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.”
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.
- BSB 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.”
- NKJV to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”
- 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 31:34and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh;’ for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest,” says Yahweh: “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.”
- Rev 13:3One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast.
- 2 Pet 2:2Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.
- Jer 6:13“For from their least even to their greatest, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.
- Acts 14:11When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
- Acts 28:6But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
- 1 Cor 1:24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
- Eph 4:14that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;
- 2 Cor 11:19For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.
- Jonah 3:5The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least.
- Jer 8:10Therefore will I give their wives to others, and their fields to those who shall possess them. For everyone from the least even to the greatest is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely.
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.