Bible Strands
Acts 9:30
When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Jerusalem church members act immediately after Grecian Jews attempt to kill Saul, relocating him from a hostile urban environment to Caesarea before dispatching him to his hometown of Tarsus.
The words — ἐπιγνόντες (epignontes) literally means "having known" or "perceived," indicating the brothers recognized the lethal threat, while κατήγαγον (katēgagon) means "brought down," describing the physical relocation from Jerusalem to the coastal plain.
The thread — The destination Tarsus appears in Acts 9:11 as Saul's origin and Acts 11:25 as the place Barnabas will later seek him, framing this move as a strategic retreat to his roots. The protective relocation mirrors the broader narrative pattern of gospel workers moving through regions like Azotus and Judea in Acts 8:40 and Acts 9:31.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that spiritual advancement sometimes involves physical withdrawal for safety, and that the church's immediate response to persecution is organized relocation rather than martyrdom.
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
Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.
Cross-references
- Acts 8:40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
- Acts 9:11 “Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
- Acts 11:25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
- Galatians 1:21 Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
- 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.
- Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
- Acts 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.
- Acts 17:10 As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
- Acts 17:15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.