As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house - like an Inquisitor (as Bengel says),
And haling men and women, committed them to prison. 'Since he could not (says Baumgarten) discover any public meetings, he goes about entering into every house where he suspects there are Christians dwelling, and casts them into prison. It was perhaps at this time that for the purpose of detesting the confession of Jesus under the outward guise of Judaism, he had recourse to the dreadful means which he himself speaks of in Acts 26:11, "compelling them to blaspheme."' Indeed, the best commentary on the historian's description of his procedure hero will be found in his own affecting confessions, many years after this, which are once and again repeated in varied forms: see Acts 22:4; Acts 26:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6; 1 Timothy 1:13.
How this was Overruled to the Furtherance of the Gospel, Particularly in Samaria (Acts 8:48)