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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Acts 8:17

When the two apostles laid their hands on the people, 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.
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.
Young's Literal Translation
then were they laying hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
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 The apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God. So they sent Peter and John to the people in Samaria. 15 When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 These people had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any of them. This is why Peter and John prayed. 17 When the two apostles laid their hands on the people, they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles laid their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money. 19 He said, "Give me this power so that when I lay my hands on someone, they will receive the Holy Spirit." 20 Peter said to Simon, "You and your money should both be destroyed because you thought you could buy God's gift with money. 21 You cannot share with us in this work. Your heart is not right before God. 22 Change your heart! Turn away from these evil thoughts and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you. 23 I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and cannot stop yourself from doing wrong."

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
God blessed all the living things in the sea and told them to have many babies and fill the seas. And he blessed the birds on land and told them to have many more babies.
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Genesis 8:13
After that Noah opened the door of the boat. He looked and saw that the ground was dry. This was the first day of the first month of the year. He was 601 years old.
Genesis 8:14
By the 27th day of the second month, the ground was completely dry.
Genesis 8:15
Then God said to Noah,
Genesis 9:1
God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Have many children. Fill the earth with your people.
Genesis 9:7
"Have many children and fill the earth with your people."
Psalms 107:38
God blessed them with many children and plenty of animals.

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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