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11. καὶ κατὰ πάσας τὰς συναγωγὰς πολλάκις τιμωρῶν αὐτούς, and punishing them often in all the synagogues. This shews how zealous Saul’s labours against the Way had been. Of the synagogues as places where offenders were accused and punished, cf. Mat 10:17; Mat 23:34; Mar 13:9; Luk 12:11; Luk 21:12.
ἠνάγκαξον βλασφημεῖν, I strove to make them blaspheme. ἀναγκάζω is frequently rendered ‘constrain’ or ‘compel,’ but being here in the imperfect tense, it seems to indicate that the attempt was repeated often, and needed to be so, for it was not in some cases successful. Saul kept on with his constraint. βλασφημεῖν, i e. the name of Jesus, into which they had been baptized. They were to be forced to renounce the belief in the divinity of Jesus. Cf. on blasphemy of the Divine Name, Lev 24:11-16.
ἕως καὶ εἰς τὰς ἔξω πολεις, even unto foreign cities, that is, cities outside the country of the Jews proper. So that, as it appears, Damascus was but one among several cities to which Saul had gone on his errand of punishment.
Cf. ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος, 2Co 4:16.