A.T. Robertson Commentary Acts 9:7

"And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man." — Acts 9:7 (ASV)

That journeyed with him (ο συνοδευοντες αυτω). Not in the older Greek, but in the

Koine, with the associative instrumental.

Speechless (ενεο). Mute. Only here in N.T., though old word.

Hearing the voice, but beholding no man (ακουοντες μεν της φωνησ, μηδενα δε θεωρουντες). Two present active participles in contrast (μεν, δε). In 22:9 Paul says that the men "beheld the light" (το μεν φως εθεασαντο), but evidently did not discern the person. Paul also says there, "but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me" (την δε φωνην ουκ ηκουσαν του λαλουντος μο). Instead of this being a flat contradiction of what Luke says in 9:7 it is natural to take it as being likewise (as with the "light" and "no one") a distinction between the "sound" (original sense of φωνη as in Joh 3:8) and the separate words spoken. It so happens that ακουω is used either with the accusative (the extent of the hearing) or the genitive (the specifying). It is possible that such a distinction here coincides with the two senses of φωνη. They heard the sound (9:7), but did not understand the words (22:9). However, this distinction in case with ακουω, though possible and even probable here, is by no means a necessary one for in Joh 3:8 where φωνην undoubtedly means "sound" the accusative occurs as Luke uses ηκουσεν φωνην about Saul in Ac 9:4. Besides in 22:7 Paul uses ηκουσα φωνης about himself, but ηκουσα φωνην about himself in 76:14, interchangeably.