Bible Strands
Acts 8:18
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Simon observes the apostles Peter and John imparting the Holy Spirit through the physical act of laying hands on new believers in Samaria. He approaches them directly to propose a financial transaction for this spiritual authority.
The words — The narrative records Ἰδὼν (Idōn), meaning "having seen," and ἐπιθέσεως (epitheseōs), meaning "laying on," to anchor Simon’s offer of money to the specific mechanism he witnessed. These terms document his visual confirmation of the apostolic practice before his proposal.
The thread — The text directly contrasts with Matthew 10:8, which commands freely giving what was freely received, while aligning with the warning in 1 Timothy 6:5 against treating godliness as a means of gain. It also mirrors the historical pattern of seeking spiritual favor through material gifts, as recorded in 2 Kings 8:9.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to distinguish between divine grace and commercial exchange, demanding an examination of whether spiritual authority or blessing is treated as a commodity to purchase rather than a gift to receive.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
Cross-references
- 1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.
- Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
- 2 Kings 8:9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”
- 2 Kings 5:15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
- Ezekiel 13:19 You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.