Acts 13:8

"who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God."

Key Reflection

This verse highlights Sergius Paulus's intellectual curiosity and openness to spiritual truth, positioning him as a key figure seeking deeper knowledge through dialogue with the apostles Barnabas and Saul. His act of summoning them to share the word of God underscores the early Christian community’s engagement with non-Jewish audiences in their missionary efforts.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 8. 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.

Related Verses

More from Acts 13

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion