In the Greek text verses 1 and 2 are actually one sentence, which the Good News Translation has broken up into two sentences for ease of understanding. In the meantime (see Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible “meanwhile”) translates a Greek particle (rendered in most translations as “and” or “but”) that merely indicates the resumption of an old narrative or the beginning of a new narrative. Since this story is a continuation of the one in 8.3, the Good News Translation has indicated that the events of the preceding chapter were not prior in time to the events of the present narrative, but happened simultaneously with this story.

The idiomatic phrase “breathing threats and murder” has been rendered in the Good News Translation as violent threats of murder (see Knox “threatened the disciples of the Lord with massacre”). The Good News Translation has incorporated the meaning of the adverb “yet” or “still” into the verb kept up (his violent threats of murder).

The Roman government had given the Jewish Council authority over the Jews living in foreign cities, and for this reason Saul went to the High Priest (the head of the Jewish Council) to ask for authority over the persons whom he wanted to arrest. The letters that Saul asked for were evidently letters of introduction and for this reason the Good News Translation has made letters explicit. Saul would have found the persons he was looking for at worship in the Jewish synagogues, since the Jewish Christians considered belief in Christ the fulfillment of their Jewish hopes.

The expression letters of introduction may require some marginal explanation or perhaps a descriptive equivalent in the text itself. In some languages one may employ “letters telling who Saul was.” However, there were also letters indicating the authority vested in Saul, for example, “letters saying who Saul was and the power that had been given to him.” If the term synagogues indicates primarily buildings, then it may be impossible to speak of letters being addressed to buildings. Therefore one can have “letters addressed to the leaders of the synagogues saying who Saul was.”

There was a large colony of Jews in Damascus (after the war of A.D. 70 some 18,000 of them were massacred), and Saul had probably gone to Damascus in order to arrest Jewish Christians who had fled from Jerusalem and had taken refuge in the city of Damascus. Followers of the Way (literally “those of the Way”) is one the many terms that Luke uses to describe Christians in this chapter, for example, disciples, people of God, those calling on the name of the Lord, and brothers.

The phrase the Way of the Lord must be translated with care so as not to imply that this is simply “the road that belongs to the Lord” or “the road that the Lord followed” (as though it were some reference to a road on which Jesus walked). Rather, one must have some such expression as “the Way shown by the Lord” or “the Way that the Lord said people should walk” (or “live”). (See also 18.25, 26; 19.9, 23; 22.4; 24.14, 22.)

“Bring them bound to Jerusalem” means simply arrest them … and take them back to Jerusalem (see Jerusalem Bible “to arrest and take to Jerusalem,” and New English Bible “to arrest … and bring them to Jerusalem”). In this context the word “bound” merely means “in custody” or “under arrest,” and does not indicate necessarily that the people were in chains or ropes.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .