Act 9:26-30 | RWP | e4.org | He assayed ( επειραζεν ). Imperfect active of conative action. To join himself ( κολλασθα ). Present middle (direct) infinitive of conative action again. Same word κολλαω in ; . See on for discussion. Were all afraid of him ( παντες εφοβουντο αυτον ). They were fearing him. Imperfect middle picturing the state of mind of the disciples who had vivid recollections of his conduct when last here. What memories Saul had on this return journey to Jerusalem after three years. He had left a conquering hero of Pharisaism. He returns distrusted by the disciples and regarded by the Pharisees as a renegade and a turncoat. He made no effort to get in touch with the Sanhedrin who had sent him to Damascus. He had escaped the plots of the Jews in Damascus only to find himself the object of suspicion by the disciples in Jerusalem who had no proof of his sincerity in his alleged conversion. Not believing ( μη πιστευοντες ). They had probably heard of his conversion, but they frankly disbelieved the reports and regarded him as a hypocrite or a spy in a new role to ruin them. Was ( εστιν ). The present tense is here retained in indirect discourse according to the common Greek idiom.

‏ Acts 9:26-30

He assayed ( επειραζεν ). Imperfect active of conative action.

To join himself ( κολλασθα ). Present middle (direct) infinitive of conative action again. Same word κολλαω in Lu 15:15; Ac 10:28. See on Mt 19:5 for discussion.

Were all afraid of him ( παντες εφοβουντο αυτον ). They were fearing him. Imperfect middle picturing the state of mind of the disciples who had vivid recollections of his conduct when last here. What memories Saul had on this return journey to Jerusalem after three years. He had left a conquering hero of Pharisaism. He returns distrusted by the disciples and regarded by the Pharisees as a renegade and a turncoat. He made no effort to get in touch with the Sanhedrin who had sent him to Damascus. He had escaped the plots of the Jews in Damascus only to find himself the object of suspicion by the disciples in Jerusalem who had no proof of his sincerity in his alleged conversion.

Not believing ( μη πιστευοντες ). They had probably heard of his conversion, but they frankly disbelieved the reports and regarded him as a hypocrite or a spy in a new role to ruin them.

Was ( εστιν ). The present tense is here retained in indirect discourse according to the common Greek idiom.

Took him ( επιλαβομενος ). Second aorist middle (indirect) participle of επιλαμβανω, common verb to lay hold of. Barnabas saw the situation and took Saul to himself and listened to his story and believed it. It is to the credit of Barnabas that he had the insight and the courage to stand by Saul at the crucial moment in his life when the evidence seemed to be against him. It is a pleasing hypothesis that this influential disciple from Cyprus had gone to the University of Tarsus where he met Saul. If so, he would know more of him than those who only knew his record as a persecutor of Christians. That fact Barnabas knew also, but he was convinced that Jesus had changed the heart of Saul and he used his great influence (Ac 4:36; 11:22) to win the favour of the apostles, Peter in particular (Ga 1:19) and James the half-brother of Jesus. The other apostles were probably out of the city as Paul says that he did not see them.

To the apostles ( προς τους αποστολους ). Both Barnabas and James are termed apostles in the general sense, though not belonging to the twelve, as Paul did not, though himself later a real apostle. So Barnabas introduced Saul to Peter and vouched for his story, declared it fully ( διηγησατο, in detail) including Saul's vision of Jesus ( ειδεν τον κυριον ) as the vital thing and Christ's message to Saul ( ελαλησεν αυτω ) and Saul's bold preaching ( ηπαρρησιασατο, first aorist middle indicative of παρρησιαζω from παν--ρησια telling it all as in Ac 2:29). Peter was convinced and Saul was his guest for two weeks (Ga 1:18) with delightful fellowship ( ιστορησα ). He had really come to Jerusalem mainly "to visit" (to see) Peter, but not to receive a commission from him. He had that from the Lord (Ga 1:1f.). Both Peter and James could tell Saul of their special experiences with the Risen Christ. Furneaux thinks that Peter was himself staying at the home of Mary the mother of John Mark (Ac 12:12) who was a cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10). This is quite possible. At any rate Saul is now taken into the inner circle of the disciples in Jerusalem.

Going in and going out ( εισπορευμενος κα εκπορευομενος ). Barnabas and Peter and James opened all the doors for Saul and the fear of the disciples vanished.

Preaching boldly ( παρρησιαζομενος ). For a while. Evidently Saul did not extend his preaching outside of Jerusalem (Ga 1:22) and in the city preached mainly in the synagogues of the Hellenists ( προς τους Hελλενιστας ) as Stephen had done (Ac 8:9). As a Cilician Jew he knew how to speak to the Hellenists.

Disputed ( συνεζητε ). Imperfect active of συνζητεω, the very verb used in 6:9 of the disputes with Stephen in these very synagogues in one of which (Cilicia) Saul had probably joined issue with Stephen to his own discomfort. It was intolerable to these Hellenistic Jews now to hear Saul taking the place of Stephen and using the very arguments that Stephen had employed.

But they went about to kill him ( Hο δε επεχειρουν ανελειν αυτον ). Demonstrative ο with δε and the conative imperfect of επιχειρεω, to put the hand to, to try, an old verb used in the N.T. only three times (Lu 1:1; Ac 9:29; 19:3). They offer to Saul the same conclusive answer that he gave to Stephen, death. Paul tells how the Lord Jesus appeared to him at this juncture in a vision in the temple (Ac 22:17-21) with the distinct command to leave Jerusalem and how Paul protested that he was willing to meet the fate of Stephen in whose death he had a shameful part. That is to Saul's credit, but the Lord did not want Saul to be put to death yet. His crown of martyrdom will come later.

Knew it ( επιγνοντες ). Second aorist active participle of επιγινωσκω, to know fully. The disciples saw it clearly, so they

conducted ( κατηγαγον, effective second aorist active indicative of καταγω ).

Sent forth ( εξαπεστειλαν ). Double compound ( εξ, out, απο, away or off). Sent him out and off

to Tarsus ( εις Ταρσον ). Silence is preserved by Luke. But it takes little imagination to picture the scene at home when this brilliant young rabbi, the pride of Gamaliel, returns home a preacher of the despised Jesus of Nazareth whose disciples he had so relentlessly persecuted. What will father, mother, sister think of him now?