Acts 9:20

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, "He is the Son of God."

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
He didn't waste any time telling folks anywhere and everywhere that Jesus was the Son of God.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

Legacy Standard Bible
and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

Bible in Basic English
And straight away, in the Synagogues, he was preaching Jesus as the Son of God.

Darby Translation
And straightway in the synagogues he preached Jesus that *he* is the Son of God.

New King James Version
Immediately he preached the Christ [fn] in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

Christian Standard Bible®
Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "He is the Son of God."

World English Bible
Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed the Christ, that he is the Son of God.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he was certain days with the disciples in Damascus: And straightway he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Weymouth's New Testament
And in the synagogues he began at once to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God;

King James Version (1611)
And straightway hee preached Christ in the Synagogues, that hee is the Sonne of God.

Literal Translation
And at once in the synagogues he proclaimed the Christ, that this One is the Son of God.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And straight waye he preached Christ in the synagoges, how that he was ye sonne of God.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Immediately he maintained in the synagogues, that Jesus was the son of God.

THE MESSAGE
The Blinding of Saul All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?" He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next." His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing. There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. "Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah. After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket. Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name. After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus. Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully. Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them. Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room. Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner.

Amplified Bible
And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "This Man is the Son of God [the promised Messiah]!"

American Standard Version
And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God.

Revised Standard Version
And in the synagogues immediately he proclaimed Jesus, saying, "He is the Son of God."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And streyght waye he preached Christ in the synagoges how that he was the sonne of God.

Update Bible Version
And immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, He is the Son of God.

Webster's Bible Translation
And immediately he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Young's Literal Translation
and immediately in the synagogues he was preaching the Christ, that he is the Son of God.

New Century Version
Soon he began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "Jesus is the Son of God."

New English Translation
and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "This man is the Son of God."

Contemporary English Version
Soon he went to the Jewish meeting places and started telling people that Jesus is the Son of God.

Complete Jewish Bible
and immediately he began proclaiming in the synagogues that Yeshua is the Son of God.

English Standard Version
And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And straightway hee preached Christ in the Synagogues, that he was that Sonne of God,

George Lamsa Translation
From that time on, he preached in the Jewish synagogues concerning Jesus, that he is the Son of God.

Hebrew Names Version
Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed the Messiah, that he is the Son of God.

International Standard Version
He immediately started to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "This is the Son of God."Acts 8:37;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and was (certain) days with those disciples who were in Darmsuk. And at once he preached in the synagogues of the Jihudoyee concerning Jeshu, that he is the Son of Aloha.

Murdock Translation
And forthwith he announced Jesus, in the synagogues of the Jews, that he is the Son of God.

New Living Translation
And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is indeed the Son of God!"

New Life Bible
At once Saul began to preach in the Jewish places of worship that Jesus is the Son of God.

English Revised Version
And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God.

New Revised Standard
and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, straightway, in the synagogues, he began proclaiming Jesus, that, This, is the Son of God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the son of God.

King James Version
And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Lexham English Bible
And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "This one is the Son of God!"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And strayghtway he preached Christe in the synagogues, that he was ye sonne of God.

Easy-to-Read Version
Soon he began to go to the synagogues and tell people about Jesus. He told the people, "Jesus is the Son of God!"

New American Standard Bible
and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

Good News Translation
He went straight to the synagogues and began to preach that Jesus was the Son of God.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And anoon he entride in to the synagogis, and prechide the Lord Jhesu, for this is the sone of God.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Here I am, Lord," he answered. ¹¹"Get up!" the Lord told him. "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." ¹³But Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name." ¹⁵"Go!" said the Lord. "This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for My name." ¹⁷So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. "Brother Saul," he said, "the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And he spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

straightway: Acts 9:27, Acts 9:28, Galatians 1:23, Galatians 1:24

that: Acts 8:37, Psalms 2:7, Psalms 2:12, Matthew 26:63-66, Matthew 27:43, Matthew 27:54, John 1:49, John 19:7, John 20:28, John 20:31, Romans 1:4, Galatians 2:20, 1 John 4:14, 1 John 4:15, Revelation 2:18

Reciprocal: Proverbs 16:7 - he Isaiah 29:24 - also Matthew 4:23 - teaching Matthew 16:16 - Thou Mark 8:29 - Thou Luke 2:26 - the Lord's John 9:35 - Dost Acts 5:42 - preach Acts 8:5 - preached Acts 8:35 - preached Acts 9:29 - he spake Acts 11:20 - preaching Acts 14:1 - went Acts 17:2 - went Acts 19:8 - disputing Romans 1:3 - his Son Romans 16:25 - and the 2 Corinthians 1:19 - the Son Galatians 1:17 - went Philippians 1:15 - preach Colossians 1:28 - Whom

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

Genesis 4:2
Later she gave birth to Cain's brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.

Genesis 5:29
And he named him Noah, saying, "May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed."

Genesis 9:18
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.

Genesis 9:19
These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.

Genesis 9:24
When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him,

Genesis 9:26
He also declared: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.

Deuteronomy 20:6
Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.

Deuteronomy 28:30
You will be pledged in marriage to a woman, but another man will violate her. You will build a house but will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but will not enjoy its fruit.

Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues,.... The Syriac version adds, "of the Jews"; that is, which were in Damascus, Acts 9:2 from whence it appears, that he was immediately, as soon as converted, qualified for the work of preaching the Gospel: nor did he confer with flesh and blood, or stand disputing and debating with himself and carnal reason, what was best for him to do; but as soon as he knew Christ himself, he preached him to others, and whom he always made the subject of his ministry; and particularly,

that he is the Son of God; the only begotten of the Father, the eternal Son of God, truly and properly God, of the same nature and essence with God his Father, and equal to him. His design was to assert and maintain the dignity of his person, which is the foundation of his office, as Mediator, and of all the wonderful things he performed: had he meant no more than that he was the Messiah, the sense would only be, that he preached that Christ was the Christ; but the meaning is, that he preached that Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, was not a mere man, but a divine person, even the Son of God: he set out in his ministry, with the principal and most fundamental article of the Christian religion, that which Christ asserted, and for which he suffered, and which all the apostles, and first Christians believed. The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read "Jesus", instead of "Christ".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And straightway - Immediately. It was an evidence of the genuineness of his conversion that he was willing at once to avow himself to be the friend of the Lord Jesus.

He preached Christ - He proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ. See Acts 9:22. Many manuscripts read here Jesus instead of Christ. Griesbach has adopted this reading. Such is also the Syriac, the Vulgate, and the Ethiopic. The reading accords much better with the subject than the common reading. That Christ, or the Messiah, was the Son of God, all admitted. In the New Testament the names Christ and Son of God are used as synonymous. But the question was whether Jesus was the Christ, and was therefore the Son of God, and this Paul showed to the Jews. Paul continued the practice of attending the synagogues; and in the synagogues anyone had a right to speak who was invited by the officiating minister. See Acts 13:15.

That he is the Son of God - That he is the Messiah.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 9:20. Preached Christ in the synagogues — Instead of χριστον, Christ, ιησουν, Jesus, is the reading of ABCE, several others of high importance, together with the Syriac, Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, and Vulgate.

The great question to be determined, for the conviction of the Jews, was that JESUS was the Son of God. That the Christ, or Messiah, was to be the Son of God, they all believed. Saul was now convinced that Jesus, whom they had crucified, and who had appeared to him on the way, was the Son of God, or Messiah; and therefore as such he proclaimed him. The word Christ should be changed for Jesus, as the latter is, without doubt, the genuine reading.

The first offers of the grace of the Gospel were uniformly made to the Jews. Saul did not at first offer Jesus to the heathens at Damascus; but to the synagogues of the Jews.