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Acts 8

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Persecution Scatters the Church 1–3

1
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles. ​
2
And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. ​
3
But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison. ​

Philip Preaches in Samaria 4–13

4
They therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word.
5
And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. ​
6
And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did.
7
For from many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed.
8
And there was much joy in that city.
9
But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: ​
10
to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great.
11
And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
12
But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13
And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed. ​

Apostolic Confirmation and Simon Magus 14–25

14
Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: ​
15
who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: ​
16
for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18
Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, ​
19
saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.
20
But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.
21
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. ​
22
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.
23
For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. ​
24
And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.
25
They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch 26–40

26
But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert. ​
27
And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship; ​
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and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
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And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30
And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31
And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.
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Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth: ​
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In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.
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And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other?
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And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus. ​
36
And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37
Not present in the manuscripts this translation follows.
38
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
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And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing. ​
40
But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Cæsarea. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Acts 8

Verse 1

Saul was consenting unto his death — Suneudokeo is to think well of together: Saul approved the killing, as he later says, 'I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death' (Acts 22:20). The scattering 'throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria' reaches the places named in Acts 1:8, while 'the apostles' stay at Jerusalem.

Verse 2

devout men — Eulabes is pious, careful in religion; the same word describes the 'Jews, devout men' of Acts 2:5. 'Lamentation' is kopetos, mourning with beating of the breast. They buried Stephen at the time of the great persecution named in v.1.

Verse 3

made havock of the church — Lymainomai is to maltreat, ravage; 'haling' is suro, to drag. Women were taken as well as men. Paul later says, 'I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it' (Gal 1:13), and, 'I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief' (1 Tim 1:13).

Verse 5

Philip — One of the seven chosen with Stephen (Acts 6:5), later called 'Philip the evangelist' (Acts 21:8); not the apostle of that name. 'Preached' is kerusso, to herald as a crier, and the message is 'Christ', the Anointed. Samaria is the next region named after Judaea in Acts 1:8.

Verse 9

used sorcery — Mageuo, to practise magic. 'Bewitched' is existemi, to astonish, to put out of one's wits: Simon amazed the people, and in v.13 the same verb says he himself 'wondered'. He claimed to be 'some great one', and the people called him 'the great power of God' (v.10).

Verse 13

Simon himself believed also — He is baptized and 'continued with Philip', yet the verb for his 'wondered' is existemi, the one used of what he had done to the people (vv.9, 11): the astonisher is now astonished. Peter's verdict in vv.20–23 shows the heart had not changed.

Verse 14

they sent unto them Peter and John — Apostello, to send out on a commission: the apostles at Jerusalem send two of their number when they hear that 'Samaria had received the word of God'. Acts 11:1 uses the same phrase of the Gentiles, 'received the word of God'.

Verse 15

that they might receive the Holy Ghost — The Samaritans had believed and been baptized, but v.16 says the Spirit 'was fallen upon none of them'. Peter and John pray, and the Spirit is given with the laying on of hands (v.17), as at Ephesus (Acts 19:6). Acts 2:38 had joined 'the gift of the Holy Ghost' to repentance and baptism.

Verse 18

he offered them money — Chrema is wealth, a price. Simon saw the Spirit 'given' through the apostles' hands (epithesis, laying on) and tried to buy the power. It is the opposite of Christ's charge to the Twelve: 'freely ye have received, freely give' (Matt 10:8).

Verse 21

neither part nor lot in this matter — Meris is a portion and kleros an allotment, a lot drawn; 'matter' is logos, a thing spoken of, the subject in hand. 'Not right' translates euthys, straight: Simon's heart was not straight 'in the sight of God', whatever his baptism.

Verse 23

the gall of bitterness — Chole is gall, bile, pikria bitterness; 'bond' is sundesmos, a binding tie. Simon is bitter within and bound by iniquity: 'His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins' (Prov 5:22). Compare 'root of bitterness' (Heb 12:15).

Verse 26

toward the south — The Greek mesembria is midday, the sun's position, hence south. The angel names a road 'which is desert', a place with no crowd, after the great numbers of Samaria. Angels also direct in Acts 5:19, where the angel of the Lord opens the prison doors.

Verse 27

an eunuch of great authority — Dynastes, a potentate, officer; he kept all the queen's treasure. His journey fits the prophecy 'Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God' (Ps 68:31), and Isaiah's promise of 'a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters' to the eunuchs who keep the LORD's sabbaths (Isa 56:4–5).

Verse 32

as a sheep to the slaughter — The passage is Isa 53:7–8. 'Lamb' is amnos, a lamb, here dumb before its shearer. Peter applies the same chapter to Christ's suffering: 'Christ also suffered for us' (1 Pet 2:21), and 'by whose stripes ye were healed' (1 Pet 2:24, from Isa 53:5).

Verse 35

began at the same scripture — Philip starts from Isa 53 and 'preached unto him Jesus' (euangelizo, told the good news of him). The pattern is the risen Christ's own: 'beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself' (Luke 24:27).

Verse 37

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God — Philip sets the condition, belief 'with all thine heart' (holos, whole), and the eunuch answers with a confession: Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed, and the Son of God. Paul joins the two: 'with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation' (Rom 10:10).

Verse 39

caught away Philip — Harpazo, to seize, snatch. The Spirit of the LORD carrying a servant elsewhere is an Old Testament pattern: 'the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not' (1 Kgs 18:12). The eunuch 'went on his way rejoicing' (chairo), without Philip.

Verse 40

Azotus — The Greek form of Ashdod, the Philistine city to which the ark was once brought (1 Sam 5:1). From there Philip preached northward 'till he came to Caesarea', where he is later found with a house of his own (Acts 21:8) and where Cornelius lived (Acts 10:1).