Acts 8
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 33 – AD 36 · The early church · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
39 verses · 799 words · ~4 min read · ~5 min listen
Saul Persecutes the Church
1And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephenʼs death.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Philip in Samaria
4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. 6The crowds paid cloase attention to Philipʼs message and to the signs they saw him perform. 7With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer
9Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, 10and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.” 11They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.
12But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. 16For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostlesʼ hands, he offered them money. 19“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart. 23For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.
29The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”
30So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
34“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
35Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?” 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Footnotes (3)
- a v27 Greek Kandakē
- b v33 Isaiah 53:7–8(see also LXX)
- c v36 TR includes 37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized.” The eunuch replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
Study notes on this chapter · 3
An altar to the LORD in Egypt
Isaiah ends his oracle against Egypt with a vision: five cities speaking the language of Canaan, an altar and pillar to the LORD in Egypt, and Egypt and Assyria joining Israel as a blessing in the midst of the earth. Readers disagree on whether this looks to Jewish communities in Egypt, to the spread of the gospel, or to a future age.
When: Isaiah, c. 700 BC.
Ways people read this (4)
- Jewish temple at Leontopolis (founded c. 160 BC) and the Jewish community at Elephantine are proposed fulfillments.
- The spread of the gospel and of Christian faith in Egypt (Coptic Christianity) and Assyria (the Church of the East).
- A future time when the nations worship the LORD together (Isaiah 2:2-4, Zechariah 14:16-19).
- Some critical scholars see the verses as a later addition to the oracle.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The suffering servant
A servant despised and rejected, wounded for the transgressions of others, silent like a lamb before its shearers, who bears the sin of many and is 'numbered with the transgressors'. The New Testament quotes or alludes to this passage more than any other to explain Jesus' death: healing (Matthew 8), silence before accusers (Acts 8), substitutionary suffering (1 Peter 2), being counted among criminals (Luke 22).
When: Isaiah 40–55 (composition dated to c. 700 BC by some scholars, c. 540 BC by others); quoted in the New Testament c. AD 30–95.
Ways people read this (3)
- Christian reading: a prophecy of Jesus' atoning death.
- Traditional Jewish reading: the servant is Israel, suffering for the nations.
- Some scholars see both an original corporate meaning and a later individual reading.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Like a sheep led to slaughter
An Ethiopian official is reading Isaiah 53 and asks Philip whom the prophet is talking about, himself or someone else. Philip begins with that passage and tells him the good news of Jesus. It is one of the clearest New Testament cases of the servant song being applied to Jesus, and the question itself shows how the passage was read.
When: Isaiah, c. 700–540 BC; Philip on the Gaza road, c. AD 33–35.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.