Acts 9:23
New International Version
After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,

New Living Translation
After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him.

English Standard Version
When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him,

Berean Standard Bible
After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

Berean Literal Bible
Now when many days had passed, the Jews plotted together to kill him,

King James Bible
And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:

New King James Version
Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.

New American Standard Bible
When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,

NASB 1995
When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,

NASB 1977
And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,

Legacy Standard Bible
And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to put him to death,

Amplified Bible
After considerable time had passed [about three years or so], the Jews plotted together to kill him,

Christian Standard Bible
After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

American Standard Version
And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him:

Contemporary English Version
Later some of them made plans to kill Saul,

English Revised Version
And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Later the Jews planned to murder Saul,

Good News Translation
After many days had gone by, the Jews met together and made plans to kill Saul,

International Standard Version
After several days had gone by, the Jewish leaders plotted to murder Saul,

Majority Standard Bible
After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

NET Bible
Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted together to kill him,

New Heart English Bible
When many days were fulfilled, the Jews conspired together to kill him,

Webster's Bible Translation
And after many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him.

Weymouth New Testament
At length the Jews plotted to kill Saul;

World English Bible
When many days were fulfilled, the Jews conspired together to kill him,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him,

Berean Literal Bible
Now when many days had passed, the Jews plotted together to kill him,

Young's Literal Translation
And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him,

Smith's Literal Translation
And when sufficient days were completed, the Jews counselled together to put him to death:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when many days were passed, the Jews consulted together to kill him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when many days were completed, the Jews took counsel as one, so that they might put him to death.

New American Bible
After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

New Revised Standard Version
After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
After he had been there many days, the Jews plotted against him to kill him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And as the days progressed, the Jews produced a plot against him to kill him.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And, after many days had passed, the Jews determined to kill him.

Godbey New Testament
And when many days were being filled up, the Jews issued a verdict to kill him:

Haweis New Testament
But when many days were fulfilled, the Jews consulted together how to kill him:

Mace New Testament
A good while after, the Jews conspir'd to kill him:

Weymouth New Testament
At length the Jews plotted to kill Saul;

Worrell New Testament
And, when many days were completed, the Jews took counsel together to kill him;

Worsley New Testament
And after a considerable time, the Jews conspired to kill him:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Escape from Damascus
22But Saul was empowered all the more, and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. 23 After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 11:32-33
In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me. / But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp.

Galatians 1:17-18
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. / Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

Acts 22:17-21
Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance / and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.’ / ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You. ...

Acts 26:20-21
First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance. / For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.

Matthew 10:23
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

John 15:18-20
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. / If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. / Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

2 Timothy 3:11
my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

1 Thessalonians 2:15-16
who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, / hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.

2 Corinthians 4:8-11
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. / We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ...

Acts 14:5-6
But when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them, / they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding region,

Acts 17:5-10
The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people. / But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here, / and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!” ...

Acts 23:12-15
When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. / More than forty of them were involved in this plot. / They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. ...

Acts 25:3
to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

Jeremiah 11:19
For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”

1 Samuel 23:14-15
And David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God would not deliver David into his hand. / While David was in Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph, he saw that Saul had come out to take his life.


Treasury of Scripture

And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:

Cir.

Acts 9:16
For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

Acts 13:50
But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

Acts 14:2,19
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren…

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Agreement Conspired Consulted Counsel Death Elapsed Fulfilled Jews Kill Length Passed Plotted Saul Together
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Agreement Conspired Consulted Counsel Death Elapsed Fulfilled Jews Kill Length Passed Plotted Saul Together
Acts 9
1. Saul, going toward Damascus, is stricken down to the earth,
8. and led blind to Damascus;
10. is called to the apostleship;
18. and is baptized by Ananias.
20. He preaches Christ boldly.
23. The Jews lay wait to kill him;
29. so do the Grecians, but he escapes both.
31. The church having rest, Peter heals Aeneas;
36. and restores Tabitha to life.














After many days had passed
This phrase indicates a significant period following Saul's conversion and initial ministry in Damascus. The Greek term "ἡμέραι ἱκαναί" (hēmerai hikanai) suggests a considerable amount of time, which some scholars estimate to be around three years, based on Galatians 1:18. This period was crucial for Saul's spiritual growth and preparation for his future mission. It reflects the importance of time in God's plan, where transformation and preparation often occur away from the public eye, emphasizing patience and divine timing in the believer's life.

the Jews
This refers to the Jewish leaders and community in Damascus who were opposed to Saul's newfound faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Historically, the Jewish community in Damascus was significant, and they would have been alarmed by Saul's radical transformation from a persecutor of Christians to a proponent of the faith. This highlights the tension between early Christians and Jewish authorities, a recurring theme in the Acts of the Apostles, illustrating the cost of discipleship and the resistance faced by those who follow Christ.

conspired
The Greek word "συμβουλεύω" (sumbouleuō) implies a deliberate and secretive plan. This conspiracy against Saul underscores the severity of the threat he posed to the Jewish establishment. It reflects the spiritual warfare and opposition that often accompanies the proclamation of the Gospel. The use of this term reminds believers of the reality of persecution and the need for vigilance and reliance on God's protection.

to kill him
The ultimate goal of the conspiracy was Saul's death, highlighting the extreme measures his opponents were willing to take. This phrase underscores the life-and-death stakes of early Christian ministry and the profound transformation in Saul's life—from persecutor to persecuted. It serves as a powerful reminder of the cost of following Christ and the courage required to stand firm in faith amidst threats and opposition. Saul's experience foreshadows the trials and tribulations that many believers would face, encouraging Christians to remain steadfast in their mission.

(23) After that many days were fulfilled.--We learn from the more definite statement in Galatians 1:18 that these few words cover a period of otherwise unrecorded work, extending over a period of three years. That period must have witnessed the growth of a Christian society at Damascus, with an order of discipline and worship based on the outlines of that at Jerusalem. It follows, however, from the subsequent history that, as yet, Gentile converts were not admitted to the Church as such. The special mission to them came later on (comp. Acts 22:21), and it was natural that one, with the intense affection for his brethren according to the flesh which characterised St. Paul (Romans 10:1), should, till that mission came, have given himself mainly, or even exclusively, to the work of labouring for their conversion. It is probable, however, from the bitter antagonism of the Jews, that his teaching had already pointed to the breaking down of "the middle wall of partition" (Ephesians 2:14), and the passing away of all on which they had prided themselves as being their exclusive privileges. From the first it might almost seem as if Stephen had risen from the dead, and was living again in the spirit and power of his persecutor.

Verse 23. - When for after that, A.V.; took counsel together for took counsel, A.V. The phrase many days is quite elastic enough to comprehend whatever time remained to make up the three years (Galatians 1:18) which St. Paul tells us intervened between his conversion and his visit to Jerusalem (see ver. 43; Acts 18:18; 37:7; 14:3). Luke frequently uses ἱκανός for "many" (Luke 7:11; Luke 8:27; Luke 23:8). So in Hebrew, יָמִים רַבַּים, many days, is applied to considerable portions of time. In 1 Kings 2:38, 39, it is applied to three years.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
After
Ὡς (Hōs)
Adverb
Strong's 5613: Probably adverb of comparative from hos; which how, i.e. In that manner.

many
ἱκαναί (hikanai)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2425: From hiko; competent, i.e. Ample or fit.

days
ἡμέραι (hēmerai)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

had passed,
ἐπληροῦντο (eplērounto)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4137: From pleres; to make replete, i.e. to cram, level up, or to furnish, satisfy, execute, finish, verify, etc.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Jews
Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2453: Jewish. From Iouda; Judaean, i.e. Belonging to Jehudah.

conspired
συνεβουλεύσαντο (synebouleusanto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4823: From sun and bouleuo; to give advice jointly, i.e. Recommend, deliberate or determine.

to kill
ἀνελεῖν (anelein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 337: From ana and haireomai; to take up, i.e. Adopt; by implication, to take away, i.e. Abolish, murder.

him,
αὐτόν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Apostles: Acts 9:23 When many days were fulfilled the Jews (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 9:22
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