Acts 8:14

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Acts 8:14-25

God had wonderfully owned Philip in his work as an evangelist at Samaria, but he could do no more than an evangelist; there were some peculiar powers reserved to the apostles, for the keeping up of the dignity of their office, and here we have an account of what was done by two of them there?Peter and John. The twelve kept together at Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), and thither these good tidings were brought them that Samaria had received the word of God (Acts 8:14), that a great harvest of souls was... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Acts 8:14-25

8:14-25 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they despatched Peter and John to them. They came down and prayed for them, so that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet the Holy Spirit had fallen on no one. It was in the name of the Lord Jesus that they had been baptized. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he brought... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 8:14

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem ,.... Not that there were some at Jerusalem, and some elsewhere; for they all tarried at Jerusalem, when the rest of the ministers of the word were scattered abroad; though it is possible, that by this time, some of them might have departed from hence; but it seems more probable, that they were as yet all here: these heard that Samaria had received the word of God ; that is, they heard that the Samaritans, who only received the five books of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:14

The word of God - The doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. They sent unto them Peter and John - There was no individual ruler among the apostles - there was not even a president of the council; and Peter, far from being chief of the apostles, is one of those sent, with the same commission and authority as John, to confirm the Samaritans in the faith. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:14

Verse 14 14.Luke describeth, in this place, the proceedings of the grace of God in the Samaritans, as he useth to enrich the faithful continually with greater gifts of his Spirit, for we must not think that the apostles took that counsel whereof Luke speaketh, without the instinct of the same God who had already begun his work in Samaria by the hand of Philip; and he useth his instruments diversely unto divers parts of his work, according to his good pleasure. He used Philip as an instrument to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 8:5-25

Success and disappointment in Christian work. I. A LARGE MEASURE OF SUCCESS . We must consider: 1. The special obstacles in the way, viz. 2. The means by which success was gained. 3. The magnitude of the success. 4. Confirmation of it, both human and Divine. II. A SERIOUS DISCOURAGEMENT . There is no more disheartening blow which can fall on the heart of an earnest Christian worker than to find that his converts have not really changed their mind, but only... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 8:9-24

The first heretic. The appearance of Simon Magus in the list of the first converts to the faith, and his enrolment among the baptized members of the Church, must not be overlooked or passed hastily by, if we would profit by the exhaustive teaching supplied by the Acts of the Apostles for the use of the Church in all ages. When the student of Church history begins his studies expecting to find a record of faith and holiness, and to trace the triumphant victories of truth over falsehood... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 8:9-24

The type of one stricken with religion-blindness. It may be at once allowed that it were difficult to measure with any exactness the amount of moral guilt in Simon Magus. Happily we are not called to do this. That we cannot do it will not hinder our noticing the phenomena of what may well strike upon our own knowledge and our own light as an amazing development of the very obliquity itself of moral or spiritual vision. Confessedly with most various amount and kind of effect does the glory... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 8:14

The apostles (see Acts 8:1 ). They sent unto them Peter and John . The selection of these two chief apostles shows the great importance attached to the conversion of the Samaritans. The joint act of the college of apostles in sending them demonstrates that Peter was not a pope, but a brother apostle, albeit their primate; and that the government of the Church was in the apostolate, not in one of the number. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 8:14-17

The gift of the Holy Ghost. There are signs of an impartation of the Spirit by the apostles which we do not appear to understand fully, because it differs from any impartation of the Spirit with which we have experience. The apostles were enabled to repeat for their disciples their own experience. They were first called to discipleship and then endowed for work. So those to whom apostles preached were first brought into the new kingdom by faith and confession, and then sealed and... read more

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