And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

ACTS 13:10KJV
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Acts 13:10 (KJV)

What does Acts 13:10 mean?

Acts 13:10 records Paul sharply rebuking a man named Elymas, calling him full of trickery and wrongdoing, and accusing him of being an enemy of everything right and good. Paul confronts Elymas for constantly twisting and opposing the true ways of God, asking if he will ever stop misleading others.

In this scene, Paul is speaking directly to Elymas the sorcerer, who was trying to turn the proconsul Sergius Paulus away from the Christian message. Paul’s words expose Elymas’s character and motives, making clear that his actions are not just misguided but actively opposed to God’s purposes. The verse shows the seriousness with which Paul treats attempts to distort the truth about God.

The Greek behind Acts 13:10

  • The word translated "subtilty" is δόλος (dolos), which means cunning, deceit, or trickery. Paul is accusing Elymas of being full of deceptive schemes, not just making an honest mistake.
  • The word for "mischief" is ῥαδιουργία (rhadiourgia), meaning wickedness or villainy. This highlights that Elymas’s actions are not just sly but also morally corrupt.
  • The phrase "pervert the right ways of the Lord" uses διαστρέφω (diastrephō), meaning to distort or turn aside. Paul is saying that Elymas is actively twisting what is straight and true about God’s ways.

Why Acts 13:10 matters

  • This verse clarifies that opposition to the gospel is sometimes rooted in deliberate deception and not just ignorance or confusion.
  • Paul’s strong language shows that spiritual leaders in the early church took the distortion of God’s message very seriously, treating it as a direct attack on what is right.
  • The confrontation sets up the following verses, where God’s power is shown in judgment against Elymas, reinforcing the authority of Paul’s message to the proconsul.

Where else these words appear

“pervert” Greek G1294 · used in 7 verses

  • Matthew 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
  • Luke 23:2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.
  • Acts 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

“subtilty” Greek G1388 · used in 12 verses

  • Matthew 26:4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
  • John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
  • 1 Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

“thou” Greek G3973 · used in 15 verses

  • Luke 5:4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
  • Acts 6:13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
  • Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

“right” Greek G2117 · used in 16 verses

  • Matthew 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
  • Mark 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
  • John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.