Acts 8:21

"But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!"

Key Reflection

In Acts 8:21, Peter is addressing Simon Magus directly after Simon attempts to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit for a price. The first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman context would have understood this as an affront to divine sovereignty and the sacredness of faith. Peter’s response, "May your silver perish with you," reflects the conviction that no amount of money could buy spiritual gifts or favor with God—a message that underscores the idea that true piety cannot be bought.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 21. Neither part. You have no portion of the grace of God; that is, you are destitute of it altogether. This word commonly denotes the part of an inheritance which falls to one when it is divided. Nor lot. This word means, properly, a portion which falls to one when an estate, or when spoil in war, is divided into portions, according to the number of those who are to be partakers, and the part of each one is determined by lot. The two words denote emphatically that he was in no sense a partaker of the favour of God. In this matter. Greek, In this word, i.e. thing. That which is referred to here is the religion of Christ. He was not a Christian.

Related Verses

More from Acts 8

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

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