^22:2(When they heard³ that he was addressing⁴ them in Aramaic,⁵ they became even⁶ quieter.)⁷ Then⁸ Paul said, ^22:3“I am a Jew,⁹ born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up¹⁰ in this city, educated with strictness¹¹ under¹² Gamaliel¹³ according to the law of our ancestors,¹⁴ and was¹⁵ zealous¹⁶ for God just as all of you are today. ^22:4I¹⁷ persecuted this Way¹⁸ even to the point of death,¹⁹ tying up²⁰ both men and women and putting²¹ them in prison, ^22:5as both the high priest and the whole council of elders²² can testify about me. From them²³ I also received²⁴ letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way²⁵ to make arrests there and bring²⁶ the prisoners²⁷ to Jerusalem²⁸ to be punished.

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Footnotes

3 ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) has been taken temporally.
4 Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness—‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ Ἐβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”
5 Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in .
6 μᾶλλον 1 “ μ. can mean to a greater degree (than before), even more, now more than ever Lk 5:15; Jn 5:18; 19:8; Ac 5:14; 22:2; 2 Cor 7:7.”
7 ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing … Ac 22:2.” This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.
8 Grk “and.” Since this represents a continuation of the speech begun in v. 1, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
9 Grk “a Jewish man.”
10 ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train … ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”
11 Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”
12 Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).
13 Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness …” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tous podas Gamaliēl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of and , which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tautē), has been followed in the translation. Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here and in Acts 5:34. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the , was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.
14 Or “our forefathers.”
15 Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (huparchōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
16 BDAG 427 ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers.… ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”
17 Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
18 That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25–26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).
19 θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”
20 Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.
21 παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς … εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”
22 That is, the whole Sanhedrin. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders—a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον … ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”
23 Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
24 Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
25 Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.
26 Grk “even there and bring …” or “there and even bring …” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.
27 δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἅγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner … Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”
28 Grk “I was going … to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.” For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 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.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter. He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail, as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

NLTNew Living Translation

When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.

Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Aramaic language, they became even more silent. And he said, “I am a Jewish man born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to the exactness of the law received from our fathers, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, tying up and delivering to prison both men and women, as indeed the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me, from whom also I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and was traveling there to lead away those who were there also tied up to Jerusalem so that they could be punished.

KJV 1900King James Version

(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 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.

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