John Gill Commentary Acts 9

And Saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
The historian, having given an account of the dispersion of all the preachers of the Gospel at Jerusalem, excepting the apostles, and of their success in other parts, especially of Philip's, returns to the history of Saul; who, not satisfied with the murder of Stephen, and with the havoc he made of the church at Jerusalem, hauling them out of their houses to prison, continued not only to threaten them with confiscation of goods and imprisonment, but with death itself.

The phrase here used is an Hebraism; so in (Psalms 27:12) (omx xpy) , "one that breathes out violence", or cruelty; and this shows the inward disposition of his mind, the rage, wrath, malice, envy, and blood thirstiness he was full of; and is observed to illustrate the riches of divine grace in his conversion.

And wonderful it is, that that same mouth which breathed out destruction and death to the followers of Christ, should afterwards publish and proclaim the Gospel of the grace of God; that he whose mouth was full of cursing and bitterness, should hereafter, and so very quickly, come forth in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. And this rage of his, who now ravened as a wolf, as was foretold of Benjamin, of which tribe he was, was against the lambs of Christ, and the sheep of his fold:

against the disciples of the Lord ;
not against wicked men, murderers, and thieves, and other evildoers, but against the harmless and innocent followers of Jesus, and which was an aggravation of his cruelty: and being thus heated, and full of wrath,

he went unto the high priest ;
Annas or Caiaphas, who, notwithstanding the Jews were under the Roman government, had great authority to punish persons with stripes and death itself, who acted contrary to their law.

And desired of him letters to Damascus
Damascus was the head or metropolis of Syria, (Isaiah 7:8) And so Pliny ^F26 calls it Damascus of Syria: it was a very ancient city; it was in the times of Abraham; his servant Eliezer is said to be of it, (Genesis 15:2) and some say it was built by him the said Eliezer; though Josephus ^F1 makes Uz, a grandson of Shem, to be the founder of it; whose surname is conjectured, by some, to be Dimshak, seeing that and Uz differ not in sense: and Justin says ^F2 , it had its name from Damascus, the king of it, in honour of whom the Syrians made a temple of the sepulchre of his wife Arathis, and her a goddess; after Damascus, he says, Azelus, then Azores, Abraham, and Israel were kings of it. Some think it has its name from blood, and that it signifies a "sack" or bag, or, as Jerom explains, a cup of blood ^F3 , or one that drinks blood; who says, it is a true tradition, that the field in which Abel was killed by Cain, was in Damascus ^F4 : but it seems rather to be so called from the redness of the earth about it; for some very good writers affirm, that the earth in the fields of Damascus is like wax tinged with red lead; so if it be read Dammesek, as it commonly is, in the Arabic language, "Damma" signifies to tinge, and "Meshko" is used for "red earth"; or if "Dummesek", as it is in (2 Kings 16:10) , "Daumo", in the same language, is "permanent", what always abides, and "Meshko", as before, "red earth", and so "Dummesek" is never failing red earth; or if it be Darmesek", as in (1 Chronicles 18:5) the same with Darmsuk", it may be observed, that the Syrians call red earth "Doro sumoko": so that, upon the whole, this seems to be the best etymology of the word ^F5 , and the rise of the name of this famous city, which Justin calls the most noble city of Syria.

It is said ^F6 to be an hundred and sixty miles from Jerusalem. Here might be many Christians before, and others might flee hither upon this persecution; and Saul, not content with driving them from their native place, persecuted them, as he himself says, to strange cities: and that he might do this with safety to himself, and with the greater force and cruelty to them, he got letters from the high priest, and sanhedrim, at Jerusalem; either recommending him to the Jews at Damascus, and exhorting them to assist him in what he came about; or empowering him to act under his authority, or both: and these were directed to be delivered

to the synagogues ;
to the rulers of them; for the Jews being numerous in this place, they had more synagogues than one. Josephus says ^F7 , that under Nero the inhabitants of Damascus killed ten thousand Jews in their own city: and Benjamin Tudelensis ^F8 in his time says, there were about three thousand Jews (Pharisees), besides two hundred Karaites (or Scripturarians), and four hundred Samaritans, who lived in peace together. Now to these synagogues, and the chief men of them, was Saul recommended for assistance and direction,

that if he found any of this way ;
of thinking; that were of this sect of religion, and either professed to believe, or preach, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah:

whether they were men or women ;
without any fear of one, or mercy to the other:

he might bring them bound to Jerusalem ;
to be examined and punished by the sanhedrim there, as they should think fit; and for this purpose he must take with him a considerable number of men; and that he had men with him is certain from (Acts 9:7) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: L. 36. c. 8.
• F1: Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 5.
• F2: Ex Trogo, l. 36. c. 2.
• F3: De Nominibus Hebraicis, fol. 97. F. & 101. K.
• F4: Comment. in Ezek. xxvii. 18.
• F5: Vid. Hiller. Onomasticum, p. 114, 115, 419, 793.
• F6: Bunting's Itinerar. p. 394.
• F7: De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 20. sect. 2.
• F8: ltinerar. p. 56, 57.

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus
Some say it was a mile from Damascus: though, no mention is made of his obtaining letters from the high priest, only of his desiring them; yet there is no doubt but they were granted him; the design of the historian, under a divine direction, being to give an account of the temper and disposition of Saul; and he having got them, set out on his journey in high spirits, and proceeded on with the same wicked intentions, till he came near the city; where he designed to open and show his commission, and execute his wrathful purposes; but he is not suffered to go into the city with such a Spirit:

and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven ;
which exceeded the light and brightness of the sun, for it was at midday, (Acts 26:13) and so the Ethiopic version here inserts this clause, "and it was noon time"; which circumstance shows that the light was very extraordinary; and it was an emblem of that inward and spiritual light which was now quickly communicated to him, light being the first thing in the new, as in the old creation; and of that Gospel light he was hereafter to spread in the world.

And he fell to the earth
Not being able to bear the light, and still less the divine glory and majesty which he perceived was present; and therefore, in great confusion, amazement, and fear, he fell with his face to the ground, and lay there prostrate and so did also those that were with him, (Acts 26:14)

and heard a voice, saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest you
me ?
this voice was the real voice of Christ in his human nature, and who visibly and in person appeared, and was seen by the apostle; (Acts 26:16) (1 Corinthians 15:8) the language he spoke in was the Hebrew tongue, and he calls him by his Hebrew name Saul, and which is doubled to denote vehemency and affection; (See Gill on Luke 22:31)

he knew him as one of his sheep, though straying, and calls him by name, and expostulates with him, wherefore he should persecute him in his members as he did; for the union between Christ and his people is so close, that what is done to them is done to him.

There seems to be a considerable emphasis on the word "me"; "me", who have been they surety from everlasting; "me", who has loved you and given myself for you; "me", who have shed my blood, laid down my life, and died for you; "me", who am now at my Father's right hand, interceding for you, that grace might be bestowed upon you, the set time being now come.

And he said, who are you, Lord ?
&c.] For he knew not whether it was God, or an angel, or who it was that spoke to him; he knew not Christ by his form or voice, as Stephen did, when he saw him standing at the right hand of God; he was in a state of ignorance, and knew neither the person, nor voice of Christ, and yet his heart was so far softened and wrought upon, that he was desirous of knowing who he was;

and the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you persecute .
The Alexandrian copy, and the Syriac and Ethiopic versions, "read Jesus of Nazareth"; and one of Beza's copies, and another of Stephens', as in (Acts 22:8) whose name you are doing many things against, and whose people you are destroying:

it is hard for you to kick against the pricks ;
or "to resist me", as the Arabic version renders it; and which is the sense of the phrase; it is a proverbial expression, taken from beasts that are goaded, who kick against the goads or pricks, and hurt themselves the more thereby; and Christ uses it, suggesting hereby, that should Saul go on to persecute him and his people, to oppose his Gospel, and the strong evidence of it, in doctrine and miracles, and notwithstanding the present remonstrances made in such an extraordinary manner; he would find himself in the issue greatly hurt by it, and could not rationally expect to succeed against so powerful a person. This clause in the Syriac version is placed at the end of the fourth verse.