What he saw translates a word that is most often used in the sense of a “vision,” that is, something subjective and unreal (see 12.9); here, of course, the meaning “sight” or “something seen” best suits the context.

In many languages the equivalent of heard the Lord’s voice is “heard the Lord speak.” In fact, in some languages there is no noun for “voice,” only a verb for “speaking.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .