Acts 20:30

20:30 Even from among your own group ¹  men ²  will arise, teaching perversions of the truth ³  to draw the disciples away after them.

Acts 13:8

13:8 But the magician Elymas ⁴  (for that is the way his name is translated) ⁵  opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul ⁶  away from the faith.

Acts 13:10

13:10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, ⁷  you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness – will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? ⁸ 

¹ tn Grk “from among yourselves.”

² tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only rarely is used in a generic sense to refer to both males and females. Since Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders at this point and there is nothing in the context to suggest women were included in that group (“from among your own group”), it is most likely Paul was not predicting that these false teachers would include women.

³ tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”

⁴ tn On the debate over what the name “Elymas” means, see BDAG 320 s.v. ᾿Ελύμας. The magician’s behavior is more directly opposed to the faith than Simon Magus’ was.

⁵ sn A parenthetical note by the author.

⁶ sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

⁷ tn Or “unscrupulousness.”

⁸ sn “You who…paths of the Lord?” This rebuke is like ones from the OT prophets: Jer 5:27; Gen 32:11; Prov 10:7; Hos 14:9. Five separate remarks indicate the magician’s failings. The closing rhetorical question of v. 10 (“will you not stop…?”) shows how opposed he is to the way of God.