Person New Testament
Bar-jesus
Also known as Bar-Jesus =ESV, NIV; Bar-jesus =KJV, Elymas
Bar-Jesus, also known as Elymas, was a Jewish sorcerer who tried to hinder Paul and Barnabas' ministry. Mentioned in 2 verses across 1 book, first at Acts 13:6.
Why it matters. A Jewish sorcerer who opposed Paul and Barnabas.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Bar-jesus
Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas, was a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet encountered by Paul and Barnabas during their missionary journey on the island of Cyprus (Act.13.6-12). He was associated with Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of the island, who had summoned Paul and Barnabas to hear the word of God. However, Elymas opposed the apostles and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, rebuked Elymas for his deceit and obstruction of the truth, declaring that he would be temporarily blinded. Immediately, Elymas lost his sight, and the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed and was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. The name "Elymas" is said to mean "magician" or "sorcerer," while "Bar-Jesus" means "son of Jesus" or "son of Joshua." This incident demonstrates the power of the gospel over spiritual opposition and the consequences of resisting God's message.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.