But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Parallel translations
- WEB But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house, and dragged both men and women off to prison.
- KJV As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
- NKJV As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
- NASB But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.
- NLT But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
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
Saul violently ravaged the church, imprisoning men and women alike. His zealous persecution shows the depth of his opposition before his conversion.
Overview
Saul went house to house, dragging believers to prison, displaying intense hostility to the church (Acts 9:1-2; 22:4). This portrait of his violence makes his later transformation by grace all the more remarkable. The fierce persecutor would become the church's foremost missionary and a vessel of God's mercy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Tim 1:13I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
- 1 Cor 15:9For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
- Gal 1:13For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
- Phil 3:6as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
- Acts 22:19‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.
- Acts 9:21All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
- Acts 7:58They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
- Acts 22:3–4“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I am just as zealous for God as any of you here today.
- Acts 9:1–13Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest
- Jas 2:6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
- Acts 26:9–11So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
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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 8:3 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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