σαῦλος G4569
Saul (Saulos); the Jewish name of the apostle Paul before and during his early ministry.
The Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Sha'ul ('asked for' or 'prayed for'), used in Acts for the apostle Paul during his pre-conversion life and the early years of his ministry. Luke introduces him as a young man consenting to Stephen's execution (Acts 7:58; 8:1) and then as a fierce persecutor of the church (Acts 8:3; 9:1). The dramatic conversion on the Damascus road is narrated under this name—'Saoul, Saoul, why are you persecuting me?' (Acts 9:4)—and Luke continues using Saulos through the Antioch period until the encounter with Bar-Jesus on Cyprus, after which the name Paul (Paulos) takes over (Acts 13:9). Spanish 'Saulo,' French 'Saul,' and German 'Saulus' all preserve the Septuagintal transliteration.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The Grecized form of Hebrew Sha'ul, designating the apostle Paul by his Jewish name. Used exclusively in Acts for Paul's pre-conversion identity as a Pharisaic persecutor (Acts 7:58; 8:1, 3; 9:1) and through his conversion experience on the Damascus road (Acts 9:4-8, 17). Luke maintains this name during the Antioch ministry (Acts 11:25-30; 13:1-2) until the pivotal transition at Acts 13:9, where 'Saulos, also called Paulos' marks the shift to his Roman cognomen for Gentile mission. The multilingual pattern—Spanish 'Saulo,' French 'Saul,' German 'Saulus'—uniformly transliterates from the Septuagintal Greek form. 15×
AR["شاوُلَ", "شاوُلُ", "شَاولَ", "شَاولُ", "شَاوُلَ", "شَاوُلُ"]·ben["শৌল", "শৌলকে", "শৌলের", "শৌলের-কাছে", "শৌলের।"]·DE["Saulus"]·EN["Saulos", "of-Saulos"]·FR["Saul"]·heb["שָׁאוּל"]·HI["शाऊल", "शाऊल-को"]·ID["Saulus", "Saulus."]·IT["Saulo"]·jav["Saul", "Saul.", "Saulus", "Saulus,", "Saulus."]·KO["사울-에게", "사울-은", "사울-을", "사울-의", "사울은", "사울을", "사울의", "사울이", "사울이다"]·PT["Saulo", "Saulo,", "Saulo."]·RU["Савл", "Савла", "Савлу"]·ES["Saûlon", "Saûlos", "a-Saûlos"]·SW["Sauli", "Saulo", "Saulo,", "Saulo."]·TR["Saul", "Saulos", "Saulos'a", "Saulos'u", "Saulos'un"]·urd["ساؤل"]
Acts 7:58, Acts 8:1, Acts 8:3, Acts 9:1, Acts 9:8, Acts 9:11, Acts 9:22, Acts 9:24, Acts 11:25, Acts 11:30, Acts 12:25, Acts 13:1 (+3 more)
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σαῦλος, η, ον, an adjective descriptive of gait and carriage, defined as τὸ φαῦλον καὶ διερρυηκός by Refs 5th c.BC+; σαῦλα ποσὶν βαίνουσα, applied to the gait of the tortoise, straddling, waddling, Refs; of the loose, wanton gait of courtesans or Bacchantes, σ. βαίνειν Refs 6th c.BC+; also of a prancing horse, σ. βαίνειν, ἵππος ὡς κορωνίης Refs 7th c.BC+