Handelingen 22:5

5 Gelijk mij ook de hogepriester getuige is, en de gehele raad der ouderlingen; van dewelke ik ook brieven genomen hebbende tot de broeders, ben naar Damaskus gereisd, om ook degenen, die daar waren, gebonden te brengen naar Jeruzalem, opdat zij gestraft zouden worden.

Handelingen 22:5 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 22:5

As also the high priest doth bear me witness
Either Annas, or Caiaphas, who was at that time high priest; and it should seem by this, that he was still in being; or else that the apostle had preserved his letter, written with his own hand, which he was able to produce at any time, as a testimony of the truth of what he had said, or was about to say; since he speaks of him (as now) bearing him witness, or as one that could:

and all the estate of the elders;
the whole Jewish sanhedrim, for this character respects not men in years, but men in office, and such who were members of the high court of judicature in Jerusalem;

from whom also I received letters unto the brethren;
some render it "against the brethren", as if the Christians were meant; whereas the apostle intends the Jews of the synagogue at Damascus, whom the apostle calls brethren; because they were of the same nation, and his kinsmen according to the flesh; and, at that time, of the same religion and principles with him; and this is put out of doubt, by the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, which render it, "the brethren that were at Damascus": and these letters were to recommend him to them, and to empower him to persecute the Christians, and to demand and require their assistance in it; the Ethiopic version calls them, "letters of power"; and it seems from hence, that these letters were received from the whole sanhedrim, as well as from the high priest, and were signed by both:

and went to Damascus to bring them which were there bound unto
Jerusalem, for to be punished:
with stripes, or with death, as they should be judged worthy; see ( Acts 9:2 ) .

Handelingen 22:5 In-Context

3 Ik ben een Joods man, en te Tarsen in Cilicie geboren, opgevoed in deze stad, aan de voeten van Gamaliel onderwezen naar de bescheidenste wijze der vaderlijke wet, zijnde een ijveraar Gods, gelijkerwijs gij allen heden zijt;

4 Die dezen weg vervolgd heb tot den dood, bindende en in de gevangenissen overleverende beiden mannen en vrouwen.

5 Gelijk mij ook de hogepriester getuige is, en de gehele raad der ouderlingen; van dewelke ik ook brieven genomen hebbende tot de broeders, ben naar Damaskus gereisd, om ook degenen, die daar waren, gebonden te brengen naar Jeruzalem, opdat zij gestraft zouden worden.

6 Maar het geschiedde mij, als ik reisde, en Damaskus genaakte, omtrent den middag, dat snellijk uit den hemel een groot licht mij rondom omscheen.

7 En ik viel ter aarde, en ik hoorde een stem, tot mij zeggende: Saul, Saul, wat vervolgt gij Mij?