EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Acts 8:9
9A man called Simon lived in that city. For a long time, he had used magic to do great things. All the people who lived in Samaria were very surprised at what he did. Simon told everyone that he was a very important person.
Acts 8:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
- New International Version (NIV)Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,
- English Standard Version (ESV)But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,
Context of Acts 8:9
7Many people there had bad spirits, which were living in them. Philip sent the bad spirits out of those people. As the spirits came out, they shouted loudly. Some other people had weak arms or legs, and some people could not walk well. Philip caused many of them to become well again. 8As a result, the people in that city were very happy. A man called Simon lived in that city. For a long time, he had used magic to do great things. All the people who lived in Samaria were very surprised at what he did. Simon told everyone that he was a very important person. 10All the people in the city watched Simon carefully. This included the people who were important and all the other people too. Everyone said, ‘This man has great power that comes from God.’ 11Simon had used his magic for a long time and he had surprised them all very much. Because of that, they listened to him carefully.
Read all of Acts 8Acts 8:9 word by word
Ἀνὴρ δέ τις ὀνόματι Σίμων προϋπῆρχεν ἐν τῇ πόλει μαγεύων καὶ ἐξιστάνων τὸ ἔθνος τῆς Σαμαρείας λέγων εἶναί τινα ἑαυτὸν μέγαν·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But there wasδέde · thenG1161
- a certainτιςtis · oneG5100
- manἀνήρanēr · manG435
- calledὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
- SimonΣίμωνSimōn · SimonG4613
- which beforetimeπροϋπάρχωprouparchō · be formerlyG4391
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the same cityὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the same cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
- used sorceryμαγεύωmageuō · to practice magicG3096
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- bewitchedἐξίστημιexistēmi · to amazeG1839
- the peopleἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
- of SamariaΣαμάρειαSamareia · SamariaG4540
- giving out thatλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
- wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- great oneμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
Cross-references for Acts 8:9
- Acts 13:6They travelled across the whole island and they arrived at a town called Paphos. There they met a man called Bar-Jesus. He was a Jew. He used magic to do surprising things. He said that he was a prophet from God. But his messages were not true.
- Acts 16:16One day, we were going to the place where people prayed to God. On the way there, we met a slave girl. A bad spirit was living inside her. This spirit told her what would happen soon. People gave her masters a lot of money when she told them about these future things.
- Acts 19:18Many of the believers agreed that they had done wicked things. They told other believers about this.
- Exodus 7:11Then Pharaoh called for his wise men and his magicians to come to him. The Egyptian magicians did the same thing as Aaron. They used their secret magic to do it.
- Exodus 8:18Then the Egyptian magicians tried to use their magic to make gnats appear. But they could not do it. The gnats were on all the people and on all the animals.
- Exodus 9:11All the Egyptians had boils, even the magicians. Because of the boils, the magicians could not stand in front of Moses.
- Leviticus 20:6A person must not ask someone who does magic for help. They are turning away from the Lord. He will send them away from his people.
- Deuteronomy 18:10Nobody among you must ever burn your child in a fire, as an offering. Nobody must use magic or other things to learn about future times. There must not be any magicians or diviners.
- 2 Timothy 3:8These are people who speak against God's true message, in the same way that Jannes and Jambres spoke against Moses. Their minds have become confused. The way that they serve God is false.
- Revelation 13:13The second wild animal did great miracles. It even caused fire to come down from heaven to the earth, while people watched.
- Revelation 22:15But other people must stay outside the city: wicked people; people who do magic; people who have sex in a wrong way; people who murder other people; people who worship idols; everyone who likes to tell lies and deceive people.
- Acts 5:36Remember what happened to Theudas a few years ago. That man told everyone, “I am a very important leader.” As a result, about 400 men joined his group. But then somebody killed him, and all his men went away. Nobody heard any more about them.
- John 7:18A person who teaches his own ideas wants people to think that he himself is great. But I want to show that the one who sent me is great. A person like that is honest and there is nothing false in him.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4This man will be God's great enemy. He will say that he is greater than everything that people call their gods. He will say that he is greater than everything that people worship. As a result, he will even go into the temple. He will sit down there like a king. He will tell everyone that he himself is God.
- 2 Timothy 3:2People will love only themselves, and they will want lots of money for themselves. They will be proud and they will say how great they are. They will insult other people. They will not obey their parents. They will not thank anyone who helps them. They will not respect anything that is good.
- 2 Peter 2:18The messages that these teachers speak seem very important. But their words really mean nothing. In that way, they lead people away from God. Some people have not been believers for very long. They have only just become free from the wrong things that people do. But the false teachers tell these people to do bad things that will make them happy.
Commentaries on Acts 8:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9A certain man called Simon - In ancient ecclesiastical writers, we have the strangest account of this man; they say that he pretended to be the Father, who gave the law to Moses; that he came in the reign of Tiberius in the person of the Son; that he descended on the apostles on the day of pentecost, in flames of fire, in quality of the Holy Spirit; that he was the Messiah, the Paraclete, and Jupiter; that the woman who accompanied him, called Helena, was…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9But there was a certain man called Simon - The fathers have written much respecting this man, and have given strange accounts of him; but nothing more is certainly known of him than is stated in this place. Rosenmuller and Kuinoel suppose him to have been a Simon mentioned by Josephus (Antiq., book 20, chapter 7, section 2), who was born in Cyprus. He was a magician, and was employed by Felix to persuade Drusilla to forsake her husband Azizus, and to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-13Verses 5-13 As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, both to the world and to the church. The people said of Simon, This…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-24Simon the sorcerer performed magic and amazed the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great. Simon tried to buy spiritual power. The later corrupt practice of buying and selling positions of leadership in the church was called simony. This term refers to the corrupt practice of buying and selling church leadership positions (see 1 Timothy 6:9–10). Peter strongly criticized Simon's evil intentions and actions.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-139-13. used sorcery--magical arts. some great one ... the great power of God--a sort of incarnation of divinity.Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 8:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Acts 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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