{Preaching boldly} (parr(8873)iazomenos). For a while.
Evidently Saul did not extend his preaching outside of Jerusalem
( Ga 1:22 ) and in the city preached mainly in the synagogues of
the Hellenists (pros tous Hellenistas) as Stephen had done ( Ac
8:9 ). As a Cilician Jew he knew how to speak to the Hellenists.
{Disputed} (sunez(8874)ei). Imperfect active of sunz(8874)e(935c), the
very verb used in  6:9  of the disputes with Stephen in these
very synagogues in one of which (Cilicia) Saul had probably
joined issue with Stephen to his own discomfort. It was
intolerable to these Hellenistic Jews now to hear Saul taking the
place of Stephen and using the very arguments that Stephen had
employed. {But they went about to kill him} (Hoi de epecheiroun
anelein auton). Demonstrative hoi with de and the conative
imperfect of epicheire(935c), to put the hand to, to try, an old
verb used in the N.T. only three times ( Lu 1:1  Ac 9:29  19:3 ).
They offer to Saul the same conclusive answer that he gave to
Stephen, death. Paul tells how the Lord Jesus appeared to him at
this juncture in a vision in the temple ( Ac 22:17-21 ) with the
distinct command to leave Jerusalem and how Paul protested that
he was willing to meet the fate of Stephen in whose death he had
a shameful part. That is to Saul's credit, but the Lord did not
want Saul to be put to death yet. His crown of martyrdom will
come later.