Acts 8:3

3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}; entering into the houses and dragging out men and women, he committed them to prison.

Acts 8:3 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 8:3

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church
Did evil to the saints, destroyed them that called upon the name of Christ, ( Acts 9:13 Acts 9:21 ) and persecuted and wasted the church of God, as he himself says, ( 1:13 ) and now did Benjamin, of which tribe Saul was, ravine as a wolf, ( Genesis 49:27 )

Entering into every house;
where the saints dwelt:

and haling men and women:
in a violent manner, without any regard to age or sex:

committed them to prison;
delivered them up into the hands of the chief priests and magistrates, in order to be committed and sent to prison; this he himself confesses, ( Acts 22:4 ) ( 26:10 ) .

Acts 8:3 In-Context

1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him.

3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}; entering into the houses and dragging out men and women, he committed them to prison.

4 But those that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word of the gospel.

5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached the Christ unto them.