Elymas the Sorcerer Struck Blind

Barnabas and Saul travel through Cyprus from Salamis to Paphos, proclaiming the word in Jewish synagogues with John Mark as assistant. At Paphos they encounter Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas, described as a Jewish magos and false prophet attached to the proconsul Sergius Paulus. Magos can denote a learned religious specialist or magician; Luke's negative qualification and the man's opposition to the missionaries make the latter connotation dominant here.

Saul, now first identified as Paul, is "filled with the Holy Spirit" and pronounces temporary blindness upon Elymas. The punishment is rhetorically fitting: one who attempts to turn the proconsul away from "the straight ways of the Lord" is himself enveloped in darkness and seeks someone to lead him by the hand. Many interpreters note an intentional parallel with Paul's own blindness in Acts 9, though the narrative does not make that connection explicit.

Sergius Paulus responds with belief, being astonished not merely at the sign but at "the teaching of the Lord." This wording keeps proclamation rather than miracle at the interpretive center. Scholars have discussed whether Paul's Roman name appears here because of the proconsul, because Luke is entering a predominantly Gentile setting, or simply because Paul regularly possessed both Jewish and Roman names. Luke offers no explanation, but thereafter "Paul" becomes the standard designation.

Acts 13 marks a major transition in Luke's narrative as Antioch becomes the launching point for an explicitly transregional mission. The chapter opens with prophets and teachers worshiping and fasting, after which the Holy Spirit directs the community to set apart Barnabas and Saul. Their journey through Cyprus introduces a recurring pattern: proclamation first in synagogues, confrontation with opposition, and the extension of the message to influential Gentiles. Luke also begins using the name Paul consistently after the encounter with Sergius Paulus.

The second half centers on Paul's synagogue speech in Pisidian Antioch, his first extended sermon in Acts. He retells Israel's history, presents Jesus as the promised Davidic savior, and argues from Scripture that resurrection and forgiveness are available through him. Jewish and Gentile responses divide sharply, and Isaiah 49:6 is invoked to explain the mission's widening scope. The chapter ends with persecution, expulsion, and continued joy, establishing the missionary pattern that structures much of Acts 13-14.