And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
martyr.
Revelation 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Revelation 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Stephen.
Acts 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
consenting.
Luke 11:48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
I stood there giving my approval
This phrase indicates Saul's (later Paul) complicity in Stephen's death. Saul was a Pharisee and a zealous persecutor of the early church, as described in Acts 8:1-3 and Philippians 3:5-6. His approval of Stephen's execution shows his initial opposition to the Christian movement. This moment is pivotal in understanding Saul's transformation into Paul, as it underscores the depth of his conversion experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). It also highlights the theme of redemption and grace, as someone who once persecuted Christians became one of the most influential apostles.
and watching over the garments of those who killed him.
In the cultural context of the time, those who stoned Stephen would have removed their outer garments to throw stones more effectively. Saul's role in watching over these garments signifies his authority and agreement with the execution. This act of holding the garments is symbolic of his participation in the persecution, even if he did not physically throw a stone. The mention of garments can also be seen as a type of Jesus Christ, who was stripped of His garments during His crucifixion (John 19:23-24), drawing a parallel between the suffering of Christ and His followers. This connection emphasizes the cost of discipleship and the call to bear one's cross (Luke 9:23).
• The scene Paul recalls is the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:55-60). Stephen is called a “witness,” the same word for “martyr,” underscoring that his death was a testimony to Christ’s resurrection (Revelation 12:11).
• “Blood” highlights the real, physical cost of following Jesus, echoing Jesus’ words: “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross” (Matthew 16:24).
• Stephen’s bold proclamation—“I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56)—was the final spark that led to his death. Paul’s memory of that declaration later shaped his own Christ-centered preaching (cf. Acts 9:20–22).
• The spilling of Stephen’s blood fulfills Jesus’ warning that His followers would be persecuted (John 15:18-20) but also advances the gospel: “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4).
• Paul (then Saul) was not a mere bystander; he “was in hearty agreement with putting him to death” (Acts 8:1).
• His consent shows the depth of his former hostility: “I persecuted this Way even to the death” (Acts 22:4).
• Later, Paul marvels at God’s mercy toward him: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15). His conversion demonstrates that no one is beyond the reach of grace (Ephesians 2:4-5).
• The phrase confronts every reader with the seriousness of sin; agreement with evil is itself culpable (Romans 1:32).
• Acts 7:58 notes that the executioners “laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.” Guarding the clothes implies responsibility and intent, not neutrality.
• Saul’s role allowed the killers freedom to cast stones—an image of active participation, not distant observation.
• This memory likely haunted Paul and remained a touchstone of humility: “I am the least of the apostles…because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9).
• His lingering recollection of coats and stones illustrates how specific sins can become catalysts for lifelong repentance and gratitude (Psalm 51:3).
Acts 22:20 shows Paul publicly confessing his past: he agreed with Stephen’s murder and facilitated it. The verse underscores three truths: martyrdom powerfully testifies to Christ, agreeing with evil is itself sinful, and God’s grace can transform even the fiercest opponent into a devoted servant. The memory of Stephen’s blood not only humbled Paul but propelled his mission, proving that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).
(20) When the blood of thy martyr Stephen . . . .--Better, thy witness. The English word is, perhaps, a little too definite and technical, and fails to remind us, as the Greek does, that the same word had been used in Acts 22:15 as expressing the office to which St. Paul himself was called. He probably used the Aramaic word Edh, of which the Greek martus (witness, and, in ecclesiastical Greek, martyr) was the natural equivalent.Consenting unto his death.--The self-same word is used as in Acts 8:1, not, we may believe, without the feeling which the speaker had lately expressed in Romans 1:32, that that state of mind involved a greater guilt than those who had been acting blindly,--almost in what John Huss called the sancta simplicitas of devout ignorance--in the passionate heat of fanaticism. The words "unto his death" are wanting in the best MSS., but are obviously implied.
Verse 20. - Stephen thy witness for thy martyr Stephen, A.V.; consenting for consenting unto his death, A.V. and T.R.; keeping the garments for kept the raiment, A.V. Consenting; συνευδοκῶν (above, Acts 8:1; Luke 11:48; Romans 1:32; 1 Corinthians 7:12, 13). It is also found in 1 Macc. 1:60; 2 Macc. 11:34, 35. Of them that slew him (τῶν ἀναιρούν των αὐτόν). Ἀναιρέω, in the sense of "to kill," is a favorite word of St. Luke's (Luke 22:2; Luke 23:32; Acts 2:23; Acts 5:33, 36; Acts 7:28; Acts 9:23, 24, 29; Acts 10:39; Acts 12:2; Acts 13:28; Acts 16:27; Acts 22:20; Acts 23:15, 21, 27; Acts 25:3; Acts 26:10); but elsewhere in the New Testament only Matthew 2:16 and 2 Thessalonians 2:8, R.T. It is frequent in the LXX. and also in medical writers in the sense of "taking away" or "removing."