And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
Paul stood silent until given leave to speak, for the best speakers are not the most forward. Here Agrippa granted him what the Jews would scarcely allow: full liberty to answer for himself. His stretched hand showed no fear, only earnestness and command of himself; he needed no advocate, but only the chance to honour his cause by defending it plainly.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 26:1-11
I beat them in the synagogues and forced them to curse Christ, to deny He was the Messiah and call Him accursed. My malice was boundless. I hunted them even to foreign cities, scattering these Christians so far that they fled beyond Israel's borders, though only Damascus itself records my pursuit.
AI summary
I tortured them in the synagogues, straining with all my might to break them from faith in Jesus and make them deny He was the Messiah. I raged like a madman with ungovernable fury. Only a madman persecutes men for their faith, and I was that madman, carrying my violence even to foreign cities to root them out entirely.
AI summary