{Unto Paphos} (achri Paphou). The new Paphos at the other
end of the island, reached by a fine Roman road, some eight miles
north of the old Paphos famous for the worship of Venus. {A
certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew} (andra tina magon
pseudoproph(8874)(886e) Ioudaion). Literally, "a certain man" (andra
tina) with various descriptive epithets. The word magon does
not necessarily mean "sorcerer," but only a magus ( Mt
2:1,7,10  which see). The bad sense occurs in  Ac 8:9,11  (Simon
Magus) and is made plain here by "false prophet." In verse  8 
here Barjesus (Son of Jesus) is called "Elymas the sorcerer (or
Magian)," probably his professional title, as Luke interprets the
Arabic or Aramaic word Elymas. These Jewish mountebanks were
numerous and had great influence with the uneducated. In  Ac
19:13  the seven sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists, tried to
imitate Paul. If one is surprised that a man like Sergius Paulus
should fall under the influence of this fraud, he should recall
what Juvenal says of the Emperor Tiberius "sitting on the rock of
Capri with his flock of Chaldaeans around him."