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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

Acts 8:17

then were they laying hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Baptism;   Holy Spirit;   John;   Miracles;   Peter;   Samaria;   Scofield Reference Index - Churches;   Thompson Chain Reference - Holy Spirit;   Missions, World-Wide;   Power;   Spirit;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Hands, the;   Hypocrites;   Language;   Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Peter;   Samaria;   Simon;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Apostle;   Baptism with the spirit;   Gifts of the spirit;   John the apostle;   Laying on of hands;   Peter;   Simon;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Laying on of Hands;   Magic;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Baptism ;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gifts, Spiritual;   Magic;   Peter;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Baptism;   Canon of the New Testament;   Hand;   Helps;   James;   Miracles;   Paul;   Philip the Evangelist;   Romans, the Epistle to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Apostles;   Baptism;   Gestures;   Hebrews;   Laying on of Hands;   Simon;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Baptism;   Confirmation;   Gnosticism;   Jude, Epistle of;   Laying on of Hands;   Mark, Gospel According to;   Peter;   Prayer;   Simon Magus;   Tongues, Gift of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Atonement (2);   Faith;   Gestures;   Hand;   Hellenism;   Miracles;   Ordination;   Peter;   Philip the Evangelist;   Regeneration;   Sacraments;   Simon Magus;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hands, Laying on of;   Philip ;   Samaritans;   Simon ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Holy ghost;   Imposition of hands;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Apostle;   Si'mon;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Baptism;   Hand;   Roman Catholics;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom or Church of Christ, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Baptism of the Holy Spirit;   Hand;   Hands;   Laying on of;   Holy Spirit;   Simon Magus;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bishop;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Simon Cephas;   Simon Magus;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
King James Version (1611)
Then layde they their hands on them, and they receiued the holy Ghost.
King James Version
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
English Standard Version
Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
New American Standard Bible
Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
New Century Version
Then, when the two apostles began laying their hands on the people, they received the Holy Spirit.
Amplified Bible
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them [one by one], and they received the Holy Spirit.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Contemporary English Version
Peter and John then placed their hands on everyone who had faith in the Lord, and they were given the Holy Spirit.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then, as Kefa and Yochanan placed their hands on them, they received the Ruach HaKodesh.
Darby Translation
Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received [the] Holy Spirit.
Easy-to-Read Version
When the two apostles laid their hands on the people, they received the Holy Spirit.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then layd they their handes on them, and they receiued the holy Ghost.
George Lamsa Translation
Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Good News Translation
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Lexham English Bible
Then they placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Literal Translation
Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
American Standard Version
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Bible in Basic English
Then they put their hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came on them.
Hebrew Names Version
Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Ruach HaKodesh.
International Standard Version
Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.Acts 6:6; 19:6; Hebrews 6:2;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Then they laid upon them the hand, and they received the Spirit of Holiness.
Murdock Translation
Then they laid the hand on them; and they received the Holy Spirit.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then layde they their handes on the, and they receaued the holy ghost.
English Revised Version
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
World English Bible
Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Weymouth's New Testament
Then the Apostles placed their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne thei leiden hoondis on hem, and thei resseyueden the Hooli Goost.
Update Bible Version
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then they laid [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
New English Translation
Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.
New King James Version
Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
New Living Translation
Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.
New Life Bible
They laid their hands on them and the followers received the Holy Spirit.
New Revised Standard
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, proceeded they to lay their hands upon them, and they were receiving Holy Spirit.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then they laid their hands upon them: and they received the Holy Ghost.
Revised Standard Version
Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then layde they their hondes on them and they receaved the holy goost.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then layed they their hades on them, and they receaued the holy goost.
Mace New Testament (1729)
Jesus) the apostles therefore gave them imposition of hands, and they received the holy spirit.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Then Pete and John placed their hands on the people, and the Holy Spirit filled the new believer's lives.

Contextual Overview

14 And the apostles in Jerusalem having heard that Samaria hath received the word of God, did send unto them Peter and John, 15 who having come down did pray concerning them, that they may receive the Holy Spirit, -- 16 for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, and only they have been baptized -- to the name of the Lord Jesus; 17 then were they laying hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And Simon, having beheld that through the laying on of the hands of the apostles, the Holy Spirit is given, brought before them money, 19 saying, `Give also to me this authority, that on whomsoever I may lay the hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.' 20 And Peter said unto him, `Thy silver with thee -- may it be to destruction! because the gift of God thou didst think to possess through money; 21 thou hast neither part nor lot in this thing, for thy heart is not right before God; 22 reform, therefore, from this thy wickedness, and beseech God, if then the purpose of thy heart may be forgiven thee, 23 for in the gall of bitterness, and bond of unrighteousness, I perceive thee being.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

laid: Acts 8:18, Acts 6:6, Acts 9:17, Acts 13:3, Acts 19:6, Numbers 8:10, Numbers 27:18, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:22, 2 Timothy 1:6, Hebrews 6:2

they received: Romans 1:11, Galatians 3:2-5

Reciprocal: Genesis 48:14 - and laid Deuteronomy 34:9 - Moses 2 Kings 2:9 - Ask what Acts 8:19 - General Galatians 2:8 - he

Cross-References

Genesis 1:22
And God blesseth them, saying, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and the fowl let multiply in the earth:'
Genesis 1:28
And God blesseth them, and God saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.'
Genesis 8:13
And it cometh to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first [month], in the first of the month, the waters have been dried from off the earth; and Noah turneth aside the covering of the ark, and looketh, and lo, the face of the ground hath been dried.
Genesis 8:14
And in the second month, in the seven and twentieth day of the month, the earth hath become dry.
Genesis 8:15
And God speaketh unto Noah, saying, `Go out from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee;
Genesis 9:1
And God blesseth Noah, and his sons, and saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth;
Genesis 9:7
And ye, be fruitful and multiply, teem in the earth, and multiply in it.'
Psalms 107:38
And He blesseth them, and they multiply exceedingly, And their cattle He doth not diminish.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then laid they their hands on them,.... The Ethiopic version adds, "who had been baptized"; but not upon all of them, men and women, only on some they were directed unto by the Spirit of God; whom he had designed, and now would qualify for the work of the ministry, that so this new church, might be supplied with proper officers, pastors, and teachers, to feed them with knowledge and with understanding, and who might not only have ministerial gifts to qualify them for preaching the Gospel, but extraordinary ones, which would serve for the confirmation of it; and for this purpose the apostles, "both" of them, as the Arabic version reads, laid their hands on them: for it will not seem probable, that they laid their hands upon the women, on such an account; and it will hardly be received, that they should lay their hands on Simon Magus, otherwise he would have received the Holy Ghost too; so that it seems a plain case, that imposition of hands was not used to them all:

and they received the Holy Ghost; that is, they received the gifts of the Holy Ghost; so that they could prophesy and speak with tongues, and heal diseases, and do other wonderful works: and since now these effects have ceased, the rite and ceremony which was peculiar to the apostles as such, it should seem should cease likewise.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then laid they their hands ... - This was an act of “prayer,” expressing an invocation to God that he would impart the blessing to “them.” On “how many” they laid their hands is not said. It is evident that it was not on “all,” for they did not thus lay hands on Simon. Perhaps it was done on a few of the more prominent and leading persons, who were to be employed particularly in bearing witness to the truth of the gospel. It was customary to lay the hands on any person when a “favor” was to be conferred or a blessing imparted. See notes on Matthew 9:18.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 8:17. Then laid they their hands on them — Probably only on some select persons, who were thought proper for public use in the Church. They did not lay hands on all; for certainly no hands in this way were laid on Simon.


 
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