Acts 26 11

Acts 26:11 kjv

And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Acts 26:11 nkjv

And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Acts 26:11 niv

Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

Acts 26:11 esv

And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Acts 26:11 nlt

Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.

Acts 26 verses

Acts 26 11 Meaning

This verse details Saul of Tarsus's (later the Apostle Paul) testimony before King Agrippa II. He describes how, after his conversion, he returned to Jerusalem and sought to "join himself" with the disciples, but they were fearful of him due to his past persecution of Christians. His intention was to share the Gospel with both Jews and Gentiles.

Acts 26 11 Context

This chapter occurs during Paul's final defense before King Agrippa II, his wife Bernice, and other dignitaries. Paul had appealed to Caesar and was on trial. He seizes this opportunity to proclaim his personal testimony of conversion and the Gospel message. Agrippa states that Paul could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar (v. 32), a testament to the politeness and power of Paul's witness. This verse, within this context, highlights Paul's unwavering commitment to his apostolic calling to reach both Jews and Gentiles with the Gospel, despite his challenging circumstances and past actions.

Acts 26 11 Word analysis

• "And" (καί, kai): A conjunctive particle, connecting this clause to the previous action.
• "I" (ἐγώ, egō): Emphatic pronoun, stressing personal agency.
• "returned" (ὑπέστρεφον, hypestrephōn): Imperfect tense, indicating a repeated or continuous action in the past; resuming the journey back.
• "to" (εἰς, eis): Preposition of motion, indicating direction.
• "Jerusalem": The holy city, a center of Jewish religious and political life.
• "and" (καί, kai): Another connective particle.
• "again" (πάλιν, palin): Adverb of repetition, suggesting a subsequent return or re-engagement.
• "dwelt" (διέτριψα, dietripsa): Aorist tense, a completed action; "spent time" or "remained."
• "with" (μετά, meta): Preposition indicating companionship.
• "the disciples": Believers in Christ.
• "certain" (τινας, tinas): Indefinite pronoun, "some."
• "days" (ἡμέρας, hēmeras): Plural noun, a period of time.
• Words-group by words-group analysis:
  • "returned to Jerusalem and again dwelt with the disciples": This phrase underscores Paul's post-conversion reintegration attempt with the believing community in Jerusalem. His intention was not to distance himself from them but to fellowship and engage within the nascent church. The "again" suggests a prior relationship or a return to a shared sphere of existence.

Acts 26 11 Bonus section

The Greek word "hypestrephōn" (ὑπέστρεφον) as an imperfect tense here suggests that his journey back to Jerusalem and his interaction with the disciples might have been an ongoing process or a return that included a period of cohabitation and integration, rather than a single, instantaneous event. This nuance hints at his earnest, though initially met with suspicion, efforts to become part of the community of believers. The disciples' fear, a critical point, reflects the very real danger Paul had posed, a historical reality that underscores the dramatic nature of his conversion and the magnitude of God's grace.

Acts 26 11 Commentary

Paul's account emphasizes his desire to immediately join the believing community in Jerusalem after his conversion. This shows his earnestness to live out his new faith. The disciples' fear was natural, given his violent past as a persecutor. This tension between his new identity in Christ and his former reputation is a key element of his testimony. Paul’s mission was not exclusive; he aimed to serve both the Jewish community and the Gentile world, fulfilling prophecy regarding the expansion of God's kingdom beyond national boundaries. His boldness in recounting this before royalty demonstrates the profound transformation Christ had wrought in him.