SEV Biblia, Chapter 13:6
Y habiendo atravesado toda la isla hasta Pafos, hallaron un hombre sabio, falso profeta, judío, llamado Barjess;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 13:6
Verse 6. Gone through the isle] olhn, The WHOLE isle, is added here by ABCDE, several others, both the Syrian, Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and Itala; and also by several of the Greek fathers; and this must be the true reading, for it is evident they ran through the whole island from east to west. Unto Paphos] This town, next in importance to Salamis, was situated on the western part of the isle; and having gone from Salamis to this place is a proof that they had gone through the whole island from east to west, according to the reading noticed above. There was probably no town in the universe more dissolute than Papas. Here Venus had a superb temple: here she was worshipped with all her rites; and from this place she was named the Paphian Venus, the queen of Paphos, &c. This temple and whole city were destroyed by an earthquake; so that a vestige of either does not now remain. There are two islands which go by this name, both adjoining, and on the west side of the island of Cyprus. One is called Old Paphos, the other New Paphos; the latter is probably the island here mentioned, though they are often confounded. On this island there is a Christian Church, dedicated to St. George, in which service is performed by the Greek ministers. It is a bishop's see, suffragan to the Abp. of Nicosia.
A certain sorcerer] tina magon, A magician, one who used magical arts, and pretended to have commerce with supernatural agents. A person who dealt in sleight of hand, or leger-de-main. Such as I have supposed Simon Magus to be. See the note on chap. viii. 9.
A false prophet-. A deceiver, one who pretended to have a Divine commission, a fortune teller.
Bar-Jesus] That is, the son of Jesus or Joshua; as Bar-jona is the son of Jonah; Bar-tholomew, the son of Thalmi, &c.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 6. And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos , etc.] The Alexandrian copy, and the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions read, the whole isle; for through the midst of the whole island they must go, to go from Salarnis to Paphos; for Salamis was on the east, and Paphos on the west of the islands f616 : it had its name from the Phoenician word, twap tap , peathpaoth, the corner of corners; because both old and new Paphos were situated in the extreme part of the island; and not from Paphus, the son of Pygmalion, by any ivory statue which he had made, whom Venus, at his request, according to the fables of the Heathens, turned into a woman: some say f617 , that Cinyras, a king of the Assyrians, coming into Cyprus, built Paphos; but Pausanias affirms, that Agapenor, who came hither after the Trojan war, was the builder of this place, and also of the temple of Venus in it, for which it was famous f619 ; and in a certain area of which, Pliny says it never rained; and from this place, Venus was called Paphia: according to Chrysostom, it was the metropolis of Cyprus; and it is indeed mentioned by Pliny f621 , first of the fifteen cities that were in it; and seems at this time to have been the seat of the Roman deputy Paulus Sergius, afterwards spoken of: concerning this place Jerom says f622 , Paphus, a city on the sea coast, in the island of Cyprus, formerly famous for the sacred rites of Venus, and the verses of the poets; which fell by frequent earthquakes, and now only shows, by its ruins, what it formerly was: so Seneca says, quotiens in se Paphus corruit?, how often has Paphus fell within itself? that is, by earthquakes: the ruins of many goodly churches and buildings are to be seen in it; and the walls of a strong, and almost impregnable tower, situated upon a hill in the middle of the city, supposed to be the habitation of Sergius Paulus; there is also shown, under a certain church, a prison divided into seven rooms, where they say Paul and Barnabas were imprisoned, for preaching the Gospel; what remains of it, is now called Bapho: here they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus , or the son of Jesus; Jesus was a name frequent among the Jews, and is the same with Joshua, and was in use long before our Saviours time; there was Jesus the son of Sirach, the author of Ecclesiasticus, and who had a grandfather of the same name, the Syriac version here calls him Barsuma, which some render the son of a name; that is, a man of note, a famous person, of great renown; others, the son of a swelling, or the son of ulcers; he professing to be a physician, and to cure them, with which they make the name of Barjesus to agree, deriving it from a root, which signifies to heal: Jerom pronounces this name Barieu, and observes, that some corruptly read it Barjesu; and he makes it to signify an evil man, or one in evil; and Drusius says, he found the name barihou , Barjeou, in some papers of his; and a very learned man of later years says, it is the same with Bar-Jehu, the son of Jehu; and affirms, that the Greek word is barihouv , Barjeus, which others wrongly turn into Barjesus; the Magdeburgensian Centuriators call him, Elymas Barjehu; the reason Beda gives, why it should be so read, and not Bar-jesus, is because that a magician was unworthy to be called the son of Jesus, the Saviour, when he was a child of the devil; but the Greek copies agree in Barjesus; his name shows him to be a Jew, as he is here called: and he was one of those false prophets our Lord said should arise, and deceive many; he pretended to foretell things to come, and practised sorcery, and was given to magic arts.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 4-13 - Satan is in a special manner busy with great men and men in power, to keep them from being religious, for their example will influence many Saul is here for the first time called Paul, and never after Saul. Sau was his name as he was a Hebrew; Paul was his name as he was a citize of Rome. Under the direct influence of the Holy Ghost, he gave Elyma his true character, but not in passion. A fulness of deceit an mischief together, make a man indeed a child of the devil. And thos who are enemies to the doctrine of Jesus, are enemies to all righteousness; for in it all righteousness is fulfilled. The ways of the Lord Jesus are the only right ways to heaven and happiness. Ther are many who not only wander from these ways themselves, but set other against these ways. They commonly are so hardened, that they will no cease to do evil. The proconsul was astonished at the force of the doctrine upon his own heart and conscience, and at the power of God by which it was confirmed. The doctrine of Christ astonishes; and the mor we know of it, the more reason we shall see to wonder at it. Those wh put their hand to the plough and look back, are not fit for the kingdo of God. Those who are not prepared to face opposition, and to endur hardship, are not fitted for the work of the ministry.
Greek Textus Receptus
διελθοντες 1330 5631 V-2AAP-NPM δε 1161 CONJ την 3588 T-ASF νησον 3520 N-ASF αχρι 891 PREP παφου 3974 N-GSF ευρον 2147 5627 V-2AAI-3P τινα 5100 X-ASM μαγον 3097 N-ASM ψευδοπροφητην 5578 N-ASM ιουδαιον 2453 A-ASM ω 3739 R-DSM ονομα 3686 N-NSN βαριησους 919 N-NSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
6. Sorcerer (magon). That the man was an impostor is told us in the next word, but not in this term. It is the word used of the wise men who came to the Savior's cradle. See Matt. ii. 1, 7, 16. Elymas was a magian; of what kind is shown by false prophet. See on Matt. ii. 1.Bar-Jesus. Son of Jesus or Joshua.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
13:6 {Unto Paphos} (acri pafou). The new Paphos at the other end of the island, reached by a fine Roman road, some eight miles north of the old Paphos famous for the worship of Venus. {A certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew} (andra tina magon yeudoprofeten ioudaion). Literally, "a certain man" (andra tina) with various descriptive epithets. The word magon does not necessarily mean "sorcerer," but only a magus (#Mt 2:1,7,10 which see). The bad sense occurs in #Ac 8:9,11 (Simon magus) and is made plain here by "false prophet." In verse #8 here Barjesus (Son of Jesus) is called "Elymas the sorcerer (or Magian)," probably his professional title, as Luke interprets the Arabic or Aramaic word Elymas. These Jewish mountebanks were numerous and had great influence with the uneducated. In #Ac 19:13 the seven sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists, tried to imitate Paul. If one is surprised that a man like Sergius Paulus should fall under the influence of this fraud, he should recall what Juvenal says of the Emperor Tiberius "sitting on the rock of Capri with his flock of Chaldaeans around him."
