Acts 8:26-40 Lesson 237

Acts 8:26-40
Lesson 237

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Philip, an angel, and the Ethiopian eunuch.
The church expands southward.

Philip and the eunuch.
(Vintage engraving on exhibit at the New York Public Library.)

Where was -

Azotus -
An ancient Philistine city situated thirty-five miles west of Jerusalem, three miles from the Mediterranean Sea, and north of what is now called the Gaza Strip. Named Ashdod in the Old Testament (Isaiah 20:1), it sat on the prosperous east/west trade route and was one of the Philistine's most important cities. The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, perhaps the most sacred Jewish treasure, from the Israelites and carried it to Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:1). It was displayed next to a statue of their pagan god Dagon (1 Samuel 5:2). Each morning the people of Ashdod found the statue of Dagon toppled over on its face (1 Samuel 5:3-4) and were plagued with tumors (1 Samuel 5:6) until they finally returned the Ark to Israel (1 Samuel 5:11). Today the city is called Esdud.

Caesarea -
A large Mediterranean seaport on the coast of Palestine located thirty-two miles north of Joppa, twenty-two miles south of the modern-day city of Haifa, and seventy miles northwest of Jerusalem. Not to be confused with Caesarea Philippi, a city near the Sea of Galilee. A two-day sail from Tyre, Caesarea was the Roman capital of Palestine, home base to Pontius Pilate, and it housed a large Roman military garrison. Originally named Straton in the 4th century BC, it was renamed by King Herod after receiving the city as a gift from the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. It was here that Peter converted the Roman centurion Cornelius (Acts 10:1-24), and we saw Paul sail from Caesarea as he fled a murder plot in Jerusalem (Acts 9:29-30).

Study Tip:

Approach Bible study with an idea of what you want out of it.
Make a list of things you're looking for as you study.

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 8:26-40
God sends Philip to meet the eunuch

26 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.

27 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,

28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

31 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.

32 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:

33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36 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?

37 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.

38 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.

39 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.

40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

Margin notes:

"A man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority." (8:27) - This was a high ranking government official from present-day Sudan (not modern-day Ethiopia) who came to worship in Jerusalem (Psalm 68:31; Zephaniah 3:10). Although not common practice, there were cultures that sometimes castrated public officials. Jews forbid Eunuchs from converting to Judaism (Deuteronomy 23:1). Still, they were allowed limited access to the Temple in the Court of Gentiles to worship.

"Candace queen." (8:27) - Like the designations King, Pharaoh, and Czar, Candace is not a name but a title for the queen of ancient Ethiopia.

"Esaias." (8:28) - The Greek name for the prophet Isaiah (meaning Jehovah is salvation) who died in 681 BC.  Considered by many as the greatest Jewish prophet, Isaiah wrote "The Book of the Prophet Isaiah," which spoke out against hypocrisy (Isaiah 29:13) and idol worship ((Isaiah 2:6-9). In response to Isaiah's warnings, people prayed and made insincere religious sacrifices (Isaiah 1:10-17; 29:13) but refused to actually repent. Isaiah warned that God would punish them for their disobedience (Isaiah 3:1-26). Sure enough, Babylon destroyed Israel and carried its citizens away as slaves. Isaiah also prophesized that King Cyrus of Persia would allow the abducted Jewish people to return to Jerusalem 80 years before being taken captive and over 100 years before Cyrus was even born. He also predicted that Cyrus would allow the rebuilding of the Temple before it had been destroyed. He
prophesied the fall of Babylon 100 years before it rose and the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14) 700 years before Christ's birth. The Bible does not tell us how or when Isaiah died. However, Jewish history reports that King Manasseh of Judah condemned Isaiah to death. Allegedly, he was found hiding in a hollow tree and sawed in half with the tree.  If this is true, then perhaps Hebrews 11:37 is referring to Isaiah. Isaiah is quoted over fifty times in the New Testament.

"Philip ran thither to him." (8:30) - "Philip ran over to him."

"The place of the scripture which he read was this." (8:32) - The Ethiopian was reading Isaiah 53:7-8, a prophecy of the crucifixion, written seven hundred years before Jesus was born.

"Like a lamb dumb before his shearer." (8:32) - Means, "like a lamb silent before his shearer."  Paraphrased from Isaiah 53:7.  This, and verse 8:33 refer to the crucifixion; Jesus died for sinners.

"In his humiliation his judgment was taken away." (8:33) - "In His humiliation, He received no justice."

"Who shall declare his generation?" (8:33) - Bible scholars disagree on the meeting of these five words. Some believe it means, "Who can convey the evil in the people of His generation?"   While others believe it means, "Who will speak for His descendant's?" A third school of thought feels the passage means, "He died without children to continue His legacy." What do you think?

"I pray thee." (8:34) - "I ask you."

"They came unto a certain water." (8:36) - "They came to water."

"And Philip said..." (8:37) - Many biblical scholars believe verse 8:37 was added by translators and is not an original part of Acts. Notice that "The New Living Translation" below leaves out verse 8:37. Interestingly, they included it in their earlier editions.

"Philip was found at Azotus." (8:40) -This means, "Philip appeared in Azotus."

New Living Translation

Acts 8:26-40
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, "Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza."

27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and walk along beside the carriage."

30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

31 The man replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

  "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.
      And as a lamb is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.
33 He was humiliated and received no justice.
      Who can speak of his descendants?
      For his life was taken from the earth."

34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?"

35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?"

38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.

40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Why did the "angel of the lord" send Philip to meet the Ethiopian? (8:26-27)

"In Jesus we cannot lose, we cannot fail, Satan cannot get us. Without Jesus we cannot win."
Harold Ihlefeldt (1921-1971)

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. God was opening a door.  Without knowing his mission, Philip obeyed the angel and left Samaria for a long, arduous journey into the desert. He didn't understand why he was going, but being a man of faith, Philip knew everything would be made clear once he got there. After meeting Philip, the high-ranking Ethiopian official returned home excited about Jesus and ready to introduce Ethiopia to the Gospel (8:39). The good news of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was spreading throughout the world, first to the Samaritans and now into northern Africa.

It's interesting to note that the Samaritans and eunuchs, both left out of the Old Covenant, were included and actively pursued in the New Covenant. Jesus died for everyone.

Application thought for the day:

Just as the Ethiopian asked Philip to explain the Scriptures to him (8:30-31), we should also ask for help when we don't understand a passage in the Bible.  We should never let our pride or fear of embarrassment prevent us from learning and growing closer to God.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2021 evolke

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