This noun designates someone who pursues others to harm them—a persecutor or hunter of people. Paul uses it of himself in 1 Timothy 1:13, confessing that before his conversion he was 'a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent aggressor' against the church. The term derives from the verb 'to pursue' or 'chase,' carrying connotations of hunting down prey. Paul's self-description emphasizes the magnitude of God's mercy—even a violent persecutor of Christians could be transformed into Christ's apostle.