Acts 8:1

And Saul agreed completely with killing ¹  him.Now on that day a great ²  persecution began ³  against the church in Jerusalem, ⁴  and all ⁵  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ⁶  of Judea and Samaria.

Ex 10:28,29; Ne 6:3; Da 3:16-18; Da 6:10,23; Mt 5:13; Mt 10:25-28; Mt 22:6; Mt 23:34; Lu 11:49,50; Joh 4:39-42; Joh 15:20; Joh 16:2; Ac 1:8; Ac 2:47; Ac 5:18,20,33,40; Ac 5:33,40; Ac 7:38; Ac 7:54; Ac 7:58; Ac 8:4; Ac 8:14; Ac 11:19-21; Ac 11:22; Ac 13:1; Ac 22:20; Php 1:12; Heb 11:27

¹ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

² tn Or “severe.”

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.”

⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

⁵ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

⁶ tn Or “countryside.”