The blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed - See Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1.
I also was standing by - Acts 7:58.
And consenting unto his death - Acts 8:1.
And kept the raiment - The outer robes or garments, which were usually laid aside when they engaged in running or labor. See Acts 7:58. All this showed that, though Paul was not engaged in stoning Stephen, yet he was with them in spirit, and fully accorded with what they did. These circumstances are mentioned here by him as reasons why he knew that he would not be received by Christians as one of their number, and why it was necessary, therefore, for him to turn to the Gentile world.