God’s Word Translation
Acts 8:23
23I can see that you are bitter with jealousy and wrapped up in your evil ways.”
Acts 8:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
- New International Version (NIV)For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity."
- New King James Version (NKJV)For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
Context of Acts 8:23
21You won’t have any share in this because God can see how twisted your thinking is. 22So change your wicked thoughts, and ask the Lord if he will forgive you for thinking like this. I can see that you are bitter with jealousy and wrapped up in your evil ways.” 24Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me that none of the things you said will happen to me.” 25After they had boldly spoken about the message of the Lord, they spread the Good News in many Samaritan villages on their way back to Jerusalem.
Read all of Acts 8Acts 8:23 word by word
εἰς γὰρ χολὴν πικρίας καὶ σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας ὁρῶ σε ὄντα.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- I perceiveὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- that thouσύsu · youG4771
- artεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- inεἰςeis · towardG1519
- the gallχολήcholē · gallG5521
- of bitternessπικρίαpikria · bitternessG4088
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- the bondσύνδεσμοςsundesmos · bond(age)G4886
- of iniquityἀδικίαadikia · unrighteousnessG93
Cross-references for Acts 8:23
- Deuteronomy 29:18Make sure there is no man, woman, family, or tribe among you today who turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of those nations. Make sure that no one among you is the source of this kind of bitter poison.
- Deuteronomy 32:32Their grapevines come from the vineyards of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous, and their clusters are bitter.
- Job 20:14the food in his belly turns sour. It becomes snake venom in his stomach.
- Jeremiah 4:18“You brought this on yourself. This is your punishment. It is bitter. It breaks your heart.”
- Jeremiah 9:15This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to feed these people bitterness and give them poison to drink.
- Lamentations 3:5He has attacked me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
- Hebrews 12:15Make sure that everyone has kindness from God so that bitterness doesn’t take root and grow up to cause trouble that corrupts many of you.
- Psalms 116:16O Lord, I am indeed your servant. I am your servant, the son of your female servant. You have freed me from my chains.
- Proverbs 5:22A wicked person will be trapped by his own wrongs, and he will be caught in the ropes of his own sin.
- Isaiah 28:22Now stop laughing, or your chains will be tightened, because I have heard that the Almighty Lord of Armies has finally determined to destroy the whole land.
- John 8:34Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: Whoever lives a sinful life is a slave to sin.
- Romans 6:17You were slaves to sin. But I thank God that you have become wholeheartedly obedient to the teachings which you were given.
- 2 Peter 2:4God didn’t spare angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, where he has secured them with chains of darkness and is holding them for judgment.
Commentaries on Acts 8:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23The gall of bitterness - A Hebraism for excessive bitterness: gall, wormwood, and such like, were used to express the dreadful effects of sin in the soul; the bitter repentance, bitter regret, bitter sufferings, bitter death, etc., etc., which it produces. In Deuteronomy 29:18, idolatry and its consequences are expressed, by having among them a root that beareth Gall and Wormwood. And in Hebrews 12:15, some grievous sin is intended, when the apostle warns…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23For I perceive - That is, by the act which he had done. His offer had shown a state of mind that was wholly inconsistent with true religion. One single sin “may” as certainly show that there is no true piety as many acts of iniquity. It may be so decided, so malignant, so utterly inconsistent with just views as at once to determine what the character is. The sin of Simon was of this character. Peter here does not appear to have claimed the power of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-25Verses 14-25 The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spirit by the laying on of his hands; but we should use our best…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. 18-2418-24. offered them money--Hence the term simony, to denote trafficking in sacred things, but chiefly the purchase of ecclesiastical offices.Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 8:23
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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