Acts 8:20

τὸ ἀργύριόν σου κ. τ. λ.: the words are no curse or imprecation, as is evident from Acts 8:22, but rather a vehement expression of horror on the part of St. Peter, an expression which would warn Simon that he was on the way to destruction. Rendall considers that the real form of the prayer is not that Simon may perish, but that as he is already on the way to destruction, so the silver may perish which is dragging him down, to the intent that Simon himself may repent and be forgiven: so Page, “thy money perish, even as thou art now perishing,” cf. Œcumenius, in loco (and to the same effect St. Chrys.): οὔκ ἐστι ταῦτα ἀρωμένου ἀλλὰ παιδεύοντος, οὔκ ἐστι ταῦτα ἀρωμένου ἀλλὰ παιδεύοντος ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι · τὸ ἀργύριον σου συναπόλοιτό σοι μετὰ τῆς προαιρέσεως. But see also on the optative of wishing, Burton, N. T. Moods and Tenses, p. 79, where he speaks of Mark 11:14 and Acts 8:20 as peculiar, being imprecations of evil, and cf. also Blass, Grammatik, p. 215. εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν : a frequent construction, “go to destruction and remain there,” see Felten, Wendt, Page, and cf. Acts 8:23, εἰς χολὴν … ὄντα. The noun occurs no less than five times in St. Peter's Second Epistle, cf. also 1 Peter 1:7. εἰς ἀπώλ. occurs five times elsewhere, Romans 9:22; 1 Timothy 6:9; Hebrews 10:39; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 17:11, and it is frequent in LXX; cf. 1 Chronicles 21:17; Isaiah 14:23; Isaiah 54:16; Daniel 3:29; Daniel 2:5, Theod., etc.; 1Ma 3:42, Bel and the Dragon, Acts 8:29, and several times in Ecclus. τὴν δωρεὰν : and so, not to be bought, cf. Matthew 10:8, and our Lord's own words in Samaria, John 4:10, εἰ ἤδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ κ. τ. λ. ὅτι … ἐνόμισας διὰ χ. κτᾶσθαι : “because thou hast thought to obtain,” to acquire, gain possession of, κτᾶσθαι, deponent verb, so in classical Greek, not passive as in A.V., see Matthew 10:9, and elsewhere twice in St. Luke's Gospel, Acts 18:12; Acts 21:19, and three times in Acts 1:18; Acts 8:20; Acts 22:28, and once in St. Paul, 1 Thessalonians 4:4, frequent in LXX, and in same sense as here of acquiring by money. ἐνόμ.: it was not a mere error of judgment, but a sinful intention, which had come from a heart not right before God, Acts 8:21; cf. Matthew 15:19.