Act 8:4-12, 26-40 | PNT | STEP | Went every where preaching the word . The rage of the persecutors only extended the reign of Christ. The scattered saints, long prepared at the feet of the apostles, went everywhere as preachers of Christ. The blood of Stephen was the seed of the church.

Acts 8:4-12

Went every where preaching the word. The rage of the persecutors only extended the reign of Christ. The scattered saints, long prepared at the feet of the apostles, went everywhere as preachers of Christ. The blood of Stephen was the seed of the church. Philip. This was not Philip, the apostle, for all the apostles remained at Jerusalem, but Philip, one of the seven (Ac 6:5).

The city of Samaria. The Greek does not render it certain that this was the capital named Samaria, as there is no definite article. It is literally "a city of Samaria". The district (see map) lies between Judea and Galilee. Samaria and Sychar were, at this time, two of its principal cities. It was probably one or the other of these to which Philip went. The people with one accord gave heed. It was the miracles that, at first, fixed their attention. Observe that Philip, another of the seven, has the gift of miracles, the second recorded instance in the church of the possession of this power by one not an apostle (for the first, see Ac 6:8). Ac 8:9 describes the nature of his miracles, similar to those of Christ.

See PNT Mt 4:24. See also Mr 3:11 Lu 4:41. A certain man, called Simon. Called the sorcerer, or magician, who bewitched the people by his enchantments. Whether this was done by the conjurer's art or by the power of Satan, it is perhaps impossible for us to know.

Giving out that himself was some great one. Claiming to be more than a mere man. This man is the great power of God. Unable to explain the things that he did, the Samaritans ascribed them to divine power manifested through Simon. When they believed Philip. This verse states in the concisest manner the apostolic order of converting men: (1) Philip preached; (2) he preached the kingdom and name of Jesus Christ; (3) faith came by hearing, for the Samaritans believed; (4) when they believed they were baptized. This describes the uniform course in apostolic days.

Both men and women. Note that (1) only believers are baptized, (2) that men and women are both included, but children are not named.

Acts 8:26-40

The angel of the Lord spake unto Philip. In some way he was supernaturally directed to go far south of Samaria to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza for his next work.

Gaza. An old Philistine city, on the seacoast plain in southwest Palestine. It was taken by Alexander the Great, and had endured many sieges, but is still a town of 15,000 or 16,000 inhabitants. A man of Ethiopia. The term is applied to that portion of Africa which lies south of Egypt.

A eunuch of great authority. This mutilated class of men often rose to great power in Oriental countries. This one was the royal treasurer.

Under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. Candace had her seat of power on the island of Meroe, a large island of the Nile, about a thousand miles from the mouth of the river. The name Candace seems to have belonged to several queens of this kingdom. It is still inscribed on the ruined palace walls of Meroe.

Had come to Jerusalem for to worship. He was probably a proselyte to the Jewish faith. His long journey, his study of Scripture, and his ready hearing all indicate a believer in Jehovah, a devout man, and one seeking for the Christ. Was returning and . . . read Esaias. Reading aloud in the Oriental manner. Perhaps he had heard at Jerusalem of Jesus and the Christians. At any rate, he was reading in Isaiah a prophecy of Christ. The Spirit said. How we are not told. Philip promptly obeyed, ran to the chariot, listened and heard what he read, and then asked his question, the result of which was that he was asked to take his place in the chariot to explain the Scripture. The place of the scripture . . . was this. See Isa 53:7,8. The whole chapter is a wonderful delineation of the sufferings of Christ. Philip found Christ in the text, and from it he "preached to him Jesus" (Ac 8:35).

Led as a sheep. Unresisting.

Opened he not his mouth. Made no defense. His judgment was taken away. Justice was trampled under foot.

Who shall declare his generation? Meyer, De Wette, Robinson and Hackett all agree that this refers to portraying the wickedness of the generation which slew him. Others insist that it means Christ's spiritual posterity, his followers. Of whom speaketh the prophet this? This gave Philip the opportunity of preaching Jesus. Then Philip . . . preached unto him Jesus. He showed the prophecies of the Messiah, that it behooved him to suffer, die, and rise again, and that he commanded his gospel to be preached and believers to be baptized in his name. That the eunuch calls for baptism (Ac 8:36) shows that in preaching Jesus, Philip preached the rite. They came unto a certain water. The locality of the baptism is not certain. There are several roads from Jerusalem to Gaza. The one by Hebron is through "desert" more than the others. Eusebius and Jerome state that the baptism occurred at a perennial stream, coming from a fountain at Bethsur, not far from Hebron. Robinson places the baptism not far from Gaza, at the old site of Eglon.

See, [here is] water. The Greek is, "Behold! Water"! As if his soul was filled with joy that he could obey.

What doth hinder me? Nothing, if he was a believer and the means were at hand. If thou believest, etc.? This verse is omitted in the Revised Version. It is not found in the oldest extant manuscripts, but was certainly in manuscripts older than any now extant. It is referred to by Irenaeus in the second century, and by Augustine in the fourth. Whether written by Luke or not, it shows that the custom of the early church was to require such a confession of faith.

With all thine heart. A living faith must seize upon and control the heart. They both went down into the water. Abbott states: ``The original undoubtedly implies a going, not to, but into, the water.'' And Ripley says: ``No sufficient reason can be given why the parties went down into the water, but for the sake of the immersion of the new convert.'' When they were come up out of the water. They did not go "to" and come away "from" the water, but they went, "both Philip and the eunuch" (Ac 8:38), down "into" (Greek, "eis") and came up "out of" (Greek, "ek") the water.

The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip. Led him to depart abruptly. He was snatched away.

He went on his way rejoicing. The eunuch, in his new-found Savior. But Philip was found at Azotus. The old Philistine city of Ashdod, near the seacoast, between Gaza and Joppa. It is now a ruin. Here he preached in all the seacoast cities, probably founding churches. See Ac 9:32,36.

Till he came to Caesarea, the seaport northwest of Jerusalem, the Roman capital of Judea. We are not told how soon he reached Caesarea. It may have been months or years. At any rate, it is likely that it did not take place until after Peter's missionary work there. Many years later we find Philip living in this city (Ac 21:8).