1007 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And there was great joy in that city. Both on a spiritual account, for the good of their souls, through the preaching of Christ and his Gospel to them; and on a temporal account; for the good of their bodies, or their friends, being dispossessed of devils, and healed of their diseases.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But there was a certain man called Simon,.... Who, as Justin Martyr (f) says, was a Samaritan, and of a village called Gitton; and so a Jewish writer (g) calls him Simeon, השמרוני, "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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
To whom they all gave heed,.... Were not only attentive to the strange things he did, and to the wonderful things he gave out concerning himself; but they believed what he said and did as real things, and were obedient to him: and that from the least to the greatest; which does not so much respect age, though the Ethiopic version renders it, "from...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
To him they had regard,.... Which is repeated from the foregoing verse, for the sake of what follows: because that of a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries; or because he had, it may be for many years, astonished them with his magic arts, and the pranks he played in the use of them.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But when they believed Philip,.... Though they had been carried away so long with this deceiver, and had been so much attached unto him, and held in admiration of him; yet when Philip came and preached Christ unto them, such was the power that attended his ministry, and such the efficacy of divine grace that was exerted, that they not only gave...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Simon himself believed also,.... With an historical and temporary faith, as that Jesus was the Messiah, c. or at least he pretended, to believe this, and professed that he did believe, what others did, and Philip preached: and when he was baptized upon profession of his faith, which he so artfully made, that Philip could not discover his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem,.... Not that there were some at Jerusalem, and some elsewhere; for they all tarried at Jerusalem, when the rest of the ministers of the word were scattered abroad; though it is possible, that by this time, some of them might have departed from hence; but it seems more probable, that they were as yet...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Who when they were come down,.... To the city of Samaria, where Philip was, and these converts dwelt: prayed for them; for some of them, unto God: that they might receive the Holy Ghost; the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, as to be able to speak with tongues, to prophesy and work miracles: they might pray for them all, that they might have...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them,.... They had received him as a spirit of illumination and sanctification, and as, a spirit of conversion and faith; they had been regenerated, enlightened, and sanctified by him; and were converted by him, and brought to believe in Christ, and live, by faith upon him; they were baptized believers, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then laid they their hands on them,.... The Ethiopic version adds, "who had been baptized"; but not upon all of them, men and women, only on some they were directed unto by the Spirit of God; whom he had designed, and now would qualify for the work of the ministry, that so this new church, might be supplied with proper officers, pastors, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when Simon saw,.... Whence it appears, that the Holy Ghost, or his gifts, which were received by imposition of hands, were something visible and discernible; and so something external, and not internal; otherwise they would have been out of Simon's reach, and would not have fallen under his notice; but he saw, that through laying on of the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Saying, give me also this power,.... He does not ask them to lay their hands on him, that he might receive the Holy Ghost, and have these gifts to exercise himself, but that he might have the power of conferring them on others: that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost; in which he discovered his ambition and avarice: his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Peter said to him,.... With great abhorrence and indignation, resenting and detesting his proposal: thy money perish with thee; or "go into destruction with thee"; signifying, that he would not touch his money, or have anything to do with that or him either, in any such way: the words do not so much design an imprecation on his person, as an...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter,.... Or business of the gift of the Holy Ghost; signifying, that as he had not the grace of the Spirit of God implanted in him, so he should not have any of the gifts of the Spirit bestowed on him; and much less a power of communicating them to others, through laying on of hands: or "in this word"; the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness,.... For a great piece of wickedness it was, to offer money for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to imagine, that could be purchased with money; and what made the wickedness still greater was, the evil design he had in this, to advance himself in opposition to Christ and his apostles, as he afterwards did;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness,.... Alluding to Deuteronomy 29:18 with which compare Hebrews 12:15 and signifying, that he was in a state of nature and unregeneracy; under the power and dominion of covetousness, ambition, and hypocrisy; and in a way pernicious to himself, infectious to others, and ungrateful to God, and to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then answered Simon, and said,.... Whose conscience might be touched, and smote with what Peter had said; and he might be terrified with the wrath of God, and filled with fear of his judgment coming upon him for his wickedness, and might now stand trembling before the apostles: and if this was not his case, he was a most hardened and audacious...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they, when they had testified, c. That is, Simeon (or Peter) and John, as the Syriac version expresses it when they had bore their testimony to, and by it confirmed the Gospel as preached by Philip, and had established the young converts in it, and against the errors of Simon Magus: and preached the word of the Lord; or of "God", as read the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip,.... To inquire who this angel was, whether Michael or Gabriel, or the tutelar angel of Ethiopia, or of the eunuch, or of Philip, is too curious; it was one of the ministering spirits sent forth by Christ, to serve a gracious purpose of his, and for the good of one of the heirs of salvation: saying,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he arose and went,.... As soon as he had his orders, he immediately obeyed them; he made no dispute about the matter, though he was directed only part of his way, and had no account of what he went about, or was to do; and behold, a man of Ethiopia; or "a man, an Ethiopian"; an Hebraism, such as "a man a Jew", Zechariah 8:23 wherefore his...