Acts 26:12

Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goad. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee.

It was a midday (Acts 26:13).

Both in Acts 9 and Acts 22, there were given accounts of Saul's conversion; and all that is said in those chapters is applicable here. A number of interesting supplemental bits of information, however, are visible in this account of it. We are indebted to Boles for this summary of additional information derived from this third account:

The light was brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13).

The light enveloped the whole company (Acts 26:13).

The whole company fell to the earth (Acts 26:14).

Jesus spoke in Hebrew (Acts 26:14).

He said, "It is hard for thee to kick against the goad" (Acts 26:14).

There is a fuller account of what Jesus said (Acts 26:16,18).[23]

Regarding the last of these additions, it appears that some of the things told Paul by Ananias were also spoken to Paul directly from heaven, by the Lord. This would account for the full and immediate trust which Paul placed in Ananias' words. He knew they were also the words of the Lord.

Some scholars suppose that here, Paul merely blended into one account the words of both Ananias and the Lord; which, as both were truly "from the Lord," might actually have been the case.[24] We do not know.

Hard for thee to kick against the goad ... This is allegedly a Gentile proverb not in use among the Jews; but there is no reason thus to limit the prevalence of it. Every agricultural country on earth has either this or a similar proverb, and certainly nobody had to explain it to Paul. As the Lord was sending Paul to the Gentile nations, it was appropriate that such a Gentile proverb should have been used.

Many commentators on Acts have expressed sentiments similar to those of Boles, who said, "The variations in the three accounts impress us with the truthfulness of the narrative."[25] The variations are so natural and spontaneous as to place the stamp of validity upon all three narrations.

Of the things wherein I will appear unto thee ... This is a promise by the Lord of repeated appearances to Paul, as in Acts 18:9f; Acts 22:17f; and Acts 23:11f.

[23] H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 403.

[24] A. C. Hervey, op. cit., p. 266.

[25] H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 403.