King James Version
Acts 8
40 verses with commentary
Saul Persecutes the Church
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
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KJV Study Commentary
Saul's consenting to Stephen's death reveals his complicity in the first Christian martyrdom, setting the stage for his dramatic conversion. The 'great persecution' scattered believers 'except the apostles' - showing God's providence in spreading the gospel beyond Jerusalem. What Satan meant for evil (persecution), God used for good (gospel advancement). Reformed theology sees God's sovereignty ov...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**VIII.**
(1) **And Saul was consenting unto his death.**—The word seems carefully chosen to convey the fact that he did not himself take part in stoning, but contented himself with guiding and directing the murder. He “kept the garments” of the witnesses who flung the stones (Acts 22:20). The statement came, we can scarcely doubt, from St. Paul’s own lips, and in his use of the same word in the p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-23. sect of the Sadducees--**See on Ac 4:1 for the reason why this is specified.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Chapter Outline
Saul persecutes the church.(1-4)
Philip's success at Samaria. Simon the sorcerer baptized.(5-13)
The hypocrisy of Simon detected.(14-25)
Philip and the Ethiopian.(26-40)
**Verses 1-4**
Though persecution must not drive us from our work, yet it may send us to work elsewhere. Wherever the established believer is driven, he carries the knowledge of ...
Read full commentary →And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
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KJV Study Commentary
That 'devout men' gave Stephen burial honors shows not all Jerusalem Jews opposed Christianity. Their 'great lamentation' demonstrated genuine grief over martyrdom of a godly man. Proper burial was important in Jewish culture, and these men risked association with the persecuted church. Reformed theology sees God's preserving grace even in persecution - maintaining a witness and testimony through ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And devout men carried Stephen to his burial.**—It has sometimes been asserted, as *e.g.* by Renan (*Les Apôtres, *p. 145), that these were proselytes. St. Luke, however, always uses a different word to describe that class (comp. Acts 13:43; Acts 13:50; Acts 16:14; Acts 17:4; Acts 17:17), and the word used here is applied by him to Simeon (Luke 2:25), to the multitude of Jews present on the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-23. sect of the Sadducees--**See on Ac 4:1 for the reason why this is specified.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Chapter Outline
Saul persecutes the church.(1-4)
Philip's success at Samaria. Simon the sorcerer baptized.(5-13)
The hypocrisy of Simon detected.(14-25)
Philip and the Ethiopian.(26-40)
**Verses 1-4**
Though persecution must not drive us from our work, yet it may send us to work elsewhere. Wherever the established believer is driven, he carries the knowledge of ...
Read full commentary →As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
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KJV Study Commentary
Saul 'made havock' (Greek <em>elumaineto</em> - to ravage or destroy) of the church with systematic violence. Going 'house to house' shows organized, thorough persecution. Haling 'men and women' to prison demonstrates the breadth of his assault on the church. This verse establishes Saul's credentials as 'chief of sinners' (1 Timothy 1:15), making his later conversion a supreme demonstration of sov...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **As for Saul, he made havock of the church.**—The tense in the Greek implies continuous action, and so indicates the severity of the persecution. Further details are given by St. Paul himself. He “persecuted this way unto the death” (Acts 22:4). It does not follow, however, that this points to more than the death of Stephen. Both men and women were imprisoned (*ibid*)*.* The fact that the lat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-23. sect of the Sadducees--**See on Ac 4:1 for the reason why this is specified.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Chapter Outline
Saul persecutes the church.(1-4)
Philip's success at Samaria. Simon the sorcerer baptized.(5-13)
The hypocrisy of Simon detected.(14-25)
Philip and the Ethiopian.(26-40)
**Verses 1-4**
Though persecution must not drive us from our work, yet it may send us to work elsewhere. Wherever the established believer is driven, he carries the knowledge of ...
Read full commentary →Philip Preaches in Samaria
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
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KJV Study Commentary
Persecution's unintended consequence—'they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching'—demonstrates God's sovereignty in using opposition to fulfill His mission. The Greek 'diaspeiro' (scattered) suggests seed-sowing, with persecution becoming the mechanism for gospel dispersal. This fulfills Jesus' prediction that witnesses would spread from Jerusalem (Acts 1:8).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **They that were scattered** **abroad.**—These. As has been said above, would in all probability be Stephen’s Hellenistic fellow-workers and followers. As in later ages, the axiom that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church,” held true from the beginning. The attempt to stamp out the new faith did but give it a wider scope of action, and urged it on to pass the limits within which it ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-23. sect of the Sadducees--**See on Ac 4:1 for the reason why this is specified.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Chapter Outline
Saul persecutes the church.(1-4)
Philip's success at Samaria. Simon the sorcerer baptized.(5-13)
The hypocrisy of Simon detected.(14-25)
Philip and the Ethiopian.(26-40)
**Verses 1-4**
Though persecution must not drive us from our work, yet it may send us to work elsewhere. Wherever the established believer is driven, he carries the knowledge of ...
Read full commentary →Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
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KJV Study Commentary
Philip (one of the seven deacons, Acts 6:5) went to Samaria preaching Christ. This was revolutionary - Jews avoided Samaritans due to ethnic and religious hostility. Philip's ministry fulfilled Jesus' command to be witnesses 'in Samaria' (Acts 1:8) and broke down the middle wall of partition. Reformed theology sees the gospel's power to overcome cultural barriers and human prejudice. Philip preach...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria.**—More accurately, “*a* city.” The sequence of events implies that it was not the Apostle, but his namesake who had been chosen as one of the Seven. As having been conspicuous in the work of “preaching the glad tidings of Christ,” he was afterwards known as Philip the Evangelist (Acts 21:8). It was natural enough that the identity of name should ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-23. sect of the Sadducees--**See on Ac 4:1 for the reason why this is specified.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake , hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.</strong> This verse captures a pivotal moment in the early church's expansion as Philip the evangelist brings the gospel to Samaria. The phrase "with one accord" (<em>homothumadon</em>, ὁμοθυμαδόν) indicates unanimous, harmonious agreement—a term Luke uses frequently...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-23. sect of the Sadducees--**See on Ac 4:1 for the reason why this is specified.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.</strong> Philip's ministry in Samaria demonstrates gospel power through miraculous signs—exorcisms and physical healings authenticating the message of Christ.<br><br>The phrase unclean spirits acknowledges demonic reality—fallen angels e...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice.**—The MSS. present several variations in the structure of the sentence, but they do not affect its meaning. The character of the “signs” agrees with those that are recorded in the Gospels. The “great cry,” partly, it may be, of agony, partly of exultation at deliverance, agrees with Mark 1:26; Luke 4:33.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-23. sect of the Sadducees--**See on Ac 4:1 for the reason why this is specified.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →And there was great joy in that city.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And there was great joy in that city.</strong><br><br>This brief yet profound statement captures the transformative impact of the gospel in Samaria. The Greek <em>chara megalē</em> ("great joy") indicates intense, exuberant gladness - not merely happiness but deep spiritual rejoicing. <em>Polis</em> ("city") likely refers to the city of Samaria (Sebaste), though possibly a broader referenc...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **There was great joy in that city.**—This and the whole narrative may well have been learnt by St. Luke from the lips of Philip himself, when St. Paul and his companions visited the Evangelist at Cæsarea on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 21:8), or during the Apostle’s two years’ imprisonment in that city (Acts 24:27), or, we may add, from St. Paul’s report of what he had heard when he travelled t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24-26. they doubted--**"were in perplexity."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
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KJV Study Commentary
Simon the sorcerer had 'bewitched' (Greek <em>existemi</em> - amazed/astonished) Samaria with magic arts, claiming greatness. His influence preceded Philip's arrival. The mention of his sorcery establishes a contrast between demonic power and the Holy Spirit's power. Reformed theology recognizes Satan's counterfeit miracles that deceive, requiring discernment to distinguish God's genuine work from...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **But there was a certain man, called Simon.**—The man who is thus brought before us in a brief episode, occupies a prominent place in the history and the legends of the Apostolic Church. For the present it will be convenient to deal only with the materials which St. Luke gives us, reserving a fuller account for the close of the narrative. Nothing is told us here as to his earlier history, pri...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24-26. they doubted--**"were in perplexity."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Samaritans called Simon 'the great power of God' - an idolatrous attribution of divine glory to a mere man. This reveals humanity's readiness to worship anything but the true God. The phrase may suggest Simon claimed to be a divine emanation or the manifestation of God's power on earth. From a Reformed perspective, this demonstrates mankind's religious impulse misdirected toward false objects ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest.**—The ready acceptance of the claims of the pretender, may, in part, be traced to the impression made by the presence of “the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42). If One had come among them in whom they felt that there was a more than human greatness, why might there not be another manifestation of a like nature? The sorc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24-26. they doubted--**"were in perplexity."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.</strong> Simon Magus had maintained spiritual authority over Samaritans through occult practices, demonstrating how false religion enslaves through deception and manipulation.<br><br>The phrase had regard indicates respect, attention, and submission. Simon's influence resulted from his bewitching—Gr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **And to him they had regard.**—The Greek word is the same as in the “gave heed” of the previous verse. The “long time” during which the evil fascination had been exercised, reckoning backwards from the date which we have now reached (A.D. 34), might carry us to a period prior to our Lord’s visit to Sychar, in A.D. 30. It is scarcely probable, however, that it was in active operation at that ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ac 5:27-42. Second Appearance and Testimony before the Sanhedrin--Its Rage Calmed by Gamaliel--Being Dismissed, They Depart Rejoicing, and Continue Their Preaching.
**27-28. ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine--**noble testimony to the success of their preaching, and (for the reason mentioned on Ac 4:4) to the truth of their testimony, from reluctant lips!
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
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KJV Study Commentary
When Samaritans believed Philip's preaching about 'the kingdom of God' and 'the name of Jesus Christ,' they were baptized. This demonstrates saving faith's response: belief leads to baptism as a visible sign of invisible grace. The dual emphasis on God's kingdom and Jesus' name shows the gospel's comprehensive claim - Jesus as the Messiah-King establishing God's reign. Reformed theology sees effec...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **But when they believed Philip . . . .**—The word for preaching is, as in Acts 8:4, *“preaching the glad tidings* of the kingdom of God.” The sequel shows that this included baptism as the outward condition of admission to the kingdom. We may infer from the other narrative of Philip’s mission-work (Acts 8:31-35) that it also included an outline-history of the passion and death and resurrecti...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ac 5:27-42. Second Appearance and Testimony before the Sanhedrin--Its Rage Calmed by Gamaliel--Being Dismissed, They Depart Rejoicing, and Continue Their Preaching.
**27-28. ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine--**noble testimony to the success of their preaching, and (for the reason mentioned on Ac 4:4) to the truth of their testimony, from reluctant lips!
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done . miracles: Gr. signs and great miracles
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KJV Study Commentary
Simon 'believed also' and was baptized - but verses 18-23 would reveal his heart remained unchanged. This raises the distinction between genuine saving faith and intellectual assent. Simon's continued amazement at miracles suggests attraction to power rather than submission to Christ as Lord. Reformed theology distinguishes between temporary faith (James 2:19) and true saving faith that perseveres...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Then Simon himself believed also.**—Endless questions have been raised as to the nature of such a faith, and the effect of such a baptism. It is probable enough that he was impressed by the signs that Philip wrought; that he felt himself in the presence of a Power above his own; that he accepted Philip’s statements as to the death and resurrection of the Christ. It was such a faith as that ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-30. Then Peter, &c.--**(See on Ac 2:22, and Ac 3:13, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-13**
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul are such. Distempers are here named, the most difficult to be cured by the course of nature, and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and desire after grandeur have always caused abundance of mischief, ...
Read full commentary →Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
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KJV Study Commentary
The apostles in Jerusalem heard of Samaria's reception of God's word and sent Peter and John to investigate and confirm. This demonstrates apostolic oversight and the unity of the early church. The Samaritan mission was too important to proceed without apostolic validation, given the historic Jewish-Samaritan divide. Reformed theology sees the importance of church order and oversight - new works s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **When the apostles which were at Jerusalem. . . .**—The tidings came to the Twelve as a proof that the limitation which had at first excluded Samaria from the range of their work as preachers of the kingdom had now passed away (Matthew 10:5), and that the time had now come when they were to be “witnesses” to Christ in Samaria as well as in Judæa (Acts 1:8). Old antipathies of race and worshi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29-30. Then Peter, &c.--**(See on Ac 2:22, and Ac 3:13, &c.).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter and John prayed that the Samaritans 'might receive the Holy Ghost,' indicating a gap between their belief/baptism and reception of the Spirit. This unique situation served a specific purpose in redemptive history: demonstrating to Jewish believers that Samaritans received the same Spirit, preventing a separate Samaritan Christianity. Reformed theology sees this as exceptional - normally the ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Prayed for them, that they might** **receive the Holy Ghost.**—The prayer clearly pointed to such a gift of the power of the Spirit as had been bestowed on the Day of Pentecost. It assumed that such gifts had been received by the disciples generally at Jerusalem, and that they were distinct from the new birth of water and the Spirit (John 3:5) which was given through baptism. The Apostles l...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31. Prince and a Saviour--**the first word expressing that Royalty which all Israel looked for in Messiah, the second the Saving character of it which they had utterly lost sight of. Each of these features in our Lord's work enters into the other, and both make one glorious whole (compare Ac 3:15; He 2:10).
**to give--**dispensing as a "Prince."
**repentance and remission of sins--**as a "Sa...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
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KJV Study Commentary
The Spirit had not yet 'fallen upon' any Samaritans though they had been baptized 'in the name of the Lord Jesus.' This separation of baptism from Spirit-reception was exceptional, not normative. The phrase 'fallen upon' suggests visible manifestation similar to Pentecost. Luke emphasizes this anomaly to show that even Samaritans - despised by Jews - received the identical Spirit. Reformed theolog...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **As yet he was fallen upon none of them.**—The same verb is used of the gift of the Spirit in Acts 10:44; Acts 11:15, and of Peter’s trance in Acts 10:10. It is manifestly used to express an unlooked-for change in a man’s normal state of consciousness, the sudden advent of new powers and feelings.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32-33. we are his witnesses ... and the Holy Ghost--**They as competent human witnesses to facts, and the Holy Ghost as attesting them by undeniable miracles.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
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KJV Study Commentary
The apostles laid hands on the Samaritans, and 'they received the Holy Ghost.' This apostolic act confirmed the Samaritan believers as full members of Christ's church. The laying on of hands symbolized apostolic authorization and blessing. Reformed theology recognizes this as a transitional event establishing that salvation comes to all peoples equally - neither Jews nor Samaritans have preference...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Then laid they their hands on them.**—The act had already appeared as at once the symbol and the channel of the communication of spiritual gifts and offices in the appointment of the Seven. (See Note on Acts 6:6.) Historically, the act here recorded has the interest of being the starting-point of what afterwards developed into the rite known as Confirmation. Taking the narrative of the Acts...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32-33. we are his witnesses ... and the Holy Ghost--**They as competent human witnesses to facts, and the Holy Ghost as attesting them by undeniable miracles.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
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KJV Study Commentary
Simon saw that 'through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given' - indicating visible manifestation. His response reveals an unregenerate heart: he viewed the Spirit's gift as purchasable power for personal gain. This exposes the sin of simony (buying spiritual office/power) and demonstrates that external religious profession doesn't guarantee internal transformation. Reformed th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18, 19) **When Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands. . . .**—The words imply that the result was something visible and conspicuous. A change was wrought; and men spoke with tongues and prophesied. To the sorcerer, accustomed to charms and incantations, the men who were in possession of this power would seem to be enchanters with a higher knowledge than his own, and he who had p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34. Then stood up ... Gamaliel--**in all probability one of that name celebrated in the Jewish writings for his wisdom, the son of Simeon (possibly the same who took the infant Saviour in his arms, Lu 2:25-35), and grandson of Hillel, another celebrated rabbi. He died eighteen years before the destruction of Jerusalem [Lightfoot].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
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KJV Study Commentary
Simon's request 'give me also this power' exposes his desire for authority over the Spirit's distribution. He wanted apostolic power for himself, not to serve God but to enhance his own influence and prestige. The offer of money shows he viewed spiritual gifts as commodities to be traded. Reformed theology sees this as the essence of carnality - seeking to control and manipulate God's gifts for se...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-39. Theudas--**not the same with a deceiver of that name whom Josephus mentions as heading an insurrection some twelve years after this [Antiquities, 20.5.1], but some other of whom he makes no mention. Such insurrections were frequent.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter's severe pronouncement - 'thy money perish with thee' - is a curse upon Simon's presumption. The Greek is strong: 'may you and your money go to destruction.' Peter rebukes the fundamental error of thinking God's gift can be purchased with money. Reformed theology emphasizes grace as absolutely free and unmerited - any attempt to buy, earn, or merit salvation or spiritual gifts perverts the g...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Thy money perish with thee.**—Literally, *Thy money be together with thee, for perdition.* The same word is used as in the “son of perdition” in John 17:12 and in Hebrews 10:39. The prominence of the word in 2Peter 2:1-3; 2Peter 3:7; 2Peter 3:16, is interesting in connection with the question as to the authorship of that Epistle. Another coincidence presents itself in the “gold that perishe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-39. Theudas--**not the same with a deceiver of that name whom Josephus mentions as heading an insurrection some twelve years after this [Antiquities, 20.5.1], but some other of whom he makes no mention. Such insurrections were frequent.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter declares Simon has 'neither part nor lot in this matter' - excluding him from participation in apostolic ministry and implicitly from salvation itself. His heart is 'not right in the sight of God' - the decisive issue is internal heart condition, not external profession or baptism. Reformed theology emphasizes that God searches the heart (Jeremiah 17:10); outward religious actions mean nothi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Neither part nor lot.**—A like, though not an identical, combination of the two words meets us in Colossians 1:12. On the latter, see Notes on Acts 1:17; Acts 1:25. It is, perhaps, used here in its secondary sense. Simon had no inheritance in the spiritual gifts nor in the spiritual offices of the Church. The power attached to the apostleship was not a thing for traffic.
**Thy heart is not ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-39. Theudas--**not the same with a deceiver of that name whom Josephus mentions as heading an insurrection some twelve years after this [Antiquities, 20.5.1], but some other of whom he makes no mention. Such insurrections were frequent.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.</strong> Peter's sharp rebuke to Simon Magus reveals true repentance's nature—turning from sin with uncertain outcome, trusting God's mercy rather than presuming forgiveness.<br><br>Repent therefore connects to Simon's attempt to purchase spiritual power (Acts 8:18-20). True r...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Repent therefore of this thy wickedness.**—The stern words of condemnation are, we see, meant to heal, not to slay. Rightly understood, the call to repent in such a case as this, opens the door of hope as wide as the history of the penitent thief. Repentance, and with repentance, forgiveness, were possible, even for the charlatan adventurer who had traded on the credulous superstition of th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-39. Theudas--**not the same with a deceiver of that name whom Josephus mentions as heading an insurrection some twelve years after this [Antiquities, 20.5.1], but some other of whom he makes no mention. Such insurrections were frequent.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.</strong> Peter's discernment reveals Simon's true spiritual condition—enslaved to sin despite outward profession, characterized by internal corruption and bondage.<br><br>The metaphor gall of bitterness alludes to Deuteronomy 29:18, warning against idolatry producing poisonous root. Gall represents extreme...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **In the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.**—On “gall,” in its literal sense, see Note on Matthew 27:34. This is the only passage in the New Testament in which it is used figuratively. “Bitterness” meets us, as expressing extreme moral depravity, in Romans 3:14, Ephesians 4:31, Hebrews 12:15. The latter phrase implies that the iniquity of Simon bound him as with the iron chains...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-39. Theudas--**not the same with a deceiver of that name whom Josephus mentions as heading an insurrection some twelve years after this [Antiquities, 20.5.1], but some other of whom he makes no mention. Such insurrections were frequent.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.</strong> Simon's response to Peter's rebuke appears focused on avoiding judgment rather than genuine repentance, revealing a heart still unconverted.<br><br>The request pray ye to the Lord for me could indicate genuine contrition, yet the motivation clause—that none of th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Pray ye to the Lord for me.**—There is something eminently characteristic in the sorcerer’s words. (1) His conscience reads “between the lines” of St. Peter’s address what was not actually found there. That “if perhaps” is to him as the knell of doom. (2) He prays not for deliverance from “the bond of iniquity,” but only from the vague terror of a future penalty. (3) He turns, not, as Peter...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**40-42. beaten them--**for disobeying their orders (compare Lu 23:16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.</strong> Peter and John's return journey becomes an evangelistic mission, demonstrating the gospel's advance through both planned and spontaneous witness.<br><br>Testified and preached indicates comprehensive ministry—testimony (personal wi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **And they, when they had testified . . .**—The statement involves a stay of some duration, long enough to found and organise a community of disciples. And this was followed, not by an immediate return to Jerusalem, but, as the Greek tense shows, by one with many halts, at each of which the glad tidings of “the word of the Lord” were proclaimed, and a Church founded. Did the Apostles enter on...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**40-42. beaten them--**for disobeying their orders (compare Lu 23:16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-25**
The Holy Ghost was as yet fallen upon none of these coverts, in the extraordinary powers conveyed by the descent of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost. We may take encouragement from this example, in praying to God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Ghost to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned; for that includes all blessings. No man can give the Holy Spiri...
Read full commentary →Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
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KJV Study Commentary
The 'angel of the Lord' spoke to Philip with specific instructions: go south toward Gaza on the desert road. This divine direction shows God's sovereignty in evangelism - orchestrating circumstances to bring gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip's immediate obedience (v.27) demonstrates Spirit-led responsiveness. Reformed theology sees God's providence directing both the witness (Philip) and the ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **And the angel** **of the Lord . . .**—Better, *an angel.* The tense of the verbs in the preceding verse, in the better MSS., implies that the events that follow synchronised with the journey of Peter and John through Samaria. The journey which Philip was commanded to take led him by a quicker route across country into the main road from Jerusalem to Gaza. The history of the city so named (a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**40-42. beaten them--**for disobeying their orders (compare Lu 23:16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
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KJV Study Commentary
The Ethiopian eunuch was a 'man of great authority' under Candace, queen of Ethiopia, with charge over her treasury. Despite his power and wealth, he sought God, traveling to Jerusalem to worship. His status as a eunuch meant he couldn't fully join the Jewish community (Deuteronomy 23:1), yet Isaiah prophesied eunuchs would have a place in God's house (Isaiah 56:3-5). His reading Isaiah while retu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **A man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority.**—Literally, *a eunuch, a potentate.* The Ethiopia from which the traveller came was the region so named by the geographers of St. Luke’s time in the upper valley of the Nile. Its connection with the Jewish people presents many points of interest. There seems reason to believe that in the time of Manasseh, who (according to the statement in t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.</strong> The Ethiopian eunuch's posture—returning from worship, reading Isaiah—shows spiritual hunger that God sovereignly meets through Philip's Spirit-directed ministry.<br><br>Was returning from Jerusalem indicates the eunuch's commitment to worship despite enormous investment—traveling 1,000+ miles from Ethiopia. As a e...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.**—After the manner of most Eastern nations, to whom silent reading is almost unknown, the eunuch was reading aloud. Philip heard him, and so gained an opening for conversation. Was the roll of Isaiah a new-found treasure? Had he bought the MS. in Jerusalem, and was he reading the wonderful utterances for the first time? The whole narrative imp...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 6 Ac 6:1-7. First Election of Deacons.
**1. the Grecians--**the Greek-speaking Jews, mostly born in the provinces.
**the Hebrews--**those Jews born in Palestine who used their native tongue, and were wont to look down on the "Grecians" as an inferior class.
**were neglected--**"overlooked" by those whom the apostles employed, and who were probably of the Hebrew class, as being the mos...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Spirit's direct command—'Go near, and join thyself to this chariot'—demonstrates divine orchestration of evangelism. The Greek proselthon (draw near) indicates purposeful approach. This Ethiopian eunuch's salvation fulfills Isaiah 56:3-5's promise that eunuchs won't be excluded from God's people, and anticipates the gospel reaching 'the uttermost part of the earth' (Acts 1:8). The Spirit's gui...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Join thyself to this chariot.**—The act implied is that of laying hold and, as it were, attaching himself to the chariot in which the eunuch rode.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2-4. the multitude--**the general body of the disciples.
**It is not reason--**The word expresses dislike; that is "We cannot submit."
**to leave the word of God--**to have our time and attention withdrawn from preaching; which, it thus appears, they regarded as their primary duty.
**to serve tables--**oversee the distribution of provisions.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?</strong> Philip's eager obedience and gentle question demonstrate effective evangelistic approach—running to obey Spirit's prompting while respecting the seeker's process.<br><br>Philip ran indicates immediate, enthusiastic response to Spirit's direction (Acts 8:29). No hes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Understandest thou what thou readest?**—The Greek play upon the word for understand (*Ginôskein*) and read (*Anaginôskein*) cannot well be produced in English, but is worth noting as parallel to a like play in the well-known saying of the Emperor Julian (*Anegnôn; egnôn; kategnôn*)—“I read; I understood; I condemned.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2-4. the multitude--**the general body of the disciples.
**It is not reason--**The word expresses dislike; that is "We cannot submit."
**to leave the word of God--**to have our time and attention withdrawn from preaching; which, it thus appears, they regarded as their primary duty.
**to serve tables--**oversee the distribution of provisions.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And he said, How can I , except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.</strong> The eunuch's humble admission of need and invitation for instruction exemplify teachable spirit essential for learning truth.<br><br>How can I acknowledges inability to understand unaided. This humility contrasts with pride that assumes comprehension or rejects in...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **How can I, except some man should guide me?**—The words of the inquirer imply, as has been said above, that the prophecy was new to him. It is as though, in turning over, or perhaps unrolling, the MS., this was the passage which, in its strange, touching portraiture of the Man of Sorrows, had riveted his attention, and on which he was consequently dwelling with the prayer that some authoris...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2-4. the multitude--**the general body of the disciples.
**It is not reason--**The word expresses dislike; that is "We cannot submit."
**to leave the word of God--**to have our time and attention withdrawn from preaching; which, it thus appears, they regarded as their primary duty.
**to serve tables--**oversee the distribution of provisions.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:</strong> The eunuch was reading Isaiah 53:7-8, one of Scripture's clearest prophecies of Christ's substitutionary atonement.<br><br>The lamb imagery connects to Passover and sacrificial system—innocent substitute bearing guilt in si...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **The place of the scripture which he read.**—The word for “place” is apparently used as an equivalent for the Hebrew *Parashah, *or *Haphtarah, *which were technically used for the sections of the Law and Prophets respectively appointed for use as lessons in the synagogue services. It was in common use among the Greek writers, and was adopted by Cicero (*Ep. ad Att.* xiii. 25).
**He was led ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. Stephen, &c.--**As this and the following names are all Greek, it is likely they were all of the "Grecian" class, which would effectually restore mutual confidence.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.</strong> The prophecy continues describing the Suffering Servant's unjust treatment and mysterious death.<br><br>In his humiliation his judgment was taken away indicates denial of justice. Jesus' trials violated legal procedures—false witnesses, coerced confession att...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **In his humiliation his judgment was taken away.**—The Hebrew runs, as in the English version of Isaiah 53:8, which fairly represents its natural construction, “He was taken from prison (or *oppression*) and from judgment,” *i.e., *was delivered from His sufferings just when they seemed to culminate. A different meaning has, however, been given to the Hebrew preposition by many scholars, who...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them--**the one proclaiming that all official gifts flowed from the Church's glorified Head, the other symbolizing the communication of these to the chosen office-bearers through the recognized channels.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?</strong> The eunuch's question demonstrates intellectual honesty and spiritual hunger—seeking correct interpretation rather than presuming understanding.<br><br>His question—of whom speaketh the prophet?—reflects legitimate interpretive challenge. Jewish scholars deba...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **Of himself, or of some other man?**—Later interpreters, some of them ascribing the whole of the second half of Isaiah’s prophecies (Acts 40-66) to a great unknown writer living towards the close of the Babylonian Exile, have given very different answers to the question which the eunuch asked. They have seen in the righteous sufferer of Isaiah 53 either the delineation of the character of Je...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. word of God increased ... disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly--**prosperity crowning the beautiful spirit which reigned in this mother community.
**a great company of the priests were obedient, &c.--**This was the crowning triumph of the Gospel, whose peaceful prosperity was now at its greatest height. After Stephen's teaching and trial made it clear that sacerdotal interests coul...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus</strong>—Philip's evangelistic method demonstrates Christ-centered Old Testament interpretation. Beginning with Isaiah 53's suffering servant passage (vv.32-33), Philip showed how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. The Greek 'euēngelisato' (preached good news) indicates Philip declared Christ's death, re...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **Philip opened his mouth.**—The phrase, wherever it occurs in the New Testament, implies something like a set discourse. (Comp. Acts 10:34; Acts 18, 14; Matthew 5:2; Matthew 13:35; 2Corinthians 6:11). It always means something more than the mere act of speaking.
**And preached unto him Jesus.**—The sequel shows that the teaching must have included, not only an interpretation of the prophecy ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ac 6:8-15. Stephen Arraigned before the Sanhedrin.
**8. And Stephen, &c.--**The foregoing narrative seems to be only an introduction to what follows.
**full of faith--**rather, "of grace," as the best manuscripts read.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?</strong> The eunuch's eager question shows genuine conversion producing immediate desire for public identification with Christ through baptism.<br><br>As they went on their way indicates continuing travel and conversation. Philip had preached Jesus fro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **They came unto a certain water.**—Men have naturally endeavoured to identify the locality. In the time of Jerome, probably in that of Eusebius (*de loc.*)*, *it was fixed at Bethsura, the Bethzur of 2Chronicles 11:7), about twenty miles from Jerusalem, and two from Hebron. A fountain, now known as *Ain-Edh-Dhirweh* rises near the town, which retains the old name in the slightly altered form...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. synagogue of the Libertines--**Jewish freedmen; manumitted Roman captives, or the children of such, expelled from Rome (as appears from Josephus and Tacitus), and now residing at Jerusalem.
**Cyrenians--**Jews of Cyrene, in Libya, on the coast of Africa.
**them of Cilicia--**amongst whom may have been Saul of Tarsus (Ac 7:58; 21:39).
**and of Asia--**(See on Ac 16:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.</strong> This verse (absent from earliest manuscripts but present in later tradition) captures essential conversion elements: faith, confession, and doctrinal content.<br><br>If thou believest with all thine heart establishes faith as baptism's prer...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **And Philip said. . . .**—The verse is a striking illustration of the tendency which showed itself at a very early period to improve the text of Scripture with a view to greater edification. It existed in the time of Irenæus, who quotes it (3:12), but is wanting in all the best MSS., including the Sinaitic, and many versions. The motive for the interpolation lies on the surface. The abruptne...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. synagogue of the Libertines--**Jewish freedmen; manumitted Roman captives, or the children of such, expelled from Rome (as appears from Josephus and Tacitus), and now residing at Jerusalem.
**Cyrenians--**Jews of Cyrene, in Libya, on the coast of Africa.
**them of Cilicia--**amongst whom may have been Saul of Tarsus (Ac 7:58; 21:39).
**and of Asia--**(See on Ac 16:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.</strong> The baptismal act demonstrates obedience's immediacy, mode's symbolism, and conversion's public nature.<br><br>Commanded the chariot to stand still shows the eunuch's authority and eagerness. Despite pressing business returning to Ethiopia, baptism ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **They went down both into the water.**—The Greek preposition might mean simply “*unto* the water,” but the universality of immersion in the practice of the early Church supports the English version. The eunuch would lay aside his garments, descend chest-deep into the water, and be plunged under it “in the name of the Lord Jesus;” the only formula recognised in the Acts. (See Note on Acts 2:3...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-14. blasphemous words against Moses--**doubtless referring to the impending disappearance of the whole Mosaic system.
**and against God--**This must refer to the supreme dignity and authority which he claimed for Christ, as the head of that new economy which was so speedily to supersede the old (compare Ac 7:56, 59, 60).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.</strong> The miraculous separation and the eunuch's joyful response demonstrate Spirit's sovereignty and salvation's transforming power.<br><br>Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip represents dramatic divine intervention—supernatural tr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(39) **The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip.**—Human feeling would have naturally led the teacher to continue his work, and to accompany the convert with a view to further instruction; but an impulse so strong and irresistible that it was felt to be from the Spirit of the Lord led Philip to an abrupt and immediate departure. He was literally snatched away from his companion. So understood, th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-14. blasphemous words against Moses--**doubtless referring to the impending disappearance of the whole Mosaic system.
**and against God--**This must refer to the supreme dignity and authority which he claimed for Christ, as the head of that new economy which was so speedily to supersede the old (compare Ac 7:56, 59, 60).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
Read full commentary →But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.</strong> Philip's reappearance at Azotus and continuing evangelistic journey demonstrate faithful stewardship of miraculous opportunities and methodical gospel advance.<br><br>Was found at Azotus (Old Testament Ashdod) indicates Philip's supernatural transportation covered significa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **Philip was** **found at Azotus.**—The city so named, the Ashdod of the Old Testament, was, like Gaza, one of the cities of the Philistines, about three miles from the sea, and half-way between Gaza and Joppa. Like Gaza its history was chiefly marked by successive sieges: by Tartan, the Assyrian General B.C. 716 (Isaiah 20:1); by Psammetichus, B.C. 630, (Herod. ii. 157); the Maccabees (1 Mac...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-14. blasphemous words against Moses--**doubtless referring to the impending disappearance of the whole Mosaic system.
**and against God--**This must refer to the supreme dignity and authority which he claimed for Christ, as the head of that new economy which was so speedily to supersede the old (compare Ac 7:56, 59, 60).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-40**
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to re...
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