Bible Strands
Acts 26:17
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul stands before King Agrippa and Roman officials, recounting his Damascus road encounter where the risen Lord addresses him directly. The Lord speaks these words immediately after appointing Paul as a servant and witness to what has been shown and will be shown.
The words — The participle ἐξαιρούμενός (exairoumenos) means delivering, paired with ἐκ (ek) to mark the origin of the rescue. The supplied Greek specifies rescue from τοῦ λαοῦ (tou laou, your own people) and from the Gentiles, with σε (se) confirming the direct address to Paul.
The thread — The promise of divine protection against opposition mirrors Jeremiah 1:19, which guarantees the speaker will deliver the recipient. Paul’s specific commission to the Gentiles aligns with Acts 9:15 and 1 Timothy 2:7, which identify him as a chosen instrument and teacher for Gentile audiences.
Why it lands — The text declares a rescue mission and a direct commission to a specific group. It requires the reader to accept that ministry authority and safety derive from the speaker’s appointment, not from human consensus.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
Cross-references
- Acts 9:15 “Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.
- 1 Timothy 2:7 For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.
- Jeremiah 1:19 They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Romans 11:13 I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry
- Jeremiah 1:8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Acts 28:28 Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
- Galatians 2:9 And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
- Ephesians 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.
- 2 Timothy 1:11 to which I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.
- 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.