Acts 22:5

Acts 22:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
• New International Version (NIV)as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
• English Standard Version (ESV)as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
• New King James Version (NKJV)as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.

Context of Acts 22:5

3‘I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in the region of Cilicia. I lived here in Jerusalem when I was a boy. I studied God's Law for many years and Gamaliel was my teacher. I learned very well how to obey the laws of our ancestors. I tried to obey God as carefully as all of you do today. 4I caused great trouble to the disciples of Jesus. I even wanted to kill them. I took hold of them and I put them in prison. I did that to both men and women. The most important priest and all the group of Jewish leaders can tell you that this is true. They gave me letters for the Jewish leaders in Damascus. So I travelled to Damascus to take hold of the believers in that city. I wanted to tie them up and bring them back to Jerusalem. Then the leaders here could punish them.’ 6Paul continued to say, ‘As I was travelling, I came near to Damascus. About midday, a bright light from the sky suddenly shone round me. 7I fell down to the ground. Then I heard a voice that said to me, “Saul, Saul, why do you fight against me?”

Acts 22:5 word by word

ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς μαρτυρεῖ μοι καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρεσβυτέριον, παρ᾽ ὧν καὶ ἐπιστολὰς δεξάμενος πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἰς Δαμασκὸν ἐπορευόμην, ἄξων καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖσε ὄντας δεδεμένους εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἵνα τιμωρηθῶσιν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• the high priestὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the high priestἀρχιερεύςarchiereus · high-priestG749
• doth bearμαρτυρέωmartureō · to testifyG3140
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• the estate of the eldersπρεσβυτέριονpresbuterion · council of eldersG4244
• fromπαράpara · from/with/besideG3844
• whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• I receivedδέχομαιdechomai · to receiveG1209
• lettersἐπιστολήepistolē · epistleG1992
• untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• the brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• and wentπορεύωporeuomai · to travelG4198
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• DamascusΔαμασκόςDamaskos · DamascusG1154
• to bringἄγωagō · to bringG71
• which wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• thereἐκεῖσεekeise · thereG1566
• boundδέωdeō · to bindG1210
• JerusalemἹερουσαλήμHierousalēm · JerusalemG2419
• forἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• to be punishedτιμωρέωtimōreō · to punishG5097

Cross-references for Acts 22:5

• Acts 9:1All this time, Saul was still speaking strongly against the disciples of the Lord Jesus. He wanted to kill all the believers. So he went to see the most important priest in Jerusalem.
• Acts 26:10That is what I was doing in Jerusalem. The leaders of the priests gave me authority to put many of the believers in prison. I agreed with our leaders when they said, “These people must die.”
• Acts 4:5The next day, the Jewish rulers and other important Jews met together in Jerusalem. The teachers of God's Law met together with them.
• Acts 5:21The apostles did what the angel told them to do. At dawn they went into the yard of the temple. They began to teach the people there. Then the most important priest and his friends arrived. They told the group of Jewish leaders to meet with them. All the most important people in Israel were in that group. Then they sent their police to the prison to bring the apostles to the meeting place.
• Luke 22:66When it became day, the Jewish leaders met together. The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law were at the meeting. Then other men brought Jesus to stand in front of them.
• Acts 22:1Paul said to the crowd, ‘Please, listen to me, you Jewish leaders and all you other people who are Jews like me. I want to explain to you what has happened here.’
• Romans 9:3I belong to the same family as they do. They are my own people. I really want them to believe in Christ too. If it would help them, I would even ask God to curse me. I would ask him to make me separate from Christ.

Commentaries on Acts 22:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The high priest doth bear me witness, etc. - He probably referred to the letters of authority which he had received from the high priest, and the whole estate of the elders, , the whole of the presbytery, that is, the sanhedrin; and it is likely, that he had those letters to produce. This zeal of his against Christianity was an ample proof of his sincerity as a Pharisaical Jew.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5As also the high priest … - See the notes on Acts 9:2. All the estate of the elders - Greek: all the presbytery; that is, the whole body of the Sanhedrin, or Great Council of the nation. Unto the brethren - The Jewish brethren who were at Damascus. Paul here speaks as a Jew, and regards his countrymen as his brethren.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-21Paul gives his most complete defense of his life and faith before his own people in Jerusalem. This speech shows his flexibility as a missionary, just as his message to the Greek philosophers in Athens also did (17:22–31; see 1 Corinthians 9:20–23). He begins by showing his close connection with his audience. He explains his Jewish background and his training under Gamaliel the Elder (a respected Jewish teacher). He also describes his strong desire to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. the high priest--still alive. doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders--the whole Sanhedrim.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 22:5

• Damascus
• Extradition
• Paul
• Priest

In the dictionaries

• Damascus
• Jerusalem
• High priest
• Antonia
• Hence
• James
• Persecute
• Scourge
• Uncondemned
• Acts of the Apostles

Commentaries on Acts 22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings