Verse Lens · Context pointer
Acts 8:23 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 23. 23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Diagnoses a bondage to bitterness and iniquity rather than spiritual greatness.
Read It With
- Acts 8:14–8:24
Acts 8:23 diagnoses a bondage to bitterness and iniquity rather than spiritual greatness; within Acts 8:14–8:24, the controlling movement is that Jerusalem sends Peter and John, the baptized Samaritans receive the Spirit through prayer and laying on hands, and Peter rebukes Simon for trying to buy this authority.
Why It Needs Context
Diagnoses a bondage to bitterness and iniquity rather than spiritual greatness. Its responsible force depends on the full sequence, speaker, narrator framing, and outcome of Acts 8:14–8:24; it is connective evidence rather than a complete standalone teaching.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Acts 8:14–8:24 — The apostles confirm Samaria and rebuke attempted purchaseSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.
Exact location: Acts 8:14–8:24, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text, Acts 8:14-8:24
Open the Acts Greek text file ↗