Paul Rebukes Elymas

His name was bar-Jesus, and he was also known as Elymas. He lived on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus in the coastal city of Paphos. Luke called him a false prophet and a magos (μάγος), which means either a sorcerer or a wise man. (See Acts 13:6, 8.)

When the Roman proconsul of Cyprus wanted to hear from two newcomers, Paul and Barnabas, Elymas was not pleased. We don’t know what he said, but we know that he sought “to turn away the [Roman leader] from the faith” (Acts 13:8), like two Book of Mormon characters: Sherem, who “had hope to shake [the prophet Jacob] from the faith” (Jacob 7:5), and Korihor, who “did revile against the priests and teachers” (Alma 30:31).

All three of these antagonists were miraculously incapacitated. Sherem lost his strength (Jacob 7:15), Korihor lost his ability to talk (Alma 30:50), and Elymas temporarily lost his sight (Acts 13:11).

Today, I’ve studied the strong words Paul spoke to Elymas just before he became blind. Luke tells us that Paul spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (Acts 13:9). Each of the four phrases in this rebuke appears in the Book of Mormon, in different contexts. Here is Paul’s rebuke, phrase by phrase, with the associated Book of Mormon passages:

Paul’s Rebuke (Acts 13:10)	Book of Mormon passages
O full of all subtilty and all mischief,	Nephi says that his older brothers and their families became “an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety” (2 Nephi 5:24).
thou child of the devil,	Alma says that if you choose not to follow the Good Shepherd, you become a “child of the devil” (Alma 5:39-41).
thou enemy of all righteousness	Mormon writes to his son Moroni that we need to labor to “conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God” (Moroni 9:6).
wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?	In Nephi’s vision, the angel tells him that the great and abominable church has taken away “plain and precious things” from the gospel of Jesus Christ, in order to “pervert the right ways of the Lord” (1 Nephi 13:27; see also 1 Nephi 22:14).

A few observations:

• Subtilty and mischief sound like negative versions of wisdom and cleverness. It’s a shame when we use our mental capacity to harm instead of to help.
• Child of the devil sounds awfully harsh, but the Savior said, “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention” (3 Nephi 11:29).
• The word “thou” before “enemy of all righteousness” is not in the original text, and was added by the King James translators. Paul may have meant that phrase as a description of the devil (as Mormon did in his letter to Moroni), rather than a description of Elymas.
• To pervert something is to turn it away from the truth (or from the right way). In Latin, per means “away,” and vert means “turn.”

Satan is our adversary. (See Alma 12:5-6.) His mission is entirely defined by what he opposes. Therefore, when our goals and our intent are oppositional in nature, we are on shaky ground.

Disciples of Jesus Christ are builders, not destroyers. They are healers, not wounders. They are advocates, not antagonists.

Today, I will pursue positive and uplifting goals. I will look for ways to create, to inspire, and to support, and I will beware of goals and activities that are oppositional or adversarial in nature.