Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.
who.
Acts 13:7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
filled.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 4:8,31 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, …
Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
set.
Mark 3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
Luke 20:17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
filled with the Holy Spirit
The phrase indicates divine empowerment and guidance. The Holy Spirit's filling is a recurring theme in Acts, signifying God's presence and authority in the apostles' ministry (Acts 2:4, 4:31). This filling equips Paul for the confrontation with Elymas, demonstrating the Spirit's role in empowering believers to overcome opposition and perform God's work. It reflects the promise of Jesus that the Spirit would guide and empower His followers (John 14:26, Acts 1:8).
looked directly at Elymas
This action signifies boldness and authority. Elymas, also known as Bar-Jesus, was a sorcerer and false prophet opposing the Gospel (Acts 13:6-8). Paul's direct gaze indicates a confrontation with evil, reminiscent of Jesus' authority over demonic forces (Mark 1:25-27). This moment highlights the spiritual battle between truth and deception, with Paul, empowered by the Holy Spirit, confronting the forces of darkness. It serves as a reminder of the believer's call to stand firm against spiritual opposition (Ephesians 6:12-13).
• Luke links this moment to what has just happened in Cyprus. “Then” roots the verse in real time and space, reminding us that the gospel’s advance is historical, not mythical (Acts 13:4–8).
• The man in focus is Saul, the former persecutor whom Christ personally confronted (Acts 9:3–6). His presence here shows the transforming power of Jesus’ grace—proof that no past is too dark for God to redeem (1 Timothy 1:13–16).
• God had already singled Saul out for missionary work—“he is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles” (Acts 9:15). Acts 13:9 marks the public unveiling of that calling, tying his salvation to his service.
• From this sentence onward, Luke consistently uses “Paul,” signaling a shift from ministry centered in Jewish settings to one aimed primarily at Gentiles.
• Taking a Roman name made the apostle more relatable within the Greco-Roman world, portraying the principle, “I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
• God often affirms new beginnings with new names—Abram to Abraham (Genesis 17:5), Simon to Peter (John 1:42). Here, Saul’s dual name underscores his dual commission: to Israel and the nations (Acts 26:17–18).
• Paul’s bold response is not fueled by personality but by supernatural empowerment. Luke has repeatedly shown that decisive witness flows from Spirit-filling (Acts 4:8; 4:31).
• The phrase describes an immediate enablement for a specific task—confronting evil and protecting a seeking soul (the proconsul, Acts 13:7). Believers today are urged to live the same way: “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
• Spirit-filling assures us that God supplies every resource required for obedience (Philippians 2:13). Paul’s courage is therefore a model, not a mere historical note.
• The apostle fixes his gaze on the sorcerer, much like Peter and John did on the lame man at the temple gate (Acts 3:4). Such focused attention conveys authority and seriousness.
• Elymas was actively opposing the gospel, trying to “turn the proconsul away from the faith” (Acts 13:8). Paul’s unwavering look signals that truth confronts deception head-on, not timidly.
• This moment echoes Jesus’ pattern of facing spiritual opposition without flinching (Luke 4:33–35). It illustrates 2 Timothy 1:7—“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”
• Acts 13:9 captures a turning point: God’s transformed servant (Saul) steps fully into his Gentile mission (Paul), under fresh filling of the Spirit, and meets opposition with confident, Spirit-led boldness.
• The verse teaches that every believer’s effectiveness hinges on Spirit empowerment, clear identity in Christ, and courage to confront error for the sake of the gospel.
(9) Then Saul, (who also is called Paul).--It is impossible not to connect the mention, and probably the assumption, of the new name with the conversion of the proconsul. It presented many advantages. (1) It was sufficiently like his own name in sound to fall within the general practice which turned Jesus into Jason, Hillel into Pollio, Silas into Silvanus. (2) It was a Roman, not a Greek, name, and as such fell in with the ultimate work of the Apostle, already, it may be, contemplated in thought (comp. Romans 15:23), of bearing his witness to Christ in the imperial city. (3) It formed a link between him and the illustrious convert whom he had just made. He was, as it were, claiming a brotherhood with him. From this point of view, it is interesting to compare the name of Lucas or Lucanus, as borne both by the evangelist and the poet. (Comp. Introduction to St. Luke, Vol. I., p. 237.) Other reasons that have been assigned, as (1) that the Greek word Saulos had an opprobrious meaning, as = wanton, or (2) that the meaning of Paulus, as = little, commended itself to the Apostle's humility, may be dismissed as more or less fantastic.Filled with the Holy Ghost.--The tense of the Greek participle, implies a sudden access of spiritual power, showing itself at once in insight into character, righteous indignation, and prevision of the divine chastisement.
Set his eyes on him.--The word is that already so often noted, as in Acts 1:10, and elsewhere. As applied to St. Paul it may possibly connect itself with the defect of vision which remained as the after-consequence of the brightness seen on the way to Damascus. The Greek word, however, it is right to add, may just as well express the fixed gaze of men of strong powers of sight, as that of those who suffer from some infirmity. (See Acts 1:10; Acts 3:4; Luke 4:20; Luke 22:56.) . . .
Verse 9. - But for then, A.V.; is also for also is, A.V.; fastened for set, A.V. (above, Acts ill 4, note). Who is also called Paul. The explanation of Jerome, Augustine, Bede, and many modern commentators, as Meyer, Olshausen, etc., and not rejected by Renan, is that Saul took the name of Paul on the occasion of this remarkable and important conversion of Sergius Paulus. Saul's future intercourse with Gentiles made it desirable that, after the common custom of the Jews of his day - as seen in Peter, Stephen, Mark, Lucius, Jason, Crispus, Justus, Niger, Aquila, Priscilla, Drusilla etc. - he should have a Gentile name, and so, in honor of his illustrious convert, or in memory of his conversion, or at the special request of Sergius Paulus (Baronius), he took the name of Paul, which in sound was not unlike his Hebrew name. The fact of this change of name being recorded by St. Luke at this precise moment makes this the most simple and natural explanation. Compare Gideon's change of name to Jerubbaal (Judges 6:32; Judges 7:1; Judges 8:29, 35). Alford, on the ether hand, thinks it strange that any one should make such a mistake as Jerome's, and says that "this notice marks the transition from the former part of his history" - "gathered from the narratives of others" - to "the joint memoirs of himself and St. Paul." But this gives no account of the coincidence of the two Pauls, nor is it true that the latter half of the Acts begins here. It began at ver. 1, and the name of Saul has been retained three times in the early part of this chapter. Farrar speaks of this explanation as, long and deservedly abandoned," and as having in it an element of vulgarity. Howson thinks that Paul had long been his Roman name, but that the conversion of Sergius Paulus, as it were, stereotyped the Roman name as that by which the apostle was henceforth to be known. The idea of Augustine and others, that he took the name of Paul (paulus, small) from humility, to indicate that he was "the least" of the apostles, is fanciful. Neither is Chrysostom's assertion, that he changed his name at his ordination or consecration, borne out by the facts. Renan ('Saint Paul,' 1:19) notes that "Paul" was a very common name in Cilicia. No certainty can be arrived at in the matter.