“Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;
Parallel translations
- KJV My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
- BSB Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and in Jerusalem.
- NKJV “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.
- NASB “So then, all Jews know my way of life since my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and in Jerusalem,
- NLT “As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem.
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 states that all the Jews know how he lived from his youth, both in his own nation and in Jerusalem. He grounds his defense in his well-known past.
Overview
Paul appeals to his publicly known upbringing as a devout Jew, establishing that his life is no secret. His point is that his present faith is the fulfillment, not the betrayal, of that heritage. By anchoring his testimony in verifiable history, Paul prepares to show how the risen Christ redirected a life devoted to the God of Israel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gal 1:13For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God, and ravaged it.
- Phil 3:5circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
- Acts 22:3“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.
- 2 Tim 3:10But you did follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness,
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 26:4 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
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