Acts 8:9

     9-13. used sorcery—magical arts.

      some great one . . . the great power of God—a sort of incarnation of divinity.

Acts 13:6

     6. when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos—on the opposite or west side of the island, about one hundred miles by land, along the south coast; the Roman capital, where the governor resided.

      they found a . . . sorcerer—one of a numerous class of impostors who, at this time of general unbelief, were encouraged even by cultivated Romans.

Galatians 5:20

     20. witchcraft—sorcery; prevalent in Asia (Ac 19:19; compare Re 21).

      hatredGreek, "hatreds."

      varianceGreek, "strife"; singular in the oldest manuscripts.

      emulations—in the oldest manuscripts, singular—"emulation," or rather, "jealousy"; for the sake of one's own advantage. "Envyings" (Ga 5:21) are even without advantage to the person himself [BENGEL].

      wrathGreek, plural, "passionate outbreaks" [ALFORD].

      strife—rather as Greek, "factions," "cabals"; derived from a Greek root, meaning "a worker for hire": hence, unworthy means for compassing ends, factious practices.

      seditions—"dissensions," as to secular matters.

      heresies—as to sacred things (see on 1Co 11:19). Self-constituted parties; from a Greek root, to choose. A schism is a more recent split in a congregation from a difference of opinion. Heresy is a schism become inveterate [AUGUSTINE, Con. Crescon. Don., 2,7].

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