Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 13:6

"And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus;" — Acts 13:6 (ASV)

And when they had gone through the isle. The length of the island, according to Strabo, was one thousand and four hundred stadia, or nearly one hundred and seventy miles.

Unto Paphos. Paphos was a city at the western extremity of the island. It was the residence of the proconsul and was distinguished for a splendid temple erected to Venus, who was worshipped throughout the island. Cyprus was fabled to be the place of the birth of this goddess.

Besides Paphos and Salamis, the island had several other towns of note—Citium, the birthplace of Zeno; Amathus, sacred to Venus; and so forth. Its present capital is Nicosia. Whether Paul preached at any of these other places is not recorded. The island is supposed to have formerly had a million inhabitants.

A certain sorcerer. Greek—Magus, or magician. See Acts 8:9.

A false prophet. Pretending to be endowed with the gift of prophecy; or a man, probably, who pretended to be inspired.

Bar-jesus. The word Bar is Syriac and means son. Jesus, or Joshua, was not an uncommon name among the Jews. The name was given from his father—son of Jesus, or Joshua; as Bar-Jonas, son of Jonas.