³ sn Persecuting me. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus.

¹ tn Or “persecute”; Heb “chase.”

² sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

³ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

³ tn Or “experience persecution,” “will be in distress” (see L&N 22.2).

¹ tn Grk “persecutions, sufferings,” as a continuation of the series from v. 10.

² tn Or “into great distress.” The suffering here is not specified as physical or emotional, and could involve persecution.

³ sn In Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra. See Acts 13-14 for the account of these persecutions.

¹ sn The believers of Pisidian Antioch were not discouraged by the persecution, but instead were filled with joy.

² tn Grk “with persecutions.” The “all” has been supplied to clarify that the prepositional phrase belongs not just to the “fields.”

¹ sn Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.

¹ sn These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of councils and synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to governors and kings suggests. Some fulfillment of Jewish persecution can be seen in Acts 4:3; 5:17-18, 40-41; 6:12; 7:1-60; 8:1-3, and of Gentile persecution in Acts 25:2-12, 24-27.

¹ tn Or “know your suffering.” This could refer to suffering or distress caused by persecution (see L&N 22.2).

¹ tn Or “our trials”; traditionally, “our affliction.” The term θλῖψις (thlipsis) refers to trouble (including persecution) that involves direct suffering (L&N 22.2).

¹ tn This Greek word translated “sufferings” here (πάθημα, pathēma) is a different one than the one Paul uses for his own afflictions/persecutions (θλῖψις, thlipsis) in v. 4.

³ tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

² tn The Greek interrogative particle used in this verse (οὐχ, ouch) expects a positive reply. They all knew about Saul’s persecutions.

³ sn Some of the persecution is of Jewish origin (the synagogues). Some fulfillment of this can be seen in Acts. See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

² sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.

¹ sn Psalm 143. As in the previous psalm, the psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.