[5] The words "It is hard for you to kick against goads" are added in some translations, which reflect Saul's (Paul's) later account of the experience in Acts 26:14.

[5] It also contains 'a divine commission' (in distinctly Pauline language) highlighting the contrast between Saul's dark past and God's 'elective grace' (verse 15: cf.

[8] John Gill suggested in his Exposition of the Bible that these disciples were among those dispersed from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria at the onset of the Christian persecution described in Acts 8:1.

[12] Another mention of Damascus in Paul's letters is at 2 Corinthians 11:32 in relation to his escape (being let down over the walls in a basket), which could hardly have happened twice, so it must refer to the same episode.

[12] In the epistle to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that the person wanting to capture him was Aretas, the king of the Arabian kingdom of Nabatea, who only had any kind of judicial authority in Damascus between 37 and 39 CE, thus providing a narrow date range for the event.

Luke's account highlights the suspicion of the Jerusalem church to Saul (verses 26–27) and the 'relative independence' of Paul's gospel teaching from 'apostolic control'.

[12] Henry Alford reflects on the possible routes Saul might have taken: "probably ... on the Roman road, i.e. that of the Itineraries", from Damascus to Gadara, crossing the River Jordan south of Lake Tiberias, then to Scythopolis (modern Beit She'an), Shechem and Jerusalem.

Alternatively there would have been routes he could take via the road to Petra, crossing the Jordan near Jericho, or towards Caesarea Philippi and then on the Egyptian caravan-track, which passes to the north of Lake Tiberias.

[15] The summary verse at the end brings the narrative to the main thread, with glimpses of the scattered groups of 'brothers' or 'disciples' (both men and women) under the guidance of the Spirit spreading their faith.

[12] According to the New Testament, this event took place in the life of Paul the Apostle which led him to cease persecuting early Christians and to become a follower of Jesus.