Acts 8:10
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and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
To whom all gave heed . . . because of long time he had bewitched them--This, coupled with the rapidity with which they deserted him and attached themselves to Philip, shows the ripeness of Samaria for some religious change.
Open source ↗In this chapter we have an account of the persecutions of the Christians, and the propagating of Christianity thereby. It was strange, but very true, that the disciples of Christ the more they were afflicted the more they multiplied. I. Here is the church suffering; upon the occasion of putting Stephen to death a very sharp storm arose, which forced many from Jerusalem (Act 8:1-3). II. Here is the church spreading by the ministry of Philip and others that were dispersed upon that occasion. We have here, 1. The gospel brought to Samaria, preached there (Act 8:4, Act 8:5), embraced there (Act 8:6-8), even by Simon Magus (Act 8:9-13); the gift of the Holy Ghost conferred upon some of the believing Samaritans by the imposition of the hands of Peter and John (Act 8:14-17); and the severe rebuke given by Peter to Simon Magus for offering money for a power to bestow that gift (Act 8:18-25). 2. The gospel sent to Ethiopia, by the eunuch, a person of quality of that country. He is returning home in his chariot from Jerusalem (Act 8:26-28). Philip is sent to him, and in his chariot preaches Christ to him (Act 8:29-35), baptizes him upon his profession of the Christian faith (Act 8:36-38), and the leaves him (Act 8:39-40). Thus in different ways and methods the gospel was dispersed among the nations, and, one way or other, "Have they not all heard?"
Open source ↗Cross-references
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No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
“For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.
And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
The islanders were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: “The gods have come down to us in human form!”