Chapter
Verse

Acts 26:16

ESV But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
NIV ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.
NASB But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you as a servant and a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,
CSB But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.
NLT Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.
KJV But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
NKJV But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

What does Acts 26:16 mean?

This is part of Paul's testimony before the leaders of Caesarea Maritima, giving context for their benefit—specifically King Agrippa II. Paul is describing how he first met Jesus on the road to Damascus as recorded in Acts 9:1–19. We shouldn't expect the wording to be exact. Some of the words were not recorded in Acts 9. Some may be from what Ananias told Paul later. Others are representative.

God telling people to rise is a theme in the Bible. When Ezekiel fell to his face, overwhelmed by God's glory, God told him to stand so he could hear what God had to say (Ezekiel 1:28—2:1). Daniel, often overwhelmed by God's messengers, was told to stand (Daniel 8:18; 10:11). And Jesus had to tell Peter, James, and John to rise when they were overpowered by the voice of God on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:6–7).

"Witness" is from the Greek root word martys. It refers to someone who provides testimony to what he or she has experienced. Often, it refers to the Christ-followers who told others they had seen Jesus after the resurrection. But martys is also the source of the English word martyr. A martyr bears witness to the good news of Jesus not only with words, but with their lives, forfeited at the hands of those who reject that message. When Jesus told Paul he would be a servant and a witness, He's saying Paul will live and die to spread the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17; Colossians 1:24).
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