Acts 8:20

But Peter said unto him, Thy money[silver] perish with thee It is clear from what follows that this terrible invocation of doom upon this offender is to be qualified by the condition supplied from Acts 8:22, where repentance and prayer are pointed out as means whereby even so great a sinner may find forgiveness. And St Peter may have thus joined Simon in the same destruction as his money, because he foresaw that there was little or no hope that such a man could be brought to repentance unless the consequence of his sin were set before him in all its terror.

because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money Better, because thou thoughtest to purchase, &c. Simon had given no heed to the prayer of the Apostles that the gift of the Spirit should be sent down. He thought not of it as a "gift of God," but by the language which St Peter here employs of him, he considered that if it could be once secured by him it would be his own at all times and for ever.