Acts 9:2
Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.) Acts 9:2 appears in the Greek New Testament. The text above is from the Tischendorf 8th edition. Each word links to its Strong’s number and a concise gloss. Click any word for its full Thayer’s Greek Lexicon entry.and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Compare translations 3
The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.
Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.
Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.
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World English Bible Public Domain
and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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King James Version Public Domain
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.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
requested letters from him to Damascus, to the synagogues, so that if he found any being of the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).
Show all 19 translations
Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.
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World English Bible Public Domain
and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
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Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
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King James Version Public Domain
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.
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American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
And desired of him letters to Damascus to the Synagogues, that if he found any that were of that way (either men or women) hee might bring them bound vnto Hierusalem.
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Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
And asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues: that if he found any men and wemen of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
did ask from him letters to Damascus, unto the synagogues, that if he may find any being of the way, both men and women, he may bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
asked from him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he may find any being of The Way, both men and women, he may bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
and asked him for letters for the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
requested letters from him to Damascus, to the synagogues, so that if he found any being of the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Darby Bible Public Domain
and asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, so that if he found any who were of the way, both men and women, he might bring [them] bound to Jerusalem.
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World Messianic Bible Public Domain
and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Webster's Bible Public Domain
And desired from him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he should find any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
and asked for letters of authorization to take with him to the synagogues in Damascus, giving him permission to arrest any believers in the Way that he found, men or women, and bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners.
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Bible in Basic English Public Domain
And made a request for letters from him to the Synagogues of Damascus, so that if there were any of the Way there, men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
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Text-Critical English NT CC BY 4.0
and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners.
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Tyndale New Testament (1534) Public Domain
and desyred of him letters to Damasco to the synagoges: that yf he founde eny of this waye whether they were men or wemen he myght bringe them bounde vnto Ierusalem.
Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).
Word by word
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- Appears 15× in the Greek New Testament
- First appears here
- Part of Speech
- Noun
- Case
- Accusative
- Number
- Singular
- Gender
- Feminine
Full Thayer's Definition
- ᾐτήσατο aitéō G154 “to ask” Verb, Aorist, Middle, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular
- παρ’ pará G3844 “from” Preposition
- αὐτοῦ autós G846 “he” Personal pronoun, Genitive, Singular, Masculine
- ἐπιστολὰς epistolḗ G1992 “letter” Noun, Accusative, Plural, Feminine
- εἰς eis G1519 “into” Preposition
- Δαμασκὸν Damaskós G1154 “Damascus” Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- πρὸς prós G4314 “to” Preposition
- τὰς ho G3588 “the” Article, Accusative, Plural, Feminine
- συναγωγάς synagōgḗ G4864 “gathering” Noun, Accusative, Plural, Feminine
- ὅπως hópōs G3704 “how” Adverb
- ἄν án G302 “if” Particle
- τινας tìs G5100 “a certain” Indefinite pronoun, Accusative, Plural, Masculine
- εὕρῃ heurískō G2147 “to find” Verb, Aorist, Active, Subjunctive, 3rd person, Singular
- ὄντας eimí G1510 “to be” Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Accusative, Plural, Masculine
- τῆς ho G3588 “the” Article, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- ὁδοῦ hodós G3598 “way” Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- ἄνδρας anḗr G435 “man” Noun, Accusative, Plural, Masculine
- τε té G5037 “and” Particle
- καὶ kaí G2532 “and” Conjunction
- γυναῖκας gynḗ G1135 “woman” Noun, Accusative, Plural, Feminine
- δεδεμένους déō G1210 “to bind” Verb, Perfect, Passive, Participle, Accusative, Plural, Masculine
- ἀγάγῃ ágō G71 “to lead” Verb, Aorist, Active, Subjunctive, 3rd person, Singular
- εἰς eis G1519 “into” Preposition
- Ἱερουσαλήμ Hierousalḗm G2419 “Jerusalem” Noun, Proper, indeclinable
About this verse
These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →
- 24
- words
- 22
- distinct lemmas
- Acts
- section
Notable vocabulary
The rarest word here is Δαμασκὸν Damascus G1154 — appearing just 15 times in the whole Greek New Testament.
First appearance in Scripture
These words make their first canonical appearance in the Greek New Testament here:
Shared distinctive vocabulary
Δαμασκὸν Damascus G1154 occurs in 15 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:
Cross-references
9Topical passages linked to Acts 9:2 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.
- Acts 19:9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
- Acts 19:23 About that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.
- Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that after the Way, which they call a sect, so I serve the God of our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets;
- Acts 22:4–5 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
- Acts 24:22 But Felix, having more exact knowledge concerning the Way, deferred them, saying, "When Lysias, the commanding officer, comes down, I will decide your case."
- Acts 9:14 Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name."
- Acts 18:25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John.
- Esther 3:8–13 Haman said to king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; and their laws are diverse from [those of] every people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to allow them.
- Acts 26:12 "Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,
Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).
Lesson kit
Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.
Acts, in the Acts, opens this verse with 24 words (22 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is Damaskós (“Damascus”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.
Discussion questions
- How does “Damascus” (Damaskós) shape what this verse is saying?
- 2 words here appear for the first time in Scripture. What is being introduced at this debut?
- Acts 9:3 shares the word «Damascus» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
- “into” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
- These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
- Reading how MacLaren's Expositions of Holy Scripture and Tyndale Open Study Notes read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?
Things to notice
- 2 words make their first canonical appearance in Scripture here.
- These translations choose different wording for 7 words in this verse.
- “into” occurs 2× in this single verse.
- 22 distinct Greek lemmas span 24 words in this verse.
Commentary
Notes on Acts 9:2 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.
Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →
MacLaren's Expositions of Holy Scripture
Alexander MacLaren
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale Open Resources
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Bengel's Gnomon
Johann Albrecht Bengel
Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Expositor's Greek Testament
ed. W. Robertson Nicoll
The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament
Marvin R. Vincent
Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Geneva Bible translators
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Calvin's Commentaries
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill's Exposition
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Trapp's Complete Commentary
John Trapp
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
Daniel D. Whedon
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Scofield Reference Notes
C. I. Scofield
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
McGarvey & Pendleton's Commentaries
J. W. McGarvey
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The People's New Testament
B. W. Johnson
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alford’s Greek Testament
Henry Alford
Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.