Acts 13:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

NIV: Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,

NASB: But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him,

CSB: But Saul--also called Paul--filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas

NLT: Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye.

KJV: Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

NKJV: Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

Saul is on the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:2–4) confronting a false Jewish prophet to protect a Roman proconsul (Acts 13:6–8) when his name in the narrative changes to Paul. He is no longer defined as a devout Jewish Pharisee (Philippians 3:5) and associate of the Sanhedrin (Acts 26:10). He identified himself as the one God has called to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.

There have been many speculations as to how Saul received the name Paul. Augustine suggested he rejected the name of the first king of Israel, a fellow Benjamite (1 Samuel 9:21), for a name that means small or humble (see 1 Corinthians 15:9). Jerome thought Saul followed the tradition of Roman generals who often took the name of the land they conquered in war. Since Saul "conquered" Sergius Paulus' paganism, he took Paulus' name. Another theory is that it was given to him by his family when he was young, maybe because he was little. Or perhaps his family received their Roman citizenship (Acts 22:28) when they were freed from slavery, as was common with those connected with the Roman family of Aemilian Pauli.

All these explanations are speculation. In that era, many Jews had both Hebrew and Greek names. The man directly opposing Paul, in this passage, is referred to as both Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6) and as Elymas (Acts 13:8). Jesus took the Hebrew-named Simon and changed his name to the Aramaic Cephas (John 1:42), but he was most often referred to using the Greek Petros, or Peter in English. This is especially appropriate since Saul/Paul was born in Tarsus, outside Jewish territory. That Saul starts to go by the name Paul during his first significant ministry to Gentiles doesn't require a secret spiritual explanation.

Every Jesus-follower is indwelt by the Holy Spirit as a seal of our salvation and eventual glorification (Ephesians 1:13–14). The Holy Spirit started indwelling believers after Jesus ascended into heaven, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Both Old Testament and church-age God-followers can be filled with the Holy Spirit, a usually temporary gift to accomplish God's work. Through Paul, the Holy Spirit confronts the false prophet and miraculously blinds him long enough to prove to the proconsul that Paul's message is true (Acts 13:10–12).

Acts 13:4–12 records the initial stop in Barnabas and Saul's first missionary journey (Acts 13:4—14:26). They sail west from Syrian Antioch to the island of Cyprus: Barnabas' home. As they travel the length of the island, they visit Jewish synagogues to give the Jews the first opportunity to accept Jesus' forgiveness (Romans 1:16), but their work among so many Gentiles impels Saul to make a major change and take on the Roman version of his name: Paul.

Acts 13 transitions Luke's account (Acts 1:1) fully into a record of Paul's ministry to spread the news about Jesus. The Holy Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas for their first missionary journey. They teach about Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins on the island of Cyprus and in the district of Pisidia in modern-day south-central Asia Minor. Along the way, they face opposition, desertion, and persecution: themes that will follow Paul throughout his life. But they also experience the joy of watching the people they'd least expect come to a saving faith in Jesus.

The first chapters of Acts, save for a quick account of Paul's conversion (Acts 9:1–31), cover the ministry of the apostles, particularly Peter. Those passages also detail the spread of the news about Jesus from His followers. That message goes to the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 2—7) and Judea (Acts 8:26–40; 9:32–43), the Samaritans (Acts 8:4–25), and God-fearing Gentiles (Acts 10—11). Now, Paul's contribution to the ''end of the earth'' portion of Jesus' commission in Acts 1:8 begins, as he and Barnabas start their first missionary journey. Luke will record two more of Paul's journeys (Acts 15:36—18:22 and 18:23—20:38) before settling in on his return to Jerusalem, arrest, and sea voyage to Rome (Acts 21—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.