Contradiction in the Bible - did they hear or not hear?
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 1:37 pm
Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9 shows contradiction which means that the Bible contradict itself
John W. Haley's, "Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible", is an excellent resource on this topic, and he includes an answer to this well-known conundrum (p.359), which is provided here:
Often when my wife speaks to me from the other end of the house, I will holler back to her, "What?" "I did not hear you." Obviously, I heard the sound of her voice, but I did not understand it. So, even in the English tongue, we use the word, hear, to reference hearing with understanding or mere hearing of sound. The original Greek of theses texts also suggest varying usages of the words, in case you want to investigate it further.John W. Haley wrote:Saul's attendants heard the voices (Acts 9:7) - versus - They heard it not (Acts 22:9; 26:14).
The Greek "akouo," like our word "hear," has two distinct meanings, to perceive sound, and to understand. (On uses of akouo with different cases, see Winer's Grammar of N.T. Idiom, pp. 199, 200 (Thayer's edition); also, Buttmann's Grammar, pp. 165, 166.) The men who were with Saul of Tarsus, heard the sound, but did not understand what was said to him. As to the fact that one passage represents them as "standing"; the other, as having "fallen to the earth," the word rendered "stood" also means to be fixed, to be rooted to the spot. Hence the sense may be, not that they stood erect, but that they were rendered motionless, or fixed to the spot, by overpowering fear. Or, perhaps, when the light with such exceeding brilliancy burst upon them, they all "fell to the earth," but afterward rose and "stood" upon their feet. (Compare Hackett, Commentary on Acts 9:7.)
I pray you will find this helpful.
If I were able to explain all of your contradictions, would you accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God?
I look forward to hearing from you soon.