And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister. (6) And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: (7) Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. (8) But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. (9) Then Saul, (who also is called Paul), filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, (10) And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? (11) And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. (12) Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
I pass by all the observations which might be made of the extent of their labors, in those different places, to call the Reader's attention to what is here said, of the opposition made to the preaching of Barnabas and Saul, by Elymas the Sorcerer. The account is but short, but it is awful. His name, Elymas, is probably descriptive of his employment, a magician. But the Holy Ghost hath more strongly marked his real character. The Apostle, under his Almighty influence, called him, child of the devil. And, his opposition to a child of God, as the deputy governor Sergius Paulus proved to be, is at once a decisive proof of the different kingdoms to which they belonged. The father of this Elymas, even the devil, knew, both of the conversion, and ordination of those servants of the Lord. And when Sergius Paulus called for Barnabas and Saul, desiring to hear the word of God; all hell was up in arms, to withstand their preaching. Elymas, one of the serpent's brood, is stirred up to oppose. And the event is here recorded. But the Reader will not have drawn all the improvements from this scripture history, which it is designed to bring, if he doth not learn under the Holy Ghost's teaching, that the same is going on every day throughout the world, and must go on to the end, in the holy war, between the seed of Christ, and the seed of the serpent. Nay, the enmity must be eternal. We have many an Elymas in our day, to oppose the truth; and who oppose it from the same cause. And if the same awful judgment of bodily blindness doth not always follow; a still more awful condemnation always takes place on the soul. The Holy Ghost, by his servant Jude 1:1, hath said; that to them is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And the same Scripture explains the cause. See Jude 1:6-19; Jude 1:6-19. See also the Poor Man's Commentary on Matthew 12:30-35
As at this place we now drop the name of Saul, with which indeed we are not so much accustomed, and from henceforth call this zealous servant of the Lord, Paul: I would just detain the Reader to remark, it is very probable that he used both names. For it is here said, Saul, who is also called Paul. The name of Saul, which is a Jewish name, was no doubt given him by his parents. And this of Paul, is the name he was chiefly known by among the Gentiles, which is a Roman name, and given him because he was a citizen of Rome, Acts 22:28. But, as this name is first spoken of in this place, and at the conversion of Sergius Paulus, the Roman Deputy; is it not probable, (I ask the question, but not decide), that it was now particularly chosen on account of this man?