Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 13:8
But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
8. seeking to turn away [ aside ] the deputy [ proconsul ] from the faith ] Sergius had not yet accepted the doctrine of the Apostles, though we may presume that both he and Elymas had heard much about their teaching since their landing at Salamis. Report going before had roused the proconsul’s curiosity and the magician’s fear, and the wish of the latter was to divert the attention of Sergius, that he might not send for the new teachers.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
}But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) – Elymas the magician. Elymas is the interpretation, not of the name Bar-jesus, but of the word rendered the sorcerer. It is an Arabic word, and means the same as Magus. It seems that he was better known by this foreign name than by his own.
Withstood them – Resisted them. He was sensible that if the influence of Saul and Barnabas should be extended over the proconsul, that he would be seen to be an impostor, and his power be at an end. His interest, therefore, led him to oppose the gospel. His own popularity was at stake; and being governed by this, he opposed the gospel of God. The love of popularity and power, the desire of retaining some political influence, is often a strong reason why people oppose the gospel.
To turn away the deputy from the faith – To prevent the influence of the truth on his mind; or to prevent his be coming the friend and patron of the Christians.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 8. But Elymas, the sorcerer, (for so is his name by interpretation)] That is, Elymas is the interpretation of the word , or sorcerer; not of the word Bar-Jesus as some have imagined; and to support which they have been led into strange etymologies on the word , Bar-Jesus. But how is Elymas, , the interpretation of the word , magician or sorcerer? Ans. Both names are Asiatic; but neither Hebrew nor Greek. I have already observed, in Clarke’s note on “Mt 2:1“, that [Persic] mogh in Persian means an idolater, a worshipper of fire, and sometimes what we term a magician. Elymas is from the Arabic [Arabic] ilm, knowledge, science, doctrine, art; from alama, he was wise, skilled, c. hence [Persic] aleem or alymon, a doctor or learned man, and, with the Greek termination, , Elymas, the interpretation of [Persic] mogh, Greek , magos, a magician, a wise man, doctor, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Elymas; this is another name of him that was called Bar-jesus, which was not unusual, as Simon Bar-jona, Mat 16:17. This Elymas may be taken appellatively, and signifies the magician or sorcerer; but being it was a proper name unto others we read of, it may be so here.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8-12. But Elymasor “thewise.”
for so is his name byinterpretationthe word is from the Arabic.
withstood themperceiving,probably, how eagerly the proconsul was drinking in the word, andfearing a dismissal. (Compare 2Ti3:8).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But Elymas the sorcerer, for so is his name by interpretation,…. Not that Magus a sorcerer is by interpretation Elymas; as if Luke was interpreting the Persic word “Magus”, which is sometimes used in a good sense, for a wise man, as in Mt 2:1 by an Arabic word “Elim”, which signifies knowing; but “Elymas” is the interpretation of his name “Bar-jesus”; which as that signifies the son of salvation, or of healing, so this, as De Dieu observes, may be derived from , “Chalam”, which signifies “to heal”, or to be sound and in health. Junius thinks the name comes from the Arabic word , which signifies “to mutter”, as wizards and sorcerers, and such sort of men used to do; and though he rejects the opinion of Tremellius, taking it for an Hebrew name, and to be the same with “Elimaatz”, which signifies “divine counsel”; yet this, or what is near to it, is embraced by a late learned man m who observes, that Elymas is in Hebrew, , “Elmahatz”; the interpretation of which is, God’s counsel, or the counsel of God; the name of a man, Maaz, is read in 1Ch 2:27 and that it is the same with Elymoteros, as Olympas is the same with Olympiodorus; and he further observes, that Barjeus, as Jerom or Origen say it was anciently read, and not Bar-jesus, is the same with , “Barjeutz”, or Barjeus, the “son of counsel”, and so agrees with Elymas: now he
withstood them: Saul and Barnabas, just as Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Egypt, withstood Moses: he did all he could to prevent their coming into the governor’s house, and them from preaching to him, and him from hearing of them; and especially from giving heed to, and embracing the doctrines preached by them; which he opposed and argued against, with all the cunning and sophistry he was master of:
seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith; the doctrine of faith, from hearing and receiving it; and when he had received it, he endeavoured to set him against it, and cause him to deny and reject it with abhorrence; the Ethiopic version calls him “the king”, as in the former verse “the prince”.
m Hilleri Onomasticum Sacrum, p. 803.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Withstood them ( ). Imperfect middle of , to stand against (face to face). Dative case (). He persisted in his opposition and was unwilling to lose his great prize. There may have been a public discussion between Elymas and Saul.
To turn aside (). First aorist active infinitive of , old verb to turn or twist in two, to distort, to pervert (cf. Matt 17:17; Luke 23:2).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Elymas. An Arabic word, meaning the wise, and equivalent to Magus. See on ver. 6.
Withstood. “The position of soothsayer to a Roman proconsul, even though it could only last a year, was too distinguished and too lucrative to abandon without a struggle” (Farrar, ” Life and Work of Paul “).
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1 ) “But Elymas the sorcerer withstood them,” (anthistato de autois Elumas ho magos) “But Elymas the sorcerer opposed them,” stood up against them in protest, trying to preserve his lucrative business and political attachment to the governor.
2) “(For so is his name by interpretation)” (houtos gar methermeneuetai to onoma) “For this is (the) translation of his name,” meaning a base deceiver, an heathen demagogue who “gave out,” advertised that he was some great one, as a god, Act 8:9-10; But such end up in hell if they do not repent of their sins of covetousness, lying, and deception, Rev 21:8; Rev 22:16; Mat 7:22-23.
3) “Seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.” (zeton diastrepsai ton anthupaton apo tes pisteos) “Seeking or attempting, thru his opposition, to turn away (divert) the pro-consul (Sergius Paulus) from the faith,” from hearing and receiving Jesus Christ and the Word of God which Paul and Barnabas preached, Act 13:5; Act 13:7. When one is saved his association with sorcerers, fortune tellers, wizards, false-miracle, workers, new-light prophecies and propheciers, is to be ended, cut off, or stopped. It is this disassociation from the governor, Sergius Paulus, that Elymas the sorcerer feared, if the governor believed in Jesus Christ; 2Co 6:14-18.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
8. To turn away the deputy from the faith. No marvel if the seducer seek to put away the light, whereby he saw his own darkness driven away. (782) The same stour [contest] have we at this day with a number of babblers, who use to sell their smokes, and to shut, by all shifts possible, the eyes of the simple, that they may not behold the Sun of righteousness, being now risen. We must wrestle with such lets; for as there be [not] always and everywhere magicians present, which procure us some business, (783) Satan thrusteth in lets (784) enough, which possess our minds to drive away Christ, which the flesh is too ready to receive. Finally, both the enticements of the world and the wicked affections of our flesh are as many charms, whereby Satan ceaseth not to overthrow the faith.
(782) “ Discuti,” dispelled.
(783) “ Nam ut non semper et ubique praesto sint magi qui negotium nobis facessant,” for though magicians are not always and everywhere present to give us trouble.
(784) “ Avocamenta,” enticements.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(8) But Elymas the sorcerer.See Note on Act. 13:6. The charlatan feared the loss of the influence which he had previously exercised over the mind of the proconsul. His victim was emancipating himself from his bondage and was passing from credulity to faith, and that progress Bar-jesus sought to check.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Elymas An Oriental name signifying wise-one, or wizard, and was doubtless assumed as a profession of knowledge of supernatural matters.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.’
However, Bar-jesus, or Elymas as he could be called, withstood them and sought to bring up opposition against what they were saying. he wanted to convince Paulus that they were a bad lot. We must presume from Saul’s reaction that his methods were underhand and deceitful. His sole aim appears to have been in order to prevent the pro-consul from listening. He was not simply presenting an opposing viewpoint. ‘Elymas’ possibly comes from a Semitic root meaning ‘sage’ or ‘wise man’ (compare Arabic ‘alim’ – ‘wise’). It was probably therefore his ‘professional name’. Luke probably does not mean that Elymas is an interpretation of Bar-jesus but of ‘sorcerer’ (wise man).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The opposition of Elymas:
v. 8. But Elymas, the sorcerer, (for so is his name by interpretation,) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
v. 9. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him
v. 10. and said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
v. 11. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
v. 12. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. Barnabas and Saul were making some progress with the proconsul, when they met with opposition from a very dangerous adversary. For this counselor of the proconsul, who had cleverly insinuated himself into the intimacy of his master, bearing the name Elymas, “the sage,” as a sort of surname, used all his influence to foil the attempts of the missionaries for the conversion of Sergius Paulus, his purpose being to divert him from the faith. The governor probably showed a strong inclination to accept the truth of the Gospel, and the sorcerer knew that such an event spelled the ruin of himself, the loss of his position. In this emergency, Saul assumed the leadership, which till now he had yielded to Barnabas, and from this time forth Saul was the more prominent of the two. This Luke indicates by inserting here the name by which Saul was henceforth known, which marked his apostleship to the Gentile world. Paul here became subject to an extraordinary manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s influence, in whose power he attacked the magician in the very presence of the proconsul. Fixing his eyes upon the hypocritical Jew, he said to him: Thou son of the devil, full of deceit, guile, craft, and all wickedness. The sorcerer’s present opposition showed him to be the natural enemy of the messengers of God, and of all righteousness, which they were trying to spread. Would he not cease, Paul asked, would he not give up acting as one that perverted, that made it his habit to mix up and turn aside, the straight and correct ways of the Lord? And the punishment of the Lord followed. At the words of Paul the hand of the Lord was laid heavily upon Elymas, causing him to become stone-blind and unable even to distinguish the light of the sun for some time, until such a time as it would please God to restore his sight. And there was no delay in the coming of the curse. At once, at the same moment, a dark mist fell upon him; he groped about, calling on one and another of the frightened bystanders to lead him by the hand and show him the way out of the presence of Paul; he was obliged to have such assistance since his blindness was absolute. This exhibition of the power of God convinced the proconsul; he was astounded at the doctrine, overwhelmed by the teaching of the. Lord and about the Lord; he believed, faith in Jesus, the Savior, was engendered in his heart. Certain inscriptions which have been found in the last decades tend to show that Sergius Paulus was henceforth a firm believer in Christ, that he was enrolled with the Christians. Note: Even today it is the guile and craft of the devil that tends to hinder the conversion and salvation of men, the efficacy of the divine Word, by sending false prophets and errorists. These are full of guile and fraud and enemies of true righteousness. But Christ, the Lord of His Church, is stronger than Satan, and carries out His work for the salvation of souls. But the apostles of darkness are finally condemned to spiritual blindness and darkness, making it impossible for them to find the right way.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Act 13:8 . ] The Arabic name ( sapiens, : magus; comp. Hyde, de relig. vet. Pers. p. 372 f.) by which Barjesus chose to be designated, and which he probably adopted with a view to glorify himself as the channel of Arabian wisdom by the corresponding Arabic name.
] Interpretation of , added in order to call attention to the significance of the name. Comp. Bornemann, Schol. in Luc. p. lviii.
] a well-known pregnant construction, which Valckenaer destroys arbitrarily, and in such a way as to weaken the sense, by the conjecture : to pervert (and turn aside) from the faith. Comp. LXX. Exo 5:4 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Ver. 8. But Elymas ] Elymais is a part of Persia, the proper country of the magicians given to devilish arts. The devil daily commits the sin against the Holy Ghost, by opposing the known truth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
8. ] See above on Act 13:6 . ] A pregnant construction, as , ch. Act 5:37 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 13:8 . : because he saw that his hope of gain was gone, cf. Act 16:19 , Act 19:27 , and the hope of retaining influence with the proconsul; see reading in , cf. 2Ti 3:8 , where St. Paul uses the same verb of the magicians withstanding Moses. , see critical notes in answer to Klostermann, who finds in . a translation of Bar-Jesus; Wendt points out (1899) that in this case . would follow immediately after ., but as . . . follows immediately upon , . can only be a translation of that word; see also MS. authority, so Blass in [256] , where he adds to the words . . In we have the Greek form either of Aramaic Alm , strong, or more probably of an Arab word ‘ alim , wise; we cannot arrive at any derivation closer than this, cf. “Bar Jesus,” Hastings’ B.D., and for a similar explanation Zckler, in loco; and Wendt (1899), Grimm-Thayer, sub v. , Ramsay, St. Paul , p. 74, and so Blass, in loco , read , and render “Son of the Ready”. , Exo 5:4 , same construction with ; 1Ki 18:17-18 , Mat 17:17 , Luk 9:41 , Phi 2:15 ; see also critical notes.
[256] R(omana), in Blass, a first rough copy of St. Luke.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Elymas. The knowing one. Compare Ulema, the corporation of Moslem who interpret the Koran. Arabic alim, wise.
withstood. Greek. anthistimi. First Occurs Mat 5:39; often translated “resist”.
turn away. Greek. diastrepho. On its other six occurences translated “pervert” or “perverse”, as Act 13:10. from. Greek. apo. App-104.
faith. Greek. pistis. App-150.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
8. ] See above on Act 13:6. ] A pregnant construction, as , ch. Act 5:37.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 13:8. , name) Barjehu and Elymas [akin to Elohim, as Jehu to Jehovah?] are in some way synonymous. See L. de Dieu, Hiller. et al.-, to turn away) The same verb occurs, Act 13:10.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
for: Act 13:6, Act 9:36, Joh 1:41
withstood: Exo 7:11-13, 1Ki 22:24, Jer 28:1, Jer 28:10, Jer 28:11, Jer 29:24-32, 2Ti 3:8, 2Ti 4:14, 2Ti 4:15
Reciprocal: Exo 7:12 – but Aaron’s Deu 13:5 – turn you 1Ki 13:4 – his hand Ezr 5:14 – governor Pro 22:12 – he Pro 28:10 – causeth Isa 41:11 – all they Isa 47:12 – General Jer 20:6 – Pashur Jer 23:27 – think Jer 28:16 – because Mat 23:13 – for ye shut Act 19:19 – used Heb 3:9 – forty Rev 16:14 – which
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8
Act 13:8. Elymas the sorcerer (See verse 6) was associated with the deputy in some way, and tried to prevent him from believing the Gospel. He was a Jew by race, and feared that if the deputy became a believer it would affect his standing with him.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 13:8. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation). Elymas is an Arabic word which means the wise, the Magian, or magician. It was evidently self-interest which induced the vagrant Jew to depreciate the stranger missionaries in the eyes of the proconsul. They, he saw, were in earnest; and he feared with reason, if his patron listened to them, his chances of further gain in Cyprus were gone.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
8-12. While listening to the gospel, there were some indications that he was inclined to believe it. (8) “But the magician Elymas, for so is his name translated, withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith. (9) Then Saul, who is also Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on him, (10) and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? (11) And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell upon him a mist, and darkness, and he went about seeking persons to lead him by the hand. (12) Then the proconsul, seeing what was done, being astonished by the Lord’s teaching.”
This is the only miracle wrought by an apostle to the injury of any one’s person. It is to be accounted for, not by supposed resentment on the part of Saul, nor by a desire to make a special example of Bar-jesus. But the case was such that some display of power over the person of the false prophet was the readiest way to convince the proconsul. When Moses went into Egypt he found it necessary to impose many personal inflictions upon the priests, in order to destroy Pharaoh’s confidence in them. The present case was similar to that. The conflict in the mind of Sergius Paulus was between the claim of Bar-jesus to prophetic powers, and that of the apostles. The best way to settle this question was to denounce him in his true character as a son of the devil and an enemy of all righteousness, and then prove the justice of the denunciation, by exerting miraculous control over his person. As he groped about, calling upon one and another of the frightened bystanders to lead him by the hand, the falsity and iniquity if his pretensions stood confessed, and the divine mission of the apostles was demonstrated. The proconsul was fully convinced, and astonished at teaching which was attended by such power.
This triumph over Bar-jesus, and the consequent conversion of Sergius Paulus, forms an epoch in the life of the Apostle Paul. Hitherto he has occupied a subordinate position, and his name has come last in the list of himself and his fellow-laborers. But hereafter he is to occupy the foreground of almost every scene in which he acts. Heretofore, Luke has written “Barnabas and Saul;” hereafter he writes, “Paul and Barnabas.” He had been, up to this time, known by no other name than Saul, being so called not only by Luke, but by Jesus and Ananias. Luke, though writing long after this name had gone into disuse, remembering the custom which thus far prevailed, thus far retains it in his narrative. But, from this time forward he uses the name Paul exclusively; and that this was the universal custom, we infer from the fact that he is so called by all others who mention his name; by the Lord Jesus; by the mob in Jerusalem; by the centurion under Lysias; by his own nephew; by Lysias the chiliarch; by Festus; and by Peter.
There are only two suppositions worthy of notice, by which to account for this change of name. First, that he had both the Hebrew name Saul, and the Latin name Paul, before this time, and perhaps from his infancy; but the conversion of the proconsul Paulus led to the exclusive use of his Latin name thereafter. This supposition, however, can not account for the entire absence of the name Paul previous to this event. Moreover, while it is true that many Jews of that day had both a Hebrew and a Latin or Greek name, there is no evidence that such had been the case with Saul.
The other supposition is, that he received this new name by common consent, in commemoration of the conversion of Paulus. This conversion was a signal triumph; it was accomplished by his intrumentality alone, and was the beginning of the pre-eminence which he afterward maintained over Barnabas and all subsequent follow-laborers. So bold and startling an incident, though it might have been regarded as common-place in his subsequent career, attracted attention now, because it was the first of the kind in his history, and because it secured a conversion of which even Barnabas, under the circumstances, might have despaired. Surprised by the event, and observing the extreme similarity between his name and that of his distinguished convert, which differed only in a single letter, and sounded very much alike, his friends very naturally conceived the idea of changing his name, as they did. It was in perfect harmony with a prevalent custom of the time. Its universal reception soon followed as a matter of course.
It argues no vanity in Paul that he adopted this name; for he could scarcely avoid the adoption into his own use of a name by which he had become universally known. There is nothing in the event, therefore, to encourage men in pompously sounding abroad their own achievements, but much to encourage us in honoring a brother whose boldness and success are worthy of praise.
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
13:8 {4} But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
(4) The devil makes Christ’s victory more glorious in that he sets himself against him.