Acts 9:2

Desired. Preferably, “requested,” or “asked,” on his own behalf, possibly to justify his elevation to the Sanhedrin.

Letters. These were the papers that constituted Saul’s “authority and commission” (ch. 26:12). It appears that Rome cooperated with the Jewish authorities by giving the high priest powers of extradition over fugitive Jews. This authority probably dates from about 56 B.C. (Josephus Antiquities xiv. 8.5 [146-148]; cf. 1 Maccabees 15:15-24).

Damascus. The city is accounted one of the oldest in the world. Its site was traditionally the scene of the murder of Abel. Josephus (Antiquities i. 6.4 [145]) attributes the founding of the town to Uz, the grandson of Shem (Vol. I, p. 270). It figures in the history of Abraham as the birthplace of his steward (Gen. 15:2). David placed garrisons there (2 Sam. 8:6), but under Rezon the city became a center of opposition to Solomon (1 Kings 11:23-25). Its rivers, Abana and Pharpar, were, in the eyes of the leprous Syrian general, Naaman, better than any rivers of Israel (2 Kings 5:12). It was the center of the Syrian kingdom in its alliances and wars with Israel and Judea (2 Kings 14:28; 16:9, 10; Amos 1:3, 5). It carried on trade in wares with Tyre, and in wine and white wool, as noted by Ezekiel (ch. 27:16, 18). In 333 B.C. the Macedonian general Pannenion took the city for Alexander the Great. It was taken again by the Roman Pompey in 64 B.C. At the time of Saul’s conversion it was under the jurisdiction of Vitellius, then Roman governor of Syria. When Tiberius died in 37 A.D., Vitellius hastened to Rome, and Aretas IV, king of the Nabataeans, seized control of Damascus and governed it by a deputy. Thus matters stood at the time when Saul escaped from the city (2 Cor. 11:32).

Damascus formed an oasis in the Syrian desert. The river Abana, fed by the snows of the Anti-Lebanon Mts., watered the terrain and made it very productive. The city was well described as “a predestined capital.” Its population was predominantly Aramaic, but the city possessed a large Jewish colony. The narrative (Acts 9:2, 14) implies that there were many “disciples of the Lord” (v. 1) among them. Of these, many may have been refugees from the persecution in and around Jerusalem, and the local synagogues were doubtless called upon to enforce the decree of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Luke does not explain why Saul selected this place for his further vindictive work against the church. Reasons, however, can be offered: (1) As noted, Christians had taken refuge there, at some considerable distance from Judea. (2) There were Christian converts who were citizens of the place. (3) Damascus may have become an outlying center of the expanding church. (4) Saul may have been well acquainted with the Jewish authorities, and could count on their cooperation against the Christians.

Synagogues. The city was cosmopolitan, and Jews from many nations probably lived there. As in Jerusalem (cf. on ch. 6:9), national groups would establish their own synagogues. It is estimated that there may have been 30 or 40 synagogues in the city of Damascus at this time. Doubtless, Christians were still devoutly attending the synagogues, and it was against them that Saul planned to proceed.

Of this way. That is, “any who were belonging to the way.” The word “way” appears as an early synonym for Christianity (cf. chs. 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Compare Luke’s use of “the name” (ch. 5:41, RSV), “the word” (chs. 4:4; 8:4; 14:25), “the way of salvation” (ch. 16:17), and “the way of the Lord” (ch. 18:25). The term may have originated in Christ’s declaration that He is the “way” (John 14:6), or in His reference to the narrow “way” (Matt. 7:14).

Men or women. The inclusion of women among his prospective victims emphasizes the fury with which Saul moved against the Christians (cf. ch. 22:4).

Bound unto Jerusalem. Saul’s mission implies that the offense of the Christians was beyond the jurisdiction of local tribunals (see on Matt. 10:17), and had to be referred to the Sanhedrin (Vol. V, p. 67) in Jerusalem. So great was the priestly power (see above under “letters”) that Jewish authorities were allowed to arrest those whom they desired, even on foreign soil.