SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:9
Y había un hombre llamado Simn, el cual antes ejercía la magia en aquella ciudad, y había asombrado la gente de Samaria, dicindose ser algn grande;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 8:9
Verse 9. A certain man called Simon] In ancient ecclesiastical writers, we have the strangest account of this man; they say that he pretended to be the Father, who gave the law to Moses; that he came in the reign of Tiberius in the person of the Son; that he descended on the apostles on the day of pentecost, in flames of fire, in quality of the Holy Spirit; that he was the Messiah, the Paraclete, and Jupiter; that the woman who accompanied him, called Helena, was Minerva, or the first intelligence; with many other extravagancies which probably never had an existence. All that we know to be certain on this subject is, that he used sorcery, that he bewitched the people, and that he gave out himself to be some great one. This might be sufficient, were not men prone to be wise above what is written.
Our word sorcerer, from the French sorcier, which, from the Latin sors, a lot, signifies the using of lots to draw presages concerning the future; a custom that prevailed in all countries, and was practised with a great variety of forms. On the word lot see the note, Lev. xvi. 8, 9; and Josh. xiv. 2.
The Greek word, mageuwn, signifies practising the rites or science of the Magi, or (Persic) Mughan, the worshippers of fire among the Persians; the same as (Arabic) Majoos, and (Arabic) Majooseean, from which we have our word magician. See the note on Matt. ii. 1.
And bewitched the people of Samaria] existwn, Astonishing, amazing, or confounding the judgment of the people, from existhmi, to remove out of a place or state, to be transported beyond one's self, to be out of one's wits; a word that expresses precisely the same effect which the tricks or legerdemain of a juggler produce in the minds of the common people who behold his feats. It is very likely that Simon was a man of this cast, for the east has always abounded in persons of this sort. The Persian, Arabian, Hindoo, and Chinese jugglers are notorious to the present day; and even while I write this, (July, 1813,) three Indian jugglers, lately arrived, are astonishing the people of London; and if such persons can now interest and amaze the people of a city so cultivated and enlightened, what might not such do among the grosser people of Sychem or Sebaste, eighteen hundred years ago? That himself was some great one.] That the feats which he performed sufficiently proved that he possessed a most powerful supernatural agency, and could do whatsoever he pleased.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 9. But there was a certain man called Simon , etc.] Who, as Justin Martyr says, was a Samaritan, and of a village called Gitton; and so a Jewish writer calls him Simeon, ynwrmh , 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-13 - As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularl unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which wa against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the mos difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, both to the world and to the church. The people said of Simon, This man is the great power of God See how ignorant and thoughtless people mistake. But how strong is the power of Divine grace, by which they were brought to Christ, who is Truth itself! The people not only gave heed to what Philip said, but were fully convinced that it was of God, and not of men, and gave u themselves to be directed thereby. Even bad men, and those whose heart still go after covetousness, may come before God as his people come and for a time continue with them. And many wonder at the proofs of Divine truths, who never experience their power. The gospel preache may have a common operation upon a soul, where it never produced inwar holiness. All are not savingly converted who profess to believe the gospel.
Greek Textus Receptus
ανηρ 435 N-NSM δε 1161 CONJ τις 5100 X-NSM ονοματι 3686 N-DSN σιμων 4613 N-NSM προυπηρχεν 4391 5707 V-IAI-3S εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF πολει 4172 N-DSF μαγευων 3096 5723 V-PAP-NSM και 2532 CONJ εξιστων 1839 5723 V-PAP-NSM το 3588 T-ASN εθνος 1484 N-ASN της 3588 T-GSF σαμαρειας 4540 N-GSF λεγων 3004 5723 V-PAP-NSM ειναι 1511 5750 V-PXN τινα 5100 X-ASM εαυτον 1438 F-3ASM μεγαν 3173 A-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
9. Used sorcery (mageuwn). Only here in New Testament. One of the wizards so numerous throughout the East at that time, and multiplied by the general expectation of a great deliverer and the spread of the Messianic notions of the Jews, who practiced upon the credulity of the people by conjuring and juggling and soothsaying.Bewitched (existwn). Better as Rev., amazed. See on ch. ii. 7.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
8:9 {Simon} (simwn). One of the common names (Josephus, _Ant_. XX. 7, 2) and a number of messianic pretenders had this name. A large number of traditions in the second and third centuries gathered round this man and Baur actually proposed that the Simon of the Clementine Homilies is really the apostle Paul though Paul triumphed over the powers of magic repeatedly (#Ac 13:6-12; 19:11-19), "a perfect absurdity" (Spitta, _Apostelgeschichte_, p. 149). One of the legends is that this Simon magus of Acts is the father of heresy and went to Rome and was worshipped as a god (so Justin martyr). But a stone found in the Tiber A.D. 1574 has an inscription to _Semoni Sanco Deo Fidio Sacrum_ which is (Page) clearly to Hercules, Sancus being a Sabine name for Hercules. this Simon in Samaria is simply one of the many magicians of the time before the later gnosticism had gained a foothold. "In his person Christianity was for the first time confronted with superstition and religious imposture, of which the ancient world was at this period full" (Furneaux). {Which beforetime used sorcery} (proupercen mageuwn). An ancient idiom (periphrastic), the present active participle mageuwn with the imperfect active verb from prouparcw, the idiom only here and #Lu 23:12 in the N.T. Literally "Simon was existing previously practising magic." this old verb mageuw is from magos (a magus, seer, prophet, false prophet, sorcerer) and occurs here alone in the N.T. {Amazed} (existanwn). Present active participle of the verb existanw, later form of existemi, to throw out of position, displace, upset, astonish, chiefly in the Gospels in the N.T. Same construction as mageuwn. {Some great one} (tina megan). Predicate accusative of general reference (infinitive in indirect discourse). It is amazing how gullible people are in the presence of a manifest impostor like Simon. The Magi were the priestly order in the Median and Persian empires and were supposed to have been founded by Zoroaster. The word magoi (magi) has a good sense in #Mt 2:1, but here and in #Ac 13:6 it has the bad sense like our "magic."
