On get ready see 8.26. Straight Street is a much more natural English idiom than the literal phrase “the Street called Straight” (see Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, An American Translation*). Most likely Straight Street was the important street which ran east and west through Damascus. During Roman times it had long colonnades and ended with large porches at either end.

It may be useful to identify Tarsus as “the city of Tarsus.”

As in so many contexts, it is best to leave untranslated the Greek word idou, usually translated “behold” in traditional translations.

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 .