Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch,.... In Pisidia; where the Jews that contradicted and blasphemed his doctrine, and envied his success, stirred up the chief of the city, both men and women, against him, and Barnabas; who persecuted them and expelled them out, of their coasts, Acts 13:45 and also at Iconium; where both Jews and Gentiles made an assault upon them, to use them ill, and stone them, Acts 14:5 and likewise at Lystra; where the apostle was stoned, and drawn out of the city, and left for dead, Acts 14:19. And these instances are the rather mentioned because they were done in those parts, where Timothy had lived, Acts 16:1 and so knew the truth of these things, not only from the apostle's mouth, but from the testimonies of others; and perhaps he might have been a witness to some of them himself;
what persecutions I endured: not only in the above places, but elsewhere; see a detail of them in 2 Corinthians 11:23,
but out of them all the Lord delivered me; see 2 Corinthians 1:10 2 Timothy 4:17, this he says to the glory of the grace and power of God, to whom he ascribes all his deliverances; and for the encouragement of Timothy, and other saints, under sufferings, who may hope and believe that the Lord will deliver them in his own time and way, Psalms 34:19.