and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”
Parallel translations
- WEB to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.”
- KJV To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
- NKJV to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”
- NASB and all the people, from small to great, were paying attention to him, saying, “This man is the Power of God that is called Great.”
- NLT Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
All the people, high and low, esteemed Simon as 'the great power of God.' His influence shows how false spiritual claims can captivate a whole community.
Overview
The Samaritans of every rank regarded Simon as a divine power. This widespread devotion reveals the spiritual deception that gripped the city before the gospel came. It highlights, by contrast, the true power of God soon to be displayed through Philip and the apostles.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jer 31:34No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
- Rev 13:3One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
- 2 Pet 2:2Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.
- Jer 6:13“For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
- Acts 14:11When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: “The gods have come down to us in human form!”
- Acts 28:6The islanders were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
- 1 Cor 1:24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
- Eph 4:14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.
- 2 Cor 11:19For you gladly tolerate fools, since you are so wise.
- Jonah 3:5And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
- Jer 8:10Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 8:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.