Acts 9:2 Meaning and Explanation
“And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Saul requests letters of authority to the synagogues of Damascus, so that any followers of “this way,” men or women, can be arrested and brought bound to Jerusalem.
What Does Acts 9:2 Mean?
Damascus lay well over a hundred miles north — a journey of about a week on foot. The letters would commission Saul before the synagogues there, where believers in Jesus still worshipped among their kinsmen. Luke notes the reach of the threat: “whether they were men or women.” Women were prominent enough among the disciples to be hunted alongside the men.
Here is the church’s earliest name: the Way. Before the word Christian was coined (Acts 11:26), believers were known as people of a road — a direction of life, walking after the One who said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). Saul set out to shut that road down. By the chapter’s end he will be traveling it.
Acts 9:2 in the Original Language
hodos (ὁδός), 'way' -- the earliest name for the Christian faith, a road to be walked.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 9:2
What does Acts 9:2 mean?
Saul requests letters of authority to the synagogues of Damascus, so that any followers of “this way,” men or women, can be arrested and brought bound to Jerusalem.