What is Simon in the Bible?
Lived in the New Testament era
Simon, the leper is mentioned in Mat.26.6 and Mrk.14.3 as a man living in Bethany who hosted a meal for Jesus. The Gospel of Luke also mentions a similar event, but the host is called Simon the Pharisee (Luk.7.40,43,44). Simon appears in 9 verses across 4 books of the Bible.
The Bible uses the name Simon for 2 different entries. All 2 are below, each with its own passages.
Simon in Luke
Simon the leper is mentioned in Mat.26.6 and Mrk.14.3 as a man living in Bethany who hosted a meal for Jesus. The Gospel of Luke also mentions a similar event, but the host is called Simon the Pharisee (Luk.7.40,43,44). During the meal at Simon's house, a woman (identified as Mary of Bethany in Jhn.12.1-8) brought an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' head and feet. The disciples, particularly Judas Iscariot, criticized this act as wasteful, but Jesus defended the woman, saying that she had done a beautiful thing in preparing his body for burial. The title "the leper" suggests that Simon had been afflicted with leprosy at some point, but it is not clear whether he was still suffering from the disease at the time of this event. Leprosy was a highly stigmatized condition in ancient times, and people with leprosy were often isolated from society. Simon's hosting of Jesus and the other guests in his home may indicate that he had been healed of his leprosy, possibly by Jesus himself.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Simon in Acts
Simon, a tanner by trade, is mentioned in the book of Acts as a resident of Joppa who hosted the apostle Peter (Act.9.43; 10.6,17,32). As a tanner, Simon worked with animal hides to produce leather, a profession that was considered unclean by Jewish religious standards. Despite this, Peter stayed with Simon for many days, indicating a growing openness in the early church to interact with Gentiles and those considered unclean. During his stay at Simon's house, Peter received a vision from God in which he was told not to call anything impure that God has made clean (Act.10.9-16). This vision prepared Peter for his encounter with Cornelius, a Gentile centurion, whom God had directed to send for Peter (Act.10.17-33). Peter's time at Simon the tanner's house marks a significant shift in the early church's understanding of the gospel's inclusivity and the breaking down of barriers between Jews and Gentiles.
4 verses: Acts 9:43, Acts 10:6, Acts 10:17, Acts 10:32
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Where does Simon appear in the Bible?
Simon is referenced in 9 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- Luke 7:40
- Luke 7:43
- Luke 7:44
- Matthew 26:6
- Mark 14:3
Showing the first 5 of 9.
Open all 9 references in ProtosWhat else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Simon.
Common questions
How many people in the Bible are called Simon?
Simon refers to 2 different entries in the Bible: Simon in Luke; Simon in Acts.
How many times does the Bible mention Simon?
Simon appears in 9 verses across 4 books, most often in Acts, which accounts for 4 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Simon?
Acts, Luke, Matthew, Mark.
Where can I read every verse about Simon?
This page lists 5 of them. Protos carries all 9, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
