Acts 13 10

Acts 13:10 kjv

And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

Acts 13:10 nkjv

and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

Acts 13:10 niv

"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?

Acts 13:10 esv

and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

Acts 13:10 nlt

Then he said, "You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?

Acts 13 verses

Acts 13 10 Meaning

Acts 13:10 expresses Paul's severe and divinely inspired condemnation of Elymas (Bar-Jesus), identifying him as a person fully permeated by deceit and wickedness, spiritually linked to the devil, and a profound antagonist of God's truth. The verse highlights Elymas's active role in twisting and corrupting the straightforward paths and doctrines revealed by the Lord, prompting Paul's righteous indignation and a prophetic denouncement of his evil influence.

Acts 13 10 Context

Acts 13:10 occurs during Paul's first missionary journey with Barnabas. They are in Paphos, Cyprus, where the Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence and a desire to hear the word of God, invites them. Standing in opposition to Paul and Barnabas is Elymas, also known as Bar-Jesus, a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet. This confrontation marks a pivotal moment, as Elymas actively attempts to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, responds directly to Elymas, his words serving as a divinely-inspired indictment against spiritual darkness seeking to obstruct God's truth. The historical and cultural context includes a prevalence of magic and sorcery in the Roman world, particularly among those who sought divine insight or power. Elymas embodies the adversarial spiritual forces and human deceit that opposed the spread of the gospel, particularly within the Jewish community where Messianic prophecies were being fulfilled by Christ. This verse highlights the direct clash between divine truth and satanic deception, and Paul's empowered discernment and authority.

Acts 13 10 Word analysis

• O (Ὦ – O): A strong Greek interjection expressing intense emotion – typically anger, astonishment, or distress. Here, it conveys Paul’s righteous indignation and stern disapproval, reflecting a divine passion for truth.
• full (πλήρης – plērēs): Indicates complete saturation, a state of being entirely permeated. Elymas is not just committing acts of fraud, but his very being is characterized by them. This suggests an inner nature, not just outward actions.
• all (πάσης – pasēs): Emphasizes totality, completeness, without exception. It signifies that every aspect of Elymas's fraud and mischief is present and overwhelming, making him fully immersed in evil.
• fraud (δόλου – dolou): Greek term for deceit, cunning, treachery, guile, trickery. It denotes hidden malice, a deliberate attempt to mislead or ensnare by artifice. This aligns with the nature of the "father of lies" (Jn 8:44).
• and: Connects two distinct yet complementary aspects of Elymas’s character, reinforcing the depth of his wickedness.
• all (πάσης – pasēs): Again, emphasizes totality for the following noun.
• mischief (ῥᾳδιουργίας – rhadiourgias): Means unscrupulousness, depravity, villainy, wickedness, mischievousness, evil schemes. This is a strong word denoting a readiness to commit evil, acting in a morally base or harmful way, often with reckless disregard for others. It moves beyond mere deceit to active harm and malice.
• you (υἱὲ – huie, vocative of huios): "Son." In biblical usage, "son of" often indicates characteristic identification or spiritual lineage rather than solely biological parentage. It points to a deep, essential resemblance in nature or conduct.
• of the devil (διαβόλου – diabolou): "Slanderer, accuser, adversary." The definitive term for Satan. This declaration is a profound spiritual diagnosis, signifying that Elymas's nature and actions perfectly reflect the character of Satan, acting as his agent or representative in perverting God's truth.
• enemy (ἐχθρὲ – echthre, vocative of echthros): "Hostile adversary, one who hates." This emphasizes a personal and active antagonism. Elymas is not just indifferent to righteousness; he is fundamentally opposed to it, an adversary to what is good and right.
• of all (πάσης – pasēs): Reiterates the complete, universal scope.
• righteousness (δικαιοσύνης – dikaiosynēs): Moral uprightness, justice, conformity to God's standard, that which is right and pleasing in God's sight. Elymas's hostility extends to all forms and manifestations of divine righteousness.
• will you not cease (οὐ παύσῃ – ou pausē, a rhetorical question): Implies Paul expects a "no" as the answer, highlighting the deep-seated and persistent nature of Elymas's opposition. It's a question conveying astonishment, indignation, and impatience with persistent evil. It implies Elymas has been doing this for a long time.
• perverting (διαστρέφων – diastrephōn): To twist, distort, corrupt, turn aside, mislead, turn away. It indicates an active, malicious effort to make what is straight, crooked, to corrupt what is pure, and to distort truth into falsehood. This is not passive error but intentional misguidance.
• the right ways (τὰς ὁδοὺς τὰς εὐθείας – tas hodous tas eutheias): Literally "the straight paths" or "the right paths." "Ways" refer to doctrines, principles, moral conduct, or methods of operation (often associated with God's commands or truth). "Right" (eutheias) means straight, direct, correct, honest, truthful. This refers to the true, clear, unadulterated teaching and will of God, especially the gospel of Christ.
• of the Lord (Κυρίου – Kyriou): Refers to Jesus Christ, confirming that Elymas's distortion is an affront directly against Christ's teachings and authority. It is an assault on divine truth and authority.

Words-Group Analysis

• "full of all fraud and all mischief": This phrase paints a complete picture of Elymas's corrupt inner being, saturated with every kind of deceitful and villainous intention and practice. It denotes a person whose character is entirely defined by wickedness.
• "you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness": These are powerful denunciations of Elymas's spiritual parentage and the fundamental nature of his opposition. He is intrinsically aligned with Satan's objectives and actively antagonistic to everything God stands for.
• "will you not cease perverting the right ways of the Lord": This is Paul's indignant challenge, identifying Elymas's persistent and active malicious distortion of divine truth. It implies a pattern of behavior and a deliberate campaign against the gospel message.

Acts 13 10 Bonus section

The strong, Spirit-filled nature of Paul’s condemnation of Elymas demonstrates his apostolic authority and discernment, given by the Holy Spirit. This confrontational response, rather than merely debating with Elymas, highlights the nature of the battle not just as intellectual disagreement, but a spiritual conflict. The immediate physical consequence for Elymas – temporary blindness (Acts 13:11) – serves as a clear sign from God, demonstrating divine power over darkness and validating Paul’s words as God's judgment. This divine intervention also served as undeniable proof for Sergius Paulus, who subsequently believed, seeing the power of God over the occult and deception. This event echoes the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh's magicians, where God's power triumphed over sorcery, setting a pattern for the power of the true God to overcome all counterfeits.

Acts 13 10 Commentary

Paul’s pronouncement upon Elymas in Acts 13:10 is not an outburst of personal anger, but a Spirit-filled declaration of divine judgment against unyielding spiritual opposition to God’s work. Elymas’s character is meticulously dissected: he is a man whose essence is deception ("full of all fraud and all mischief"), demonstrating a nature completely given over to evil, a state directly reflective of his spiritual father, Satan ("son of the devil"). His actions are portrayed as a deliberate, persistent, and hostile campaign against truth itself ("enemy of all righteousness...perverting the right ways of the Lord"). Paul's words convey the righteous wrath of God against those who actively stand in the path of divine light, twisting the plain truth of the Gospel to deceive others and lead them away from salvation. This incident powerfully illustrates the reality of spiritual warfare, where genuine divine power confronts and overcomes demonic deception. It also underscores the importance of spiritual discernment for those who preach the gospel and for believers in general to recognize and reject those who corrupt God's truth.Practical usage: This passage reminds believers that opposition to God’s truth is often deeply rooted in spiritual malice and a profound misalignment with righteousness. It encourages discernment in identifying deceptive teachings and individuals, and inspires courage to confront such spiritual darkness when called upon by the Holy Spirit.