“Wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
The full verse · Acts 13:10 · KJV
And , of , thou of the , thou of , wilt to the of the ?
Asked by
Paul: Saul, "who also is called Paul," sent out with Barnabas by the Holy Ghost and here "filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 13:2, 9)
Asked to
Elymas the Sorcerer: Barjesus, a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet at Paphos who withstood Paul and Barnabas and tried to turn the deputy from the faith (Acts 13:6-8)
The Scene
On the island of Cyprus, at Paphos, the deputy Sergius Paulus wants to hear the word of God, but the sorcerer Elymas withstands Paul and Barnabas, trying to turn him from the faith (Acts 13:6-9).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionElymas was not just disagreeing. He was working to keep Sergius Paulus, "a prudent man" who "desired to hear the word of God," from believing (Acts 13:7-8). Paul, "filled with the Holy Ghost," fixed his eyes on him and named what he was doing (Acts 13:9). Barnes says the Spirit inspired Paul "to detect his sin; to denounce divine judgment; and to inflict punishment on him." The question exposes the man's ongoing work of twisting God's straight ways. Matthew Henry explains it as continuing "to misrepresent them, to put false colours upon them, and so to discourage people from entering into them."
The Response
What Scripture recordsElymas gives no answer. Paul goes on at once: "the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season" (Acts 13:11). "Immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness," and he went about "seeking some to lead him by the hand" (Acts 13:11). Then the deputy, "when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord" (Acts 13:12).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsPaul and Barnabas were on the first journey the Holy Ghost sent them on (Acts 13:2-4). Sergius Paulus was "the deputy of the country" (Acts 13:7), which the ESV renders "proconsul." Barnes notes that Elymas is the interpretation not of the name Barjesus but of the word translated "sorcerer."
Paul's words are sharp and specific. "Subtilty" is dolos, deceit or guile; Barnes defines it as "deceit and fraud." "Mischief" is rhadiourgia, craft or trickery, which Barnes explains as "sleight of hand; sly, cunning arts." "Pervert" is diastrepho, to distort or twist, and "right" is eutheias, straight. That is why the ESV reads "making crooked the straight paths of the Lord."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyGod protects the hearing of His word. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear it, and God would not let a false prophet stand between that man and the truth (Acts 13:7-8). The judgment on Elymas was severe, but it was also limited. He would be blind "for a season" (Acts 13:11). Barnes says it was "in mercy ordained that the blindness should not be permanent," and Gill agrees that "this punishment seems to be but for a time."
The result was that the deputy believed, and Luke says he was astonished not at the miracle alone but "at the doctrine of the Lord" (Acts 13:12). God's ways are "right ways," straight and plain. Gill describes Elymas trying to make them look "intricate and obscure, when they were plain, and straight, and easy." God answered by making the truth unmistakable.
Look Closer
What was Elymas trying to do when Paul confronted him?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, Your ways are right and straight; where have I let confusion or someone else's twisting cloud them for me or for others?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Elymas worked to keep someone from hearing God's word. What things today make the straight ways of the Lord look crooked or confusing to people who are searching?
- Sergius Paulus believed when he saw God's power and heard His teaching together. Share a time when seeing God at work helped you understand His word.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
When someone is honestly seeking God, it matters what stands in their way. Elymas tried to twist the truth so that a seeker would turn back, and God did not ignore it. The Lord's ways are "right ways" (Acts 13:10). Ask whether anything in your words or habits makes them look more complicated than they are.
This passage does not give you license to call people names or pronounce judgments. Paul spoke this way because he was "filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 13:9), as an apostle in a unique moment. Elsewhere Scripture tells the Lord's servant to be "gentle unto all men" and to instruct "in meekness" those who oppose, in hope that God will give them repentance (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Even here, God's judgment on Elymas was for a season, not forever.
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