Bible Commentaries
Acts 8

Introduction

CHAPTER 8

:-. PERSECUTION CONTINUED, IN WHICH SAUL TAKES A PROMINENT PART—HOW OVERRULED FOR GOOD.

Verse 1

1. Saul was consenting unto his death—The word expresses hearty approval.

they were all scattered abroad—all the leading Christians, particularly the preachers, agreeably to their Lord's injunctions ( :-), though many doubtless remained, and others (as appears by Acts 9:26-30) soon returned.

except the apostles—who remained, not certainly as being less exposed to danger, but, at whatever risk, to watch over the infant cause where it was most needful to cherish it.

Verse 2

2. and devout men—pious Jews, probably, impressed with admiration for Stephen and secretly inclined to Christianity, but not yet openly declared.

Verse 3

3. Saul . . . entering into every house—like as inquisitor [BENGEL].

haling men and women, c.—See his own affecting confessions afterwards (Acts 22:4 Acts 26:9; Acts 26:10; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6; 1 Timothy 1:13).

Verse 4

4. they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching—Though solemnly enjoined to do this (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8), they would probably have lingered at Jerusalem, but for this besom of persecution which swept them out. How often has the rage of Christ's enemies thus "turned out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel" (see Philippians 1:12; Philippians 1:13).

Philippians 1:13- :. SUCCESS OF PHILIP'S PREACHING IN SAMARIA—CASE OF SIMON MAGUS.

Verse 5

5. Then Philip—not the apostle of that name, as was by some of the Fathers supposed; for besides that the apostles remained at Jerusalem, they would in that case have had no occasion to send a deputation of their own number to lay their hands on the baptized disciples [GROTIUS]. It was the deacon of that name, who comes next after Stephen in the catalogue of the seven, probably as being the next most prominent. The persecution may have been directed especially against Stephen's colleagues [MEYER].

the city of Samaria—or "a city of Samaria"; but the former seems more likely. "It furnished the bridge between Jerusalem and the world" [BAUMGARTEN].

Verse 6

6-8. the people with one accord gave heed to . . . Philip—the way being prepared perhaps by the fruits of our Lord's sojourn, as He Himself seems to intimate (see on :-). But "we may mark the providence of God in sending a Grecian, or a Hellenistic Jew, to a people who from national antipathy would have been unlikely to attend to a native of Judea" [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].

Verse 8

8. great joy in that city—over the change wrought on it by the Gospel, as well as the cures which attested its divine character.

Verse 9

9-13. used sorcery—magical arts.

some great one . . . the great power of God—a sort of incarnation of divinity.

Verse 10

10. To whom all gave heed . . . because of long time he had bewitched them—This, coupled with the rapidity with which they deserted him and attached themselves to Philip, shows the ripeness of Samaria for some religious change.

Verse 11

9-13. used sorcery—magical arts.

some great one . . . the great power of God—a sort of incarnation of divinity.

Verse 12

12. were baptized, both men and women—the detection of Simon's frauds helping to extend and deepen the effects of Philip's preaching.

Verse 13

13. Then Simon himself believed also—Left without followers, he thinks it best to join the man who had fairly outstripped him, not without a touch of real conviction.

and . . . was baptized—What a light does this throw on what is called Baptismal Regeneration!

he continued with Philip—"was in constant attendance upon" him.

Verse 14

14-17. the apostles . . . sent Peter and John—showing that they regarded Peter as no more than their own equal.

Verse 15

15, 16. prayed . . . they might receive the Holy Ghost. (For only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus)—As the baptism of adults presupposed "the renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5-7; 1 Corinthians 12:13), of which the profession of faith had to be taken for evidence, this communication of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the apostles' hands was clearly a superadded thing; and as it was only occasional, so it was invariably attended with miraculous manifestations (see Acts 10:44, where it followed Peter's preaching; and Acts 10:44- :, where, as here, it followed the laying on of hands). In the present case an important object was served by it—"the sudden appearance of a body of baptized disciples in Samaria, by the agency of one who was not an apostle, requiring the presence and power of apostles to perform their special part as the divinely appointed founders of the Church" [ALFORD]. Beautiful, too, was the spectacle exhibited of Jew and Samaritan, one in Christ.

Verse 17

14-17. the apostles . . . sent Peter and John—showing that they regarded Peter as no more than their own equal.

Verse 18

18-24. offered them money—Hence the term simony, to denote trafficking in sacred things, but chiefly the purchase of ecclesiastical offices.

Verse 19

19. that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost—Spiritual ambition here shows itself the key to this wretched man's character.

Verse 20

20. Thy money perish with thee—that is, "Accursed be thou and thy money with thee." It is the language of mingled horror and indignation, not unlike our Lord's rebuke of Peter himself ( :-).

Verse 21

21. Thou hast neither part nor lot . . . thy heart is not fight, &c.—This is the fidelity of a minister of Christ to one deceiving himself in a very awful manner.

Verse 22

22. Repent . . . pray . . . if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven—this expression of doubt being designed to impress upon him the greatness of his sin, and the need of alarm on his part.

Verse 23

23. in the gall of bitterness and . . . bond of iniquity—expressing both the awfulness of his condition and the captivity to it in which he was held.

Verse 24

24. Pray ye to the Lord for me—Peter had urged him to pray for himself: he asks those wonder-working men to do it for him; having no confidence in the prayer of faith, but thinking that those men possessed some peculiar interest with heaven.

that none of these things dome upon me—not that the thought of his wicked heart might be forgiven him, but only that the evils threatened might be averted from him. While this throws great light on Peter's view of his melancholy case, it shows that Christianity, as something divine, still retained its hold of him. (Tradition represents him as turning out a great heresiarch, mingling Oriental or Grecian philosophy with some elements of Christianity.)

Verse 25

25. and they—Peter and John.

when they had . . . preached—in the city where Philip's labors had been so richly blessed.

returned . . . and preached . . . in many villages of the Samaritans—embracing the opportunity of their journey back to Jerusalem to fulfil their Lord's commission to the whole region of Samaria ( :-).

:-. THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH.

"With this narrative of the progress of the Gospel among the Samaritans is connected another which points to the diffusion of the doctrine of the Cross among the remotest nations. The simplicity of the chamberlain of Meroe forms a remarkable contrast with the craft of the magician just described" [OLSHAUSEN].

Verse 26

26-28. the angel of the Lord—rather, "an angel."

go . . . south, the way that goeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza—There was such a road, across Mount Hebron, which Philip might take without going to Jerusalem (as VON RAUMER'S'S Palæstina shows).

which is desert—that is, the way; not Gaza itself, which was the southernmost city of Palestine, in the territory of the ancient Philistines. To go from a city, where his hands had been full of work, so far away on a desert road, could not but be staggering to the faith of Philip, especially as he was kept in ignorance of the object of the journey. But like Paul, he "was not disobedient to the heavenly vision"; and like Abram, "he went out not knowing whither he went" (Acts 26:19; Hebrews 11:8).

Verse 27

27. a man of Ethiopia—Upper Egypt, Meroe.

an eunuch of great authority—Eunuchs were generally employed for confidential offices in the East, and to some extent are still.

Candace—the family name of the queens of Upper Egypt, like Pharaoh, Cæsar, c. (as appears from classic authors).

had come to Jerusalem to worship—that is, to keep the recent feast of Pentecost, as a Gentile proselyte to the Jewish faith. (See Isaiah 56:3-8 John 12:20).

Verse 28

28. Was returning—Having come so far, he not only stayed out the days of the festival, but prolonged his stay till now. It says much for his fidelity and value to his royal mistress that he had such liberty. But the faith in Jehovah and love of His worship and word, with which he was imbued, sufficiently explain this.

and sitting in his chariot, read Esaias—Not contented with the statutory services in which he had joined, he beguiles the tedium of the journey homeward by reading the Scriptures. But this is not all; for as Philip "heard him read the prophet Esaias," he must have been reading aloud and not (as is customary still in the East) so as merely to be audible, but in a louder voice than he would naturally have used if intent on his own benefit only: evidently therefore he was reading to his charioteer.

Verse 29

29-31. the Spirit said—by an unmistakable voice within, as in Acts 10:19; Acts 16:6; Acts 16:7.

go near and join this chariot—This would reveal to Philip the hitherto unknown object of his journey, and encourage him to expect something.

Verse 30

30. Understandest thou what thou readest?—To one so engaged this would be deemed no rude question, while the eager appearance of the speaker, and the question itself, would indicate a readiness to supply any want of insight that might be felt.

Verse 31

31. How can I, except some man guide me?—Beautiful expression at once of humility and docility; the invitation to Philip which immediately followed, to "come up and sit with him," being but the natural expression of this.

Verse 32

32, 33. The place . . . was this, He was led as a sheep, &c.—One cannot but wonder that this, of all predictions of Messiah's sufferings in the Old Testament the most striking, should have been that which the eunuch was reading before Philip joined him. He could hardly miss to have heard at Jerusalem of the sufferings and death of Jesus, and of the existence of a continually increasing party who acknowledged Him to be the Messiah. But his question to Philip, whether the prophet in this passage meant himself or some other man, clearly shows that he had not the least idea of any connection between this prediction and those facts.

Verse 34

34-38. And the eunuch answered, I pray thee, c.—The respect with which he here addresses Philip was prompted by his reverence for one whom he perceived to be his superior in divine things his own worldly position sinking before this.

Verse 35

35. Then Philip opened his mouth—(See on :-).

began at the same scripture—founding on it as his text.

preached unto him Jesus—showing Him to be the glorious Burden of this wonderful prediction, and interpreting it in the light of the facts of His history.

Verse 36

36. See, here is water—more simply, "Behold water!" as if already his mind filled with light and his soul set free, he was eagerly looking out for the first water in which he might seal his reception of the truth and be enrolled among the visible disciples of the Lord Jesus.

what doth hinder me to be baptized?—Philip had probably told him that this was the ordained sign and seal of discipleship, but the eunuch's question was likely the first proposal of its application in this case. ( :- is wanting in the principal manuscripts and most venerable versions of the New Testament. It seems to have been added from the formularies for baptism which came into current use).

Verse 37

34-38. And the eunuch answered, I pray thee, c.—The respect with which he here addresses Philip was prompted by his reverence for one whom he perceived to be his superior in divine things his own worldly position sinking before this.

Verse 38

38. they went down both into the water, and he baptized him, &c.—probably laving the water upon him, though the precise mode is neither certain nor of any consequence.

Verse 39

39, 40. the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip—To deny [as MEYER, OLSHAUSEN, BLOOMFIELD] the miraculous nature of Philip's disappearance, is vain. It stands out on the face of the words, as just a repetition of what we read of the ancient prophets, in 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16. And the same word (as BENGEL remarks) is employed to express a similar idea in 2 Corinthians 12:2; 2 Corinthians 12:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

the eunuch saw him no more—nor, perhaps, for very joy, cared to see him [BENGEL].

and he went on his way rejoicing—He had found Christ, and the key to the Scriptures; his soul was set free, and his discipleship sealed; he had lost his teacher, but gained what was infinitely better: He felt himself a new man, and "his joy was full." Tradition says he was the first preacher of the Gospel in Ethiopia; and how, indeed, could he choose but "tell what the Lord had done for his soul?" Yet there is no certainty as to any historical connection between his labors and the introduction of Christianity into that country.

Verse 40

40. Philip was found—that is, "found himself," "made his appearance": an expression confirming the miraculous manner of his transportation.

at Azotus—the ancient Ashdod.

preached in all the cities—along the coast, proceeding northward.

till he came to Cæsarea—fifty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem, on the Mediterranean, just south of Mount Carmel; and so named by Herod, who rebuilt it, in honor of Cæsar Augustus. Henceforth we lose sight of zealous and honored Philip, as by and by we shall lose sight even of Peter. As the chariot of the Gospel rolls on, other agents are raised up, each suited to his work. But "he that soweth and he that reapeth shall rejoice together." (See on :-).