Acts 8:3 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

As for Saul Who was one of the main instruments in this persecution; he made havoc of the church Like some furious beast of prey. So the Greek word properly signifies. He did his utmost to ruin it, not caring what mischief he did to the disciples of Christ, and setting no bounds to his rage and cruelty: entering into every house Where the Christians used to assemble for the worship of God; or every house that had, or was thought to have, any Christians in it; haling men and women Dragging them along the streets, without any regard to age or sex; committed them to prison For no crime, real or pretended, but that of having believed in Jesus, and embraced the gospel. Therefore they that were Greek, οι μεν ουν διασπαρεντες, they, therefore, being scattered abroad, went everywhere Went through Judea and Samaria, (Acts 8:1,) preaching the word Wherever they came; scattering the knowledge of Christ and his gospel wherever they were scattered: they went, ευαγγελιζομενοι τον λογον, evangelizing, or, declaring the glad tidings of the word Those of them that had ability to preach, in their preaching, and others in their common converse. And in many places they were remarkably successful. So that God overruled the cruelty and rage of his people's enemies to subserve his own wise and gracious purposes. There is no room to inquire where these poor refugees had their orders. Some of them were endowed with miraculous gifts: and, if none of them had been so, the extraordinary call they had to spread the knowledge of Christ wherever they came, among those who were ignorant of him, abundantly justified them in what they did. They were now in a country where many of them were no strangers, for Christ and his disciples had conversed much in the regions of Judea and Samaria, so that a foundation had been laid for them to build upon, and it was requisite to let the people in those parts know what had been the issue of the preaching Christ's doctrine, and that it was not now left neglected and forgotten, as perhaps they had been made to believe.