Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest
Parallel translations
- WEB But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
- KJV And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
- NKJV Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
- NASB Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
- NLT Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest.
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 was still violently persecuting the disciples, seeking authority to arrest believers. His hostility sets the stage for a stunning conversion.
Overview
Luke reintroduces Saul, last seen approving Stephen's death, as a fierce enemy of the church. His threats and slaughter against the Lord's disciples show how deeply he opposed the gospel. This dark portrait magnifies the grace about to transform him, proving that no sinner is beyond God's reach.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Acts 8:3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
- 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.
- 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.
- Acts 9:11–21“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
- 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.
- Acts 22:3–5“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 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 26:9–11So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Phil 3:6as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
- Ps 27:12Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
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 9:1 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.