Acts 8:33

Christian Standard Bible ®

In his humiliation justice was denied him.Who will describe his generation?For his life is taken from the earth.

Parallel Translations

King James Version (1611)
In his humiliation, his Iudgement was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.

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

English Standard Version
In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."

New American Standard Bible
"IN HUMILIATION HIS JUSTICE WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL DESCRIBE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS TAKEN AWAY FROM THE EARTH."

New Century Version
He was shamed and was treated unfairly. He died without children to continue his family. His life on earth has ended." Isaiah 53:7–8

Amplified Bible
"IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY [justice was denied Him]. WHO WILL DESCRIBE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS TAKEN FROM THE EARTH."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH."

Legacy Standard Bible
In humiliation His judgment was taken away;Who will recount His generation?For His life is removed from the earth."

Berean Standard Bible
In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth."

Contemporary English Version
He was treated like a nobody and did not receive a fair trial. How can he have children, if his life is snatched away?"

Complete Jewish Bible
He was humiliated and denied justice. Who will tell about his descendants, since his life has been taken from the earth?"

Darby Translation
In his humiliation his judgment has been taken away, and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

Easy-to-Read Version
He was shamed, and all his rights were taken away. His life on earth has ended. So there will be no story about his descendants."

Geneva Bible (1587)
In his humilitie his iudgement hath bene exalted: but who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

George Lamsa Translation
In his humiliation, he suffered imprisonment and judgment: none can tell his struggle, for even his life is taken away from the earth.

Good News Translation
He was humiliated, and justice was denied him. No one will be able to tell about his descendants, because his life on earth has come to an end."

Lexham English Bible
In his humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his descendants? For his life was taken away from the earth."

Literal Translation
In His humiliation His judgment was taken away. And who will recount His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth." Isa. 53:7, 8

American Standard Version
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.

Bible in Basic English
Being of low degree, his cause was not given a hearing: who has knowledge of his family? for his life is cut off from the earth.

Hebrew Names Version
In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generations? For his life is taken from the eretz."

International Standard Version
In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."Isaiah 53:7-8 (LXX)">[fn]

Etheridge Translation
From oppression and from judgment was he led; And his age who shall recount ? For his life is taken from the earth.

Murdock Translation
From prison and from judgment he was carried: and his generation, who will declare? for his life is taken away from the earth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
In his humilitie, his iudgement is exalted: But who shall declare his generation? For his lyfe is taken from the earth.

English Revised Version
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.

World English Bible
In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generations? For his life is taken from the earth."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.

Weymouth's New Testament
In His humiliation justice was denied Him. Who will make known His posterity? For He is destroyed from among men."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In mekenesse his dom was takun vp; who schal telle out the generacioun of hym? For his lijf schal be takun awei fro the erthe.

Update Bible Version
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.

Webster's Bible Translation
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

New English Translation
In humiliation justice was taken from him . Who can describe his posterity? For his life was taken away from the earth ."

New King James Version
In His humiliation His justice was taken away,And who will declare His generation?For His life is taken from the earth." Isaiah 53:7, 8 ">[fn]

New Living Translation
He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."

New Life Bible
No one listened to Him because of His shame. Who will tell the story of His day? For His life was taken away from the earth.

New Revised Standard
In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away, - his generation, who shall describe? because, his life, is taken away from the earth.

Douay-Rheims Bible
In humility his judgment was taken away. His generation who shall declare, for his life shall be taken from the earth?

Revised Standard Version
In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Because of his humblenes he was not estemed: who shall declare his generacio? for his lyfe is taken fro the erthe.

Young's Literal Translation
in his humiliation his judgment was taken away, and his generation -- who shall declare? because taken from the earth is his life.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In his humblenesse is his iudgment exalted. Who shal declare his generacion? for his life is taken awaye from the earth.

Mace New Testament (1729)
in his humiliation he was judged, he was taken off: and who shall describe the men of his time? for the land has taken away his life."

Simplified Cowboy Version
They humiliated him and gave him a fake trial. But who is his kin? He has none since his life was taken from him."

Contextual Overview

²⁶An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.) ²⁷So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem ²⁸and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. ²⁹The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” ³⁰When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” ³¹“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: ³³In his humiliation justice was denied him.Who will describe his generation?For his life is taken from the earth.³⁴The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?” ³⁵Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his humiliation: Philippians 2:8, Philippians 2:9

judgment: Job 27:2, Job 34:5, Isaiah 5:23, Isaiah 10:2, Habakkuk 1:4, Matthew 27:12-26, John 19:12-16

and who: Psalms 22:30, Isaiah 53:8, Isaiah 53:12

for: Psalms 22:15, Isaiah 53:10, Isaiah 53:12, Daniel 9:26, Zechariah 13:7

Reciprocal: Isaiah 53:7 - he is John 7:27 - no man John 19:9 - But

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In his humiliation his judgment was taken away,.... The humiliation, or low estate of Christ, lay in his assumption of human nature, with the weaknesses and imperfections of it; in the meanness of his parentage and education; in the sorrows he endured from his cradle to his cross; in his last conflict with Satan in the garden; in his being apprehended, bound, scourged, and condemned, both by the sanhedrim, and the Roman governor; and in being enclosed with the assembly of the wicked soldiers, who put on him their own clothes, and a crown of thorns on his head, and a reed in his hand, and then in a mock manner bowed to him as king of the Jews; and last of all in his obedience to death, even the death of the cross, and in his being laid in the grave. Now in this his low estate, "his judgment was taken away"; in the text in Isaiah 53:8 the words are, "he was taken from prison and from judgment"; which some understand of his sufferings, and render the words thus, "by an assembly, and by judgment he was taken away"; that is, by the Jewish sanhedrim, and by the judgment or sentence of Pontius Pilate, his life was taken away: and others interpret it of his resurrection from the dead, when he was taken or delivered from the prison of the grave, and could not be held any longer by the cords and pains of death; and from the judgment or condemnation under which he lay, being justified in the Spirit, when he was raised from the dead. The words, as here cited, differ from the original text; which have caused some to think, that there was a different reading of these words, which the Septuagint followed, and Luke after them. Dr. Pocock u has proposed a translation of the Hebrew text, as agreeable to this citation, without supposing a various reading, thus, "because of affliction, even from judgment he is taken; or when he was humbled, he was taken from judgment"; it being all one whether he was taken from judgment condemnation, and punishment, as at his resurrection, or whether his punishment was taken from him: though the sense of the words, as they are here cited, rather seems to be this; when he was taken and bound by the Jews, and detained by them a prisoner, and arraigned before the high priest, and at Pilate's bar, and false witnesses suborned, which was his time of humiliation and affliction; when he was reproached, blasphemed, buffeted, and spit, upon, justice was not done him, right did not take place, but was removed from him, and he was treated in a most unjust and unrighteous manner:

and who shall declare his generation? not his divine or human generation; nor the sorrows of his life; or the duration of his life since his resurrection; nor the numbers of his spiritual seed and offspring; senses put upon the words they will by no means bear; but the generation or age in which Christ lived, which for its wickedness among themselves, and their barbarity to him, and ill usage of him, cannot be sufficiently described and declared; and a great deal of it they themselves own; Isaiah 53:8- : Isaiah 53:8- :

for his life is taken from the earth, not in a common, but in a judicial way; in the most cruel, barbarous, and unjust manner, in a violent way; though not without his Father's will, and his own consent; and though his life was taken from the earth, he now lives in heaven, and that for evermore.

u Not. Miscell. c. 4. p. 72.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In his humiliation - This varies from the Hebrew, but is copied exactly from the Septuagint, showing that he was reading the Septuagint. The Hebrew text is: “He was taken from prison and from judgment.” The word rendered “prison” denotes any kind of “detention,” or even “oppression.” It does not mean, as with us, to be confined “in” a prison or jail, but may mean “custody,” and be applied to the detention or custody of the Saviour when his hands were bound, and he was led to be tried. See the notes on Matthew 27:2. It is not known why the Septuagint thus translated the expression “he was taken from prison,” etc., by “in his humiliation,” etc. The word “from prison” may mean, as has been remarked, however, from “oppression,” and this does not differ materially from “humiliation”; and in this sense the Septuagint understood it. The “meaning” of the expression in the Septuagint and the Acts is clear. It denotes that in his state of oppression and calamity; when he was destitute of protectors and friends; when at the lowest state of humiliation, and therefore most the object of pity, “in addition to that,” justice was denied him; his judgment - a just sentence - was taken away, or withheld, and he was delivered to be put to death. His deep humiliation and friendless state was “followed” by an unjust and cruel condemnation, when no one would stand forth to plead his cause. Every circumstance thus goes to deepen the view of his sufferings.

His judgment - Justice, a just sentence, was denied him, and he was cruelly condemned.

And who shall declare his generation? - The word “generation” used here properly denotes “posterity”; then “an age” of mankind, comprehending about 30 years, as we speak of this and the next generation; then it denotes “the men” of a particular age or time. Very various interpretations have been given of this expression. Lowth translates it, “His manner of life who would declare?” referring, as he supposes, to the fact that when a prisoner was condemned and led to execution, it was customary for a proclamation to be made by a crier in these words, “Whoever knows anything about his innocence, let him come and declare it.” This passage is taken from the Gemara of Babylon (Kennicott, as quoted by Lowth). The same Gemara of Babylon on this passage adds, “that before the death of Jesus, this proclamation was made 40 days; but no defense could be found” - a manifest falsehood, and a story strikingly illustrative of the character of the Jewish writings.

The Gemara was written some time after Christ, perhaps not far from the year 180 (Lardner), and is a collection of commentaries on the traditional laws of the Jews. That this custom existed is very probable; but it is certain that no such thing was done on the trial of the Saviour. The Chaldee paraphrase translates the passage in Isaiah, “He shall collect our captivity from infirmities and vengeance; and who can declare what wonderful things shall be done for us in his days?” Others have referred this question to his Deity, or his divine “generation”; intimating that no one could explain the mystery of his eternal generation. But the word in the Scriptures has no such signification; and such a sense would not suit the connection (see Calvin in loco.) Others have referred it to “his own spiritual posterity,” his disciples, his family; “the number of his friends and followers who could enumerate?” (Calvin, Beza, etc.) Another sense which the word has is to denote the “people” of any particular age or time (Matthew 11:16; Matthew 23:36; Luke 16:8, etc.); and it has been supposed that the question here means, “Who can describe the character and wickedness of the generation when he shall live - the enormous crime of that age, in putting him to death?” On this passage, see the notes on Isaiah 53:8. Perhaps, after all that has been written on this passage, the simple idea is, “Who shall stand up for him, declaring who he is? Who will appear for him? Who will vindicate him?” meaning that all would forsake him, and that there would be none to “declare really who he was.”

For his life ... - The Hebrew is, “For he was cut off from the land of the living”; that is he was put to death. The expression used in the Acts was taken from the Septuagint, and means substantially the same as the Hebrew.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 33. In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away — He who was the fountain of judgment and justice had no justice shown him (mercy he needed not) in his humiliation; viz. that time in which he emptied himself, and appeared in the form of a servant.

Who shall declare his generation — την γενεαν αυτου: Answering to the Hebrew דורו doro, which Bp. Lowth understands as implying his manner of life. It was the custom among the Jews, when they were taking away any criminal from judgment to execution, to call out and inquire whether there was any person who could appear in behalf of the character of the criminal-whether there was any who, from intimate acquaintance with his manner of life, could say any thing in his favour? This circumstance I have noticed before, and it has been particularly remarked in the case of Stephen: see at Acts 7:60. In our Lord's case, this benevolent inquiry does not appear to have been made; and perhaps to this breach of justice, as well as of custom, the prophet refers; and this shows how minutely the conduct of those bad men was known seven hundred years before it took place. God can foreknow what he pleases, and can do what he pleases; and all the operations of his infinite mind are just and right. Some think that, who shall declare his generation? refers to his eternal Sonship; others, to his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the virgin; others, to the multitudinous progeny of spiritual children which should be born unto God, in consequence of his passion and meritorious death. Perhaps the first, which refers to the usual custom in behalf of the criminal, is the best and most natural sense.