Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 9:23

"And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him:" — Acts 9:23 (ASV)

Luke’s expression “after many days had gone by” probably means three years later . Paul himself refers to his escape from Damascus in 2 Corinthians 11:32–33. Both Luke and Paul clearly state that Saul’s preaching stirred such opposition that plans were laid to kill him. The persecutor became the persecuted, but rather ingeniously, he was able to elude his opponents’ designs.

Acts uses “disciple” (GK 3412) almost exclusively to denote the members of the Christian community (e.g., 6:1–2, 7; 9:19; 11:26; 13:52). The one exception to the normal usage in Acts is here in v.25, where this word is translated and used of “followers” of Saul; it suggests that his proclamation of Jesus had a favorable response among at least some. One of these converts, it seems, had a home situated on the city wall, from whose window Saul was let down in a basket outside the wall, thus eluding his opponents. From there, he evidently made his way directly to Jerusalem.