The New Testament writers used a variety of literary and grammatical devices to help guide the reader. Some of these devices were intended to attract attention to important information, while others served to push less-important information into the background. Some were used simply to grab your attention, alerting you that something important or surprising was about to happen.
8:1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Runge, S. E. (2008–2014). The Lexham High Definition New Testament: ESV Edition (Ac 8:2–3). Lexham Press.
Faithlife Study Bible (FSB) is your guide to the ancient world of the Old and New Testaments, with study notes and articles that draw from a wide range of academic research. FSB helps you learn how to think about interpretation methods and issues so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the text.
| 8:1–3 Luke has just set up his account of the church’s witness beyond Jerusalem with two men who are (at this point) opposites: Saul, a zealous enemy of the church (Acts 7:58), and Stephen, the Christian who has just laid down his life as a witness to Jesus (7:60). In very different ways both men motivate the church’s growth, as God continues to build His Church in spite of persecution. The story of Saul and the events following Stephen’s death act as a backdrop for the Church’s efforts and Saul’s later, changed life (ch. 9). |
8:1 his murder Saul’s support for the council’s vicious treatment of Stephen anticipates his passionate hatred for the Church (vv. 3; 9:1–2; Gal 1:13–14).
of Judea and Samaria The persecution scatters believers beyond Jerusalem. God uses this moment to spread the gospel of the salvation Jesus offers and His lordship (Acts 1:8).
except the apostles Since at this point the Church is centered in Jerusalem and the persecution is so intense there, the apostles remain there to continue to lead and support the Christian community.
8:3 house after house The early Christian community gathered for worship and meals in homes, likely the large residences of wealthy converts (compare 2:46; 5:42; 20:20).
both men and women Saul pursued Christians without mercy or discretion.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 8:1–3). Lexham Press.
Cross References
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is one of the most comprehensive sets of cross references ever compiled, consisting of over 572,000 entries. This reference tool is an invaluable asset for your Bible study library. The Logos Bible Software edition makes it even more attractive and interactive by making every single reference in the book a link.
1 And Saul. This clause evidently belongs to the conclusion of the preceding chapter; there is scarcely a worse division of chapters than this. ch. 7:58; 22:20.
there. ch. 5:33, 40; 7:54. Mat. 10:25–28; 22:6; 23:34. Lu. 11:49, 50. Jno. 15:20; 16:2.
the church. ch. 2:47; 7:38; 11:22; 13:1.
and they. ver. 4; ch. 11:19–21. Mat. 5:13. Phi. 1:12.
Samaria. ver. 14; ch. 1:8. Jno. 4:39–42.
except. ch. 5:18, 20, 33, 40. Ex. 10:28, 29. Ne. 6:3. Da. 3:16–18; 6:10, 23. He. 11:27.
2 devout. ch. 2:5; 10:2. Lu. 2:25.
made. Ge. 23:2; 50:10, 11. Nu. 20:29. De. 34:8. 1 Sa. 28:3. 2 Sa. 3:31. 2 Ch. 32:33; 35:25. Is. 57:1, 2. Je. 22:10, 18. Jno. 11:31–35.
3 ch. 7:58; 9:1–13, 21; 22:3, 4; 26:9–11. 1 Co. 15:9. Ga. 1:13. Phi. 3:6. 1 Ti. 1:13
Blayney, B., Scott, T., & Torrey, R. A. with Canne, J., Browne. (n.d.). The Treasury of Scripture knowledge (Vol. 2, p. 88). Samuel Bagster and Sons.
Commentary
Acts unfolds the incredible story of how God brought the good news of salvation to the world. As an historical treatise, Acts describes the establishment and growth of the early church; as a biographical treatise, it focuses primarily on Paul’s ministry. Luke gives us a glimpse into the first-century and the rise of Christianity, making references to buildings, customs, cities, the role of women in the early church.
8:1. New Testament scholars do not agree on what role Saul actually played in the death of Stephen. Luke did not feel it important at this point to explain in detail. He simply reported that Saul was there and approved of the stoning.
Luke in his wonderful writing style carries us through the narrative of Acts with an amazing smoothness when we consider that journalism represented a second avocation (after historian) for this medical doctor. Here he created a bridge from martyrdom to persecution and from martyrdom to evangelism.
In this verse we encounter the first use in Acts of the word persecution. It is likely that the persecution was aimed primarily at Hellenistic Christians in Jerusalem. They already suffered from cultural discrimination in the local Jewish community. Now with Stephen’s blatant “heresy” and the public act of killing him, opponents of the gospel may have felt they found a vulnerable point in the church—Greek-speaking Jewish Christians.
This would explain two important aspects of Luke’s message in Acts. First, the apostles are able to remain at Jerusalem, a point he makes briefly but which serves us immeasurably in understanding this persecution.
Second, in chapter 11 we shall discover a continuation of the narrative from 8:4 and see that these scattered Christians felt comfortable in proclaiming the gospel to Gentiles, a characteristic more likely of Hellenists than Hebraic Christians. This scattering shows God’s hand working through evil persecutors to disperse his people into places he wanted the gospel to reach.
8:2–3. Note another Lucan contrast—Godly men … but Saul. Luke clearly wants us to understand that Stephen was deeply loved by his brothers and sisters in the Jerusalem congregation. In contrast to this wild zealot of a Pharisee named Saul, they mourned with broken hearts for their fallen comrade. The word translated “godly” is eulabes, used of Simeon in Luke 2:25 and also to describe devout Jews open to the gospel at Pentecost in Acts 2:5.
Does this persecution find single focus in one destructive personality? Yes, Saul of Tarsus. Saul did not just persecute the church: he began to destroy it. The word for destroy is used of wild boars in the Greek text of Psalm 80:13. The picture here does not describe some religious administrator seated at a desk and sending others to do his dirty work.
Saul led the charge in the streets, house to house, men and women. He did not just arrest Christians; he dragged them off. The Bible fleshes out this portrait of Saul in other New Testament passages (Acts 22:4–5; 26:10–11; 1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13–14, 22–23; Phil. 3:5–6; 1 Tim. 1:13).
Gangel, K. O. (1998). Acts (Vol. 5, p. 120). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
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