Acts 22:1-30

Acts 22:1-5:

^22:1"Adult-males, brothers, and fathers, you must hear my defense towards you now." ^.2But having heard that he uttered-sounds-towards them with the Hebrew dialect, rather they presented quietness. And he says, ^.3"I am a Judean adult-male having been born² in Tarsus of Cilicia, and having been nourished-up² in this city beside the feet of Gamaliel, having been trained² according to accuracy of (my) father's law, being from-the-beginning a zealot of God according as all you are today; ^.4who persecuted this way continuously-until death binding and giving-over both adult-males and women into prisons, ^.5as also the chief-priest bears me witness and all (the) council-of-elders from whom also having accepted letters towards the brothers, into Damascus I journeyed (with the intention of) leading also the (people) being having been bound² there into Jerusalem in order that they may be punished.

Continuing on from the end of chapter 21, Paul said to the people:

• "Adult-males (grown men),
• brothers (by reason of their Judean background only, because they were not all holy-people with holy spirit as Paul),
• and fathers (those who were older than Paul was and therefore considered by Judeans as fathers regarding the Judean way of life)…

…you must hear my defense (my speech of defense, speaking words trying to get away from this difficult situation) towards you emphatically at the present time."

When the crowd heard Paul speaking sounds to them in the Hebrew dialect (this dialect refers to what the Judean people usually spoke in that area, Aramaic, and so they would easily understand him) they more-so offered him quietness (they were not causing agitation or disturbance around themselves).

Paul continues to refer to the law and the Judean way of thinking as he speaks, and uses the ‘perfect’ tense of verbs many times to indicate that those actions were done during a past time but they have a present continuing result in his life. He said (brought to light by his speech):

• "Emphatically I am a Judean grown-man who was born in Tarsus of Cilicia,
• and was nourished-up (made thick and fat, reared as by feeding me, with education, etc) in this city of Jerusalem beside the feet of Gamaliel (under the teaching of Gamaliel; refer to Acts 5:34; Gamaliel died about 52 AD, when Paul was speaking here it was 58 AD),
• who trained me as his child and servant (which included instruction, education, discipline, correction, etc) in accordance with the accuracy (exactness, preciseness) of my father's law (referring to the Mosaic law including the Judean/Israeli traditions which were passed down to me by my father),
• from the start I am a zealot (a person who continues boiling with very-eager and vehement passion) on-behalf-of and pertaining-to God just as everyone of you (with emphasis) are today;
• I am the one who persecuted this way (in the past I pursued after the people who follow the way of the Lord Jesus Christ as enemies with hostility) continuously until their death binding and giving over both grown-men and women (including singles and husbands and wives, putting them in chains or fetters, as binding them in bundles, and handing them over, delivering them alongside or beside others) into prisons,
• as also the chief/high priest bears me witness (attests with information that he personally has about me and therefore he can state with authority regarding me) and all the council of elders (the Judean Sanhedrin) from whom also I accepted the letters (welcomed the epistles) to the brothers (the Judean rulers living in Damascus at that time giving me the authority and right to carry-out what I was intending to do there),
• I was in the process of journeying into Damascus for the purpose of leading (bringing) the people whom I would bind there back into Jerusalem in order that they would be punished (redress injuries which they had caused in my viewpoint, helping and protecting the honor of the Judean/Israeli religion and way of life by taking vengeance on them).”

[Reference: Acts 8:1-3, 9:1 and 2, 21:39 and 40, 26:4, 5 and 10-12; Romans 11:1b; II Corinthians 11:22; Galatians 1:13 and 14; Philippians 3:4-7; I Timothy 1:12-16. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

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