Acts 8:9
New International Version
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,

New Living Translation
A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,

Berean Literal Bible
Now a certain man named Simon had formerly been practicing sorcery in the city and amazing the people of Samaria, declaring himself to be someone great,

King James Bible
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 King James Version
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,

New American Standard Bible
Now a man named Simon had previously been practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;

NASB 1995
Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;

NASB 1977
Now there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city, and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;

Legacy Standard Bible
Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astounding the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;

Amplified Bible
Now there was a man named Simon, who previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

Christian Standard Bible
A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and astounded the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.

American Standard Version
But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But there was a man there whose name was Simon who had dwelt there in that city for a long time. By his sorcery he deceived the people of the Samaritans as he was magnifying himself and saying, “I am the great God.”

Contemporary English Version
For some time a man named Simon had lived there and had amazed the people of Samaria. He practiced witchcraft and claimed to be somebody great.

Douay-Rheims Bible
There was therefore great joy in that city. Now there was a certain man named Simon, who before had been a magician in that city, seducing the people of Samaria, giving out that he was some great one:

English Revised Version
But there was a certain man, Simon by name, which beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A man named Simon lived in that city. He amazed the people of Samaria with his practice of magic. He claimed that he was great.

Good News Translation
A man named Simon lived there, who for some time had astounded the Samaritans with his magic. He claimed that he was someone great,

International Standard Version
Now in that city there was a man named Simon. He was practicing occult arts and thrilling the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

Literal Standard Version
And a certain man, by name Simon, was previously in the city using magic, and amazing the nation of Samaria, saying himself to be a certain great one,

Majority Standard Bible
Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,

New American Bible
A man named Simon used to practice magic in the city and astounded the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

NET Bible
Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

New Revised Standard Version
Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great.

New Heart English Bible
But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,

Webster's Bible Translation
But there was a certain man called Simon, who before in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

Weymouth New Testament
Now for some time past there had been a man named Simon living there, who had been practising magic and astonishing the Samaritans, pretending that he was more than human.

World English Bible
But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,

Young's Literal Translation
And a certain man, by name Simon, was before in the city using magic, and amazing the nation of Samaria, saying himself to be a certain great one,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Simon the Sorcerer
8So there was great joy in that city. 9 Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, 10and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 18:10
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,

Acts 5:36
Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.

Acts 8:11
They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.

Acts 13:6
They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,

Acts 13:8
But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.


Treasury of Scripture

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:

used.

Acts 13:6
And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:

Acts 16:16-18
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: …

Acts 19:18-20
And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds…

giving.

Acts 5:36
For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

John 7:18
He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

2 Thessalonians 2:4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

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Amazed Amazing Arts Astonishing Beforetime Bewitched Boasted Cause City Claiming er Formerly Great Human Magic Making Nation Past Practice Practising Pretending Samaria Samaritans Simon Somebody Someone Sorcery Surprise Time Used Using Wonder-Worker
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Acts 8
1. By occasion of the persecution in Jerusalem, the church being planted in Samaria,
4. by Philip the deacon, who preached, did miracles, and baptized many;
9. among the rest Simon the sorcerer, a great seducer of the people;
14. Peter and John come to confirm and enlarge the church;
15. where, by prayer and imposition of hands giving the Holy Spirit;
18. when Simon would have bought the like power of them,
20. Peter sharply reproving his hypocrisy and covetousness,
22. and exhorting him to repentance,
25. together with John preaching the word of the Lord, return to Jerusalem;
26. but the angel sends Philip to teach and baptize the Ethiopian Eunuch.














(9) But there was a certain man, called Simon.--The man who is thus brought before us in a brief episode, occupies a prominent place in the history and the legends of the Apostolic Church. For the present it will be convenient to deal only with the materials which St. Luke gives us, reserving a fuller account for the close of the narrative. Nothing is told us here as to his earlier history, prior to his arrival in Samaria. The name indicates Jewish or Samaritan origin. He appears as the type of a class but too common at the time, that of Jews trading on the mysterious prestige of their race and the credulity of the heathen, claiming supernatural power exercised through charms and incantations. Such afterwards was Elymas at Cyprus (Acts 13:6); such were the vagabond Jews exorcists at Ephesus (Acts 19:13); such was a namesake, Simon of Cyprus (unless, indeed, we have a re-appearance of the same man), who also claimed to be a magician, and who pandered to the vices of Felix, the Procurator of Judaea, by persuading Drusilla (Jos. Ant. xx. 7, ? 2, see Note on Acts 24:24) to leave her first husband and to marry him. The life of such a man, like that of the Cagliostro fraternity in all ages, was a series of strange adventures, and startling as the statements as to his previous life may seem (see Note on Acts 8:24), they are not in themselves incredible. Apollonius of Tyana is, perhaps, the supreme representative of the charlatanism of the period.

Used sorcery.--Literally, was practising magic. On the history of the Greek word magos and our "magic," as derived from it, see Note on Matthew 2:1. Our "sorcerer" comes, through the French sorcier, from the Latin sortitor, a caster of lots (sortes) for the purposes of divination. Later legends enter fully into the various forms of sorcery of which Simon made use. (See below.) . . .

Verse 9. - Simon by name for called Simon, A.V.; the city for the same city, A.V.; amazed for bewitched, A.V. (here and in ver. 13). Amazed. In Luke 24:22 the same word (ἐξίστημι) is rendered "made us astonished" in the A.V.; and in Acts 2:7, 12, and elsewhere, in an intransitive sense, "were amazed." It has also the meaning of "being out of one's mind," or "beside one's self" (Mark 3:21; 2 Corinthians 5:13), but never that of "bewitching" or "being bewitched." As regards Simon, commonly surnamed Magus, from his magic arts, it is doubtful whether he is the same Simon as is mentioned by Josephus ('Ant. Jud.,'20. 7:2) as being employed by Felix the Procurator of Judaea, in the reign of Claudius (Acts 23:25), to bewitch Drusfila into forsaking her husband, King Azizus, and marrying him, which she did (Acts 24:24). The doubt arises from Josephus stating that Simon to be a Cypriot (Κύπριον γένος), whereas Justin Martyr says of Simon Magus that he was ἀπὸ κώμης λεγομένης Γίττων, a native of Gitton, or Githon, a village of Samaria. It has been thought that Gitton may be a mistake of Justin's for Citium, in Cyprus (Farrar's 'Life of St. Paul,' vol. 1. pp. 260, 352; Alford, etc.). The after history of Simon Magus is full of fable. He is spoken of by Irenaeus and other early writers as the inventor or founder of heresy. (For a list of authorities concerning Simon, see Farrar's 'Life of St. Paul,' vol. 1. p. 260, note; Alford, 1:6; 'Bible Dictionary; 'and a good article in 'Dict. of Biog. and Mythol.')

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Prior to that time,
προϋπῆρχεν (proupērchen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4391: To have been already, have been previously. From pro and huparcho; to exist before, i.e. to be or do something previously.

a
τις (tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

man
Ἀνὴρ (Anēr)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 435: A male human being; a man, husband. A primary word; a man.

named
ὀνόματι (onomati)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3686: Name, character, fame, reputation. From a presumed derivative of the base of ginosko; a 'name'.

Simon
Σίμων (Simōn)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4613: Simon. Of Hebrew origin; Simon, the name of nine Israelites.

had practiced sorcery
μαγεύων (mageuōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3096: To practice sorcery or magic. From magos; to practice magic.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

the
τῇ (tē)
Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

city
πόλει (polei)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4172: A city, the inhabitants of a city. Probably from the same as polemos, or perhaps from polus; a town.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

amazed
ἐξιστάνων (existanōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1839: From ek and histemi; to put out of wits, i.e. Astound, or become astounded, insane.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

people
ἔθνος (ethnos)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1484: Probably from etho; a race, i.e. A tribe; specially, a foreign one.

of Samaria.
Σαμαρείας (Samareias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4540: Of Hebrew origin; Samaria, a city and region of Palestine.

He claimed
λέγων (legōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

to be
εἶναί (einai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

someone
τινα (tina)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

great,
μέγαν (megan)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense.


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