In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,
- KJV Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
- NKJV “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
- NASB “While so engaged, as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,
- NLT “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul recounts that while traveling to Damascus with authority from the chief priests, he was on this mission of persecution. He sets the scene for his life-changing encounter with Christ.
Overview
Armed with official commission to arrest believers, Paul was at the height of his campaign against the church when God intervened. The detail emphasizes that his conversion was no human decision but a divine interruption. It prepares for the appearance of the risen Christ, who would transform the persecutor's journey into a turning point of redemptive history.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Acts 9:1–8Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest
- Acts 26:10And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.
- Acts 22:5–11as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
- 1 Kgs 21:8–10Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
- John 11:57But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.
- John 7:45–48Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”
- Ps 94:20–21Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—one devising mischief by decree?
- Jer 26:8and as soon as he had finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people seized him, shouting, “You must surely die!
- Isa 10:1Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,
- Jer 29:26–27‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 26:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.