{Asked} ((8869)t(8873)ato). First aorist middle indicative, the
indirect middle, asked for himself (as a favour to himself).
Felten notes that "Saul as a Pharisee makes request of a
Sadducee" (the high priest) either Caiaphas if before A.D. 35,
but if in 36 Jonathan, son of Caiaphas or if in 37 Theophilus,
another son of Caiaphas. {Letters} (epistolas). Julius Ceasar
and Augustus had granted the high priest and Sanhedrin
jurisdiction over Jews in foreign cities, but this central
ecclesiastical authority was not always recognized in every local
community outside of Judea. Paul says that he received his
authority to go to Damascus from the priests ( Acts 26:10 ) and
"the estate of the elders" ( 22:5 ), that is the Sanhedrin. {To
Damascus} (eis Damaskon). As if no disciples of importance
(outside the apostles in Jerusalem) were left in Judea. Damascus
at this time may have been under the rule of Aretas of Arabia
(tributary to Rome) as it certainly was a couple of years later
when Saul escaped in a basket ( 2Co 11:32 ). This old city is the
most enduring in the history of the world (Knowling). It is some
150 miles Northeast from Jerusalem and watered by the river Abana
from Anti-Lebanon. Here the Jews were strong in numbers (10,000
butchered by Nero later) and here some disciples had found refuge
from Saul's persecution in Judea and still worshipped in the
synagogues. Paul's language in  Ac 26:11  seems to mean that
Damascus is merely one of other "foreign cities" to which he
carried the persecution. {If he found} (ean heur(8869)). Third
class condition with aorist subjunctive retained after secondary
tense (asked). {The Way} (	(8873) hodou). A common method in the
Acts for describing Christianity as the Way of life, absolutely
as also in  19:9,23  22:4  24:14,22  or the way of salvation
( 16:17 ) or the way of the Lord ( 18:25 ). It is a Jewish
definition of life as in  Isa 40:3  "the way of the Lord,"  Ps
1:6  "the way of the righteous," "the way of the wicked." Jesus
called himself "the way" ( Joh 14:6 ), the only way to the
Father. The so-called Epistle of Barnabas presents the Two Ways.
The North American Indians call Christianity the Jesus Road.
{That he might bring them bound} (hop(9373) dedemenous agag(8869)).
Final clause with hop(9373) (less common than hina) and aorist
(effective) subjunctive (agag(8869), reduplicated aorist of ag(935c),
common verb) and perfect passive participle (dedemenous) of
de(935c), in a state of sheer helplessness like his other victims
both men and women. Three times ( 8:3  9:2  22:4 ) this fact of
persecuting women is mentioned as a special blot in Paul's
cruelty (the third time by Paul himself) and one of the items in
his being chief of sinners ( 1Ti 1:15 ).