“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Parallel translations
- WEB “I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- KJV I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- BSB So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- NASB “So I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- NLT “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.
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 confesses that he himself once thought he ought to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He begins recounting his former hostility to Christ.
Overview
Paul candidly admits his past conviction that he was serving God by fighting the gospel. This honesty highlights the dramatic reversal his conversion brought. His testimony shows that even a zealous enemy of Christ can be transformed by grace, magnifying the mercy that turned a persecutor into an apostle.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Tim 1:13although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
- Acts 22:8I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’
- Phil 3:6concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.
- Gal 1:13–14For 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.
- Acts 24:5For we have found this man to be a plague, an instigator of insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
- John 16:2–3They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.
- Rom 10:2For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
- John 15:21But all these things will they do to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.
- Acts 21:13Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
- Acts 3:6But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
- Acts 9:16For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
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 26:9 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.