative instrumental. {Speechless} (eneoi). Mute. Only here in N.T., though old word. {Hearing the voice, but beholding no man} (akouontes men tes fwnes, medena de qewrountes). Two present active participles in contrast (men, de). In #22:9 Paul says that the men "beheld the light" (to men fws eqeasanto), but evidently did not discern the person. Paul also says there, "but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me" (ten de fwnen ouk ekousan tou lalountos moi). Instead of this being a flat contradiction of what Luke says in #9:7 it is natural to take it as being likewise (as with the "light" and "no one") a distinction between the "sound" (original sense of fwne as in #Joh 3:8) and the separate words spoken. It so happens that akouw is used either with the accusative (the extent of the hearing) or the genitive (the specifying). It is possible that such a distinction here coincides with the two senses of fwne. They heard the sound (#9:7), but did not understand the words (#22:9). However, this distinction in case with akouw, though possible and even probable here, is by no means a necessary one for in #Joh 3:8 where fwnen undoubtedly means "sound" the accusative occurs as Luke uses ekousen fwnen about Saul in #Ac 9:4. Besides in #22:7 Paul uses ekousa fwnes about himself, but ekousa fwnen about himself in #76:14, interchangeably.
