Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 8:7
For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed [with them]: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
7. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them ] There are some variations in the Gk. Text of this clause, but the most authoritative text would give; For from many of them which had unclean spirits they came out crying with a loud voice. On unclean spirits cp. Act 8:16 note.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For unclean spirits – See the notes on Mat 4:24.
Crying with loud voice – See the notes on Mar 1:26.
Palsies – See the notes on Mat 4:24.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed] Hence it is evident that these unclean spirits were not a species of diseases; as they are here distinguished from the paralytic and the lame. There is nothing more certain than that the New Testament writers mean real diabolic possessions by the terms unclean spirits, devils, &c., which they use. It is absolute trifling to deny it. If we, in our superior sagacity can show that they were mistaken, that is quite a different matter!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Unclean spirits, crying with loud voice; this is frequently mentioned, as Mat 8:29; Mar 1:26; 3:11; 5:8; Luk 4:41, to show how doth these evil spirits are to be forbid and kept from tormenting and destroying of us; and they are called unclean spirits, because they delight in sin, and instigate men unto it, which is spiritual uncleanness, and defile the soul.
Taken with palsies, and other diseases and infirmities: this was promised, Mar 16:17,18, that they which believe should cure in Christs name, or by his power.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
For unclean spirits,…. Devils, so called because they were unclean themselves, defiled others, add delighted in impure persons and places; [See comments on Mt 10:1]
crying with loud voice; showing their unwillingness to remove, and the irresistibleness of divine power they could not withstand:
came out of many that were possessed with them; who had for a long time dwelt in them, and had greatly afflicted them:
and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed; by Philip, in the name of Christ, through a word speaking, or by touching them, without making use of any means or medicines.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
For many ( ). So the correct text of the best MSS., but there is an anacoluthon as this nominative has no verb with it. It was “the unclean spirits” that “came out” (, imperfect middle). The margin of the Revised Version has it “came forth,” as if they came out of a house, a rather strained translation. The loud outcry is like the demons cast out by Jesus (Mark 3:11; Luke 4:41).
Palsied (, perfect passive participle). Luke’s usual word, loosened at the side, with no power over the muscles. Furneaux notes that “the servant was reaping where the Master had sown. Samaria was the mission field white for the harvest (Joh 4:35).” The Samaritans who had been bewitched by Simon are now carried away by Philip.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Taken with palsies [] . Rev., more neatly, palsied. See on Luk 5:18.
Were healed. See on Luk 5:15.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice,” (gar polloi pneumata akatharta bonta phone megale) “For many unclean spirits that were crying vociferously,” with a bellowing voice, from those emotionally unstable deranged by demon spirits, as Luk 8:28, and as one cried out to Jesus one day in a Synagogue Service, Mar 1:23-24.
2) “Came out of many that were possessed with them,” (ekserchonto ton echonton) “Came out of (or from) those (having them) or being possessed or controlled by them,” such as our Lord cast out of the Demon possessed man of Gadara, Luk 8:26-34. Demon possession is to be distinguished from diseases. It appears that seizures by the demon possessed caused them to lose self-consciousness and become emotional companions with demons.
3) “And many taken with palsies,” (polloi de paralelumenoi) “Then many having been paralyzed,” existing as paralytics such as were healed by Jesus, Mar 2:5-9 and by Peter and John, Act 3:1-9. The term (polloi) “many” indicates that not all of this kind in the city were healed.
4) “And that were lame,” (kai choloi),’As well as lame ones,” Act 5:12-16.
5) “Were healed,” (etherapeuthesan) “Were healed,” or made well from their afflictions, as promised Mar 16:17; As Jesus repeatedly healed such as came to Him, where ever He was, Mat 8:1-18.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
7. Unclean spirits. He toucheth certain kinds briefly, that we may know with what miracles they (501) were brought to attribute any authority to Philip. That crying wherewith the unclean spirits cried was a token of resistance. Wherefore this served not a little to set forth the power of Christ, that he did bind the devils with his commandment, though they resisted stubbornly.
(501) “ Samaritae,” the Samaritans.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice.The MSS. present several variations in the structure of the sentence, but they do not affect its meaning. The character of the signs agrees with those that are recorded in the Gospels. The great cry, partly, it may be, of agony, partly of exultation at deliverance, agrees with Mar. 1:26; Luk. 4:33.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them : and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
Ver. 7. Crying with a loud voice ] To show that they went out perforce, and with a very ill will.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
7. ] According to the reading in the text, which is too strongly upheld by manuscript authority to be rejected for the easier ordinary one, is a ‘nominativus pendens’ (compare ch. Act 7:40 ; Rev 3:12 . Winer, edn. 6, 29. 1), For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they crying out with a loud voice, came out: being plur., as often when the neuter plural betokens living agents; see Winer, edn. 6, 58. 3, a. .
has probably been altered to , to agree with , on the difficulty being perceived.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 8:7 . . . .: if we accept reading in R.V. (see critical notes above), we must suppose that St. Luke passes in thought from the possessed to the unclean spirits by which they were possessed, and so introduces the verb (as if the unclean spirits were themselves the subject), whereas we should have expected that would have followed after the first as after the second, in the second clause of the verse. Blass conjectures that should be read before , which thus enables him, while retaining , to make in each clause of the verse the subject of . One of the most striking phenomena in the demonised was that they lost at least temporarily their own self-consciousness, and became identified with the demon or demons, and this may account for St. Luke’s way of writing, as if he also identified the two in thought, Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah , i., 479, 647, ff. As a physician St. Luke must have often come into contact with those who had unclean spirits, and he would naturally have studied closely the nature of their disease. It is also to be noted that with the genitive, (not ), shows that not all the possessed were healed, and if so, it is an indication of the truthfulness of the narrative. Moreover, St. Luke not only shows himself acquainted with the characteristics of demoniacal possession, cf. his description in Luk 8:27 ; Luk 9:38-39 , but he constantly, as in the passage before us, distinguishes it from disease itself, and that more frequently than the other Evangelists. Hobart draws special attention to Luk 6:17 ; Luk 8:4 ; Luk 13:32 , which have no parallels in the other Gospels, and Act 19:12 . To which we may add Luk 4:40 , Act 5:16 (Wendt); see further on Act 19:12 . , cf. Mar 1:26 , Luk 4:33 . : St. Luke alone of the Evangelists uses the participle of , instead of , the more popular word; and here again his usage is exactly what we should expect from a medical man acquainted with technical terms (Hobart, Zahn, Salmon), cf. Act 9:33 and Luk 5:18 ; Luk 5:24 ( , W.H [215] margin). Dr. Plummer, St. Luke , Introd., 65, points out that Aristotle, a physician’s son, has also this use of ( Eth. Nic. , i., 13, 15), but he adds that its use in St. Luke may have come from the LXX, as in Heb 12:12 , where we have the word in a quotation from Isa 35:3 ( cf. also Sir 25:23 ). It may be added that the participle is also found in 3Ma 2:22 , , and cf. 1Ma 9:15 , where it is said of Alcimus, . But the most remarkable feature in St. Luke’s employment of the word is surely this, that in parallel passages in which St. Matthew and St. Mark have he has , cf. Luk 5:18 , Mat 9:2 , Mar 2:3 ; in Luk 5:24 this same distinction is also found in the Revisers’ text (but see W.H [216] above), when this verse is compared with Mat 9:6 and Mar 2:10 .
[215] Westcott and Hort’s The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.
[216] Westcott and Hort’s The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
spirits. App-101
taken with palsies = paralytic. Greek. paraluomai. Only here, Act 9:33 Luk 5:18, Luk 5:24. Heb 12:12. (feeble)
healed. Greek. therapeuo. App-137
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
7.] According to the reading in the text, which is too strongly upheld by manuscript authority to be rejected for the easier ordinary one, is a nominativus pendens (compare ch. Act 7:40; Rev 3:12. Winer, edn. 6, 29. 1), For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they crying out with a loud voice, came out: being plur., as often when the neuter plural betokens living agents; see Winer, edn. 6, 58. 3, a. .
has probably been altered to , to agree with , on the difficulty being perceived.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 8:7. , spirits) The nominative: the accusative case must be understood after , who were possessed with them. It is worthy of observation, that Luke in the Acts never employs the term demons () in speaking of those possessed; and yet he himself in the Gospel has employed the term oftener than the other Evangelists. From which one may infer, that the power of possession was feebler after the death of Christ. 1Jn 3:8; Col 2:15; Heb 2:14.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
unclean: Act 5:16, Mat 10:1, Mar 9:26, Mar 16:17, Mar 16:18, Luk 10:17, Joh 14:12, Heb 2:4
palsies: Act 9:33, Act 9:34, Mar 2:3-11
lame: Act 3:6, Act 3:7, Act 14:8-10, Isa 35:6, Mat 11:5, Mat 15:30, Mat 15:31
Reciprocal: Jos 9:9 – because Mat 8:6 – palsy Luk 7:22 – the lame Act 8:13 – miracles and signs
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7
Act 8:7. Unclean spirits is another name for devils or demons with which people were possessed. Palsies and lame were afflictions of the body that were healed by Philip.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 8:7. Crying with loud voice. Not with indignation, because they were forced to abandon their unhappy victims, but testifying to the Messiahship of Jesus, whose almighty Name they were compelled to obey. The expressions used in this account of the healing of demoniacs evidently supposes the reader to be acquainted with such cases in the history of Christ. St. Luke, the presumed writer, or at least reviser of the Acts, in this book never employs the term ‘, demons, in speaking of the possessed, although in his Gospel he employs it oftener than any of the evangelists; and from this Bengel infers that the power of possession was feebler after the death of Christ.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 6
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
7. Many of those having unclean spirits, roaring with a great voice went out of them. Crying in E. V. is the Greek boaoo, by whose pronunciation you see that it means to roar like the lowing of an ox. Hence we see that those great, stalwart heathen men, under the mighty conviction of the Holy Ghost, through the preaching of this red-hot young Israelite, threw their mouths open and roared like oxen. I have seen much of this kind. Lord, help us to get back to the roaring, knock-down convictions (1
Corinthians 14:25) of the Apostolic age. Philip in Samaria met the obstruction so common in all ages, i. e., the devils preacher, Simon Magus, cultured, influential, wealthy and wielding an apparently omnipotent influence among the people. Nothing is too hard for the grace of God. Consequently, Satans preacher comes down at the mourners bench along with his members and gets religion. Some doubt this, but Act 8:13 is conclusive: And Simon himself also believed, and having been baptized, was accompanying Philip. If uninspired man had said that Simon believed, I would doubt his conversion; but since the infallible Holy Ghost, the Author of l true and saving faith, here certifies that Simon believed, we dare not gainsay. However, it is perfectly clear that he failed to get sanctified under the preaching of Peter and John, and consequently lapsed into condemnation like millions of others who, having been truly converted and refusing to obey the call of the Holy Ghost and go on into holiness, forfeit their justification and, with Simon Magus, plunge into a backsliders hell. The love of money which would have ruined Jacob had he not received his Peniel sanctification twenty years after his Bethel conversion, and did drag poor Judas Iscariot from the apostleship down to hell, also proved fatal in the case of Simon Magus.