Acts 8:9

9 But there was a man in that city, whose name was Simon, a witch [Forsooth there was some man, Simon by name, which before was in the city a witch], that had deceived the folk of Samaria, saying, that himself was some great man.

Acts 8:9 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 8:9

But there was a certain man called Simon
Who, as Justin Martyr ^F6 says, was a Samaritan, and of a village called Gitton; and so a Jewish writer ^F7 calls him Simeon, (ynwrmvh) , "the Samaritan", a wizard: here is a

but
upon this new church, the success of the Gospel in this place, and the joy that was there; a man of great wickedness and sophistry plays the hypocrite, feigns himself a believer, and gets in among them; (See Gill on Acts 5:1),

which beforetime in the same city used sorcery;
who before Philip came thither, practised magic arts; wherefore he is commonly called "Simon Magus", for he was a magician, who had learned diabolical arts, and used enchantments and divinations, as Balaam and the magicians of Egypt did:

and bewitched the people of Samaria;
or rather astonished them, with the strange feats he performed; which were so unheard of and unaccountable, that they were thrown into an ecstasy and rapture; and were as it were out of themselves, through wonder and admiration, at the amazing things that were done by him:

giving out that himself was some great one;
a divine person, or an extraordinary prophet, and it may be the Messiah; since the Samaritans expected the Messiah, as appears from ( John 4:25 ) and which the Syriac version seems to incline to, which renders the words thus, "and he said, I am that great one"; that great person, whom Moses spake of as the seed of the "woman", under the name of Shiloh, and the character of a prophet.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Apolog. 2. p. 69.
F7 Juchasin, fol. 242. 2.

Acts 8:9 In-Context

7 For many of them that had unclean spirits, cried with great voice, and went out [crying with great voice, went out]. And many sick in the palsy [Forsooth many sick in palsy], and crooked, were healed.

8 Therefore great joy was made in that city.

9 But there was a man in that city, whose name was Simon, a witch [Forsooth there was some man, Simon by name, which before was in the city a witch], that had deceived the folk of Samaria, saying, that himself was some great man.

10 Whom all harkened [To whom all harkened], from the least to the most, and said [saying], This is the virtue of God, which is called great.

11 And they believed him, for long time he had madded them with his witchcrafts. [Forsooth all believed him, for this thing, that much time he had made them mad with his witchings.]