Acts 9:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”

NIV: All those who heard him were astonished and asked, 'Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?'

NASB: All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, 'Is this not the one who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?'

CSB: All who heard him were astounded and said, "Isn't this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests? "

NLT: All who heard him were amazed. 'Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?' they asked. 'And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?'

KJV: But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?

NKJV: Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

Saul, the passionate Pharisee, has recently converted to follow Jesus (Acts 9:1–19). The first thing he does is start preaching. He goes to the synagogues in Damascus and shows how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures.

He had originally come to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers, bring them to Jerusalem for trial, and, if they didn't deny their faith, see them executed for blasphemy (Acts 26:9–11). Apparently, this news is well known among the Jews there. Now, Saul is preaching that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God; when Jesus made this claim, the Sanhedrin had Him crucified for blasphemy (John 19:7).

The phrase alternately translated "made havoc," "was ravaging," or "destroyed" is from the Greek root word portheō. In general, it means to wreck or overthrow, and is based on the Greek pertho which means "to sack." Believers of this era saw Saul as an invading warrior who had come to demolish the church.

"This name" is the name of Jesus. This is not a reference to the letters and sounds that identify Him, but to the entirety of how He is known. It means Christ's character and reputation, the thoughts and feelings that come to mind when people consider Him. Syllables and sounds are ephemeral. We put our hope and faith in the person of Christ.

Acts 9:20–25 describes what happens right after Saul, the mortal enemy of the young church, becomes a follower of Jesus Christ. He had come to Damascus to arrest Christians; now he is a Christian. Immediately upon his conversion, he goes to the synagogues and explains how Jesus of Nazareth fits the prophecies of the Jewish Messiah. At some point, he will spend time in Arabia, then return to Damascus (Galatians 1:17–18). Finally, he will return to Jerusalem and attempt to introduce himself to a very wary church. Fortunately, although the apostles will be skeptical, Barnabas will take him under his wing (Acts 9:26–27).

Acts 9 sets the stage for the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul continues the persecution of the church by traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers. Before he reaches the city, Jesus confronts him. Saul realizes Jesus is the Messiah and immediately starts spreading the news, first in Damascus and later in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Peter travels to modern-day Tel Aviv to heal a paralyzed man and bring a dead woman back to life. The miracles aren't unusual, but the story leaves him in Joppa, poised to take the next step in Jesus' mandate to be His witness (Acts 1:8).

The murder of the Jesus-follower Stephen has ignited a fierce persecution against the church, led by a young Pharisee-trained man named Saul (Acts 7:54—8:3; 9:1–2). When he realizes Jesus truly is the Messiah, that fervor fuels his own evangelism (Acts 9:3–30). Meanwhile, Peter travels to the coast of Judea. Soon, he will teach a prominent Gentile household about Jesus and discover that Gentiles can be saved (Acts 10). The stage will be set for Saul to spread the saving news of Jesus to ''the end of the earth'' (Acts 1:8) under the Greek version of his name: Paul.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.