3893 — Voice and Sound
By Editor
Compare Acts 9:7 with Acts 22:9. Both passages relate to the same event, namely, to the conversion of Saul. In the latter, Saul is relating the events leading to his conversion as mentioned in Acts 9:7, and says, "They heard not the voice;" while the passage in Acts 9:7 reads, "hearing a voice." Would thank you for an explanation. F. J. This is one of the apparently contradictory passages of the Bible which are not contradictory at all if we would but take into consideration the widely diversified use of words. "Voice" is used simply of the sound, and also of what it utters. In Acts 9:7 the men who journeyed with Paul heard the sound, but did not understand anything which the voice said. The margin of the Revised Version renders it "sound." In Acts 22:9 Paul is speaking of what the voice said. Those that were with him "beheld the light, but they heard not the voice;" that is, they did not understand it, they did not grasp the words. Paul heard not only the sound, but he heard what the voice said. This is well illustrated by John 12:28, 29: "There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The multitude therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it had thundered: others said, An angel hath spoken to Him." Some of them heard only an indistinct sound like thunder, others knew that words were spoken. Jesus Himself heard the very words that were said. Looking upon it in this way, it is seen there is no contradiction between the two accounts. Rotherham also renders "sound" in the margin of Acts 9:7. Boothroyd renders Acts 9:7, "And the men who journeyed with him remained silent, hearing a sound, but seeing no man." And Acts 22:9, "And those that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid, but they heard not the words of Him that spoke to me."