Acts:8:26-40

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rwp @Acts:8:26 @{Toward the South } (\kata mes mbrian \). Old word from \mesos \ and \h mera \, midday or noon as in strkjv @Acts:22:16 |, the only other example in the N .T . That may be the idea here also , though "towards the South " gets support from the use of \kata liba \ in strkjv @Acts:27:12 |. {The same is desert } (\haut estin er mos \). Probably a parenthetical remark by Luke to give an idea of the way . One of the ways actually goes through a desert . Gaza itself was a strong city that resisted Alexander the Great five months . It was destroyed by the Romans after war broke out with the Jews . rwp @Acts:8:27 @{A eunuch of great authority } (\eunouchos dunast s \). Eunuchs were often employed by oriental rulers in high posts . _Dynasty_ comes from this old word \dunast s \ used of princes in strkjv @Luke:1:52 | and of God in strkjv @1Timothy:6:15 |. Eunuchs were not allowed to be Jews in the full sense (Deuteronomy:23:1 |), but only proselytes of the gate . But Christianity is spreading to Samaritans and to eunuchs . {Candace } (\Kandak s \). Not a personal name , but like Pharaoh and Ptolemy , the title of the queens of Ethiopia . This eunuch apparently brought the gospel to Ethiopia . {Treasure } (\gaz s \). Persian word , common in late Greek and Latin for the royal treasure , here only in the N .T . {For to worship } (\proskun s n \). Future active participle expressing purpose , a common idiom in the ancient Greek , but rare in the N .T . (Robertson , _Grammar_ , p . 1128 ). rwp @Acts:8:28 @{Was reading } (\anegin sken \). Imperfect active descriptive , not periphrastic like the two preceding verbs (was returning and sitting ). He was reading aloud as Philip "heard him reading " (\kousen auton anagin skontos \), a common practice among orientals . He had probably purchased this roll of Isaiah in Jerusalem and was reading the LXX Greek text . See imperfect again in verse 32 |. rwp @Acts:8:29 @{Join thyself } (\koll th ti \). See this vivid word (be glued to , first aorist passive imperative ) already in strkjv @5:13 ; strkjv @Luke:10:11 ; strkjv @15:15 |. Philip probably jumped on the running board on the side of the chariot . rwp @Acts:8:30 @{Understandest thou what thou readest ?} (\Ara ge gin skeis ha anagin skeis ?\) The interrogative particle \ara \ and the intensive particle \ge \ indicate doubt on Philip 's part . The play (\paranomasia \) upon the words in the Greek is very neat : {Do you know what you know again (read )?} The verb for read (\anagin sko \) means to know the letters again , recognize , read . The famous comment of Julian about the Christian writings is often quoted : \Anegn n , egn n , kategn n \ (I read , I understood , I condemned ). The keen retort was : \Anegn s , all 'ouk egn s , ei gar egn s , ouk an kategn s \ (You read , but did not understand ; for if you had understood , you would not have condemned ). rwp @Acts:8:31 @{How can I , except some one shall guide me ?} (\P s gar an dunaim n ean me tis hod g sei me ?\). This is a mixed condition , the conclusion coming first belongs to the fourth class (undetermined with less likelihood of being determined ) with \an \ and the optative , but the condition (\ean \, instead of the usual \ei \, and the future indicative ) is of the first class (determined or fulfilled . Robertson , _Grammar_ , p . 1022 ), a common enough phenomenon in the _Koin _ . The eunuch felt the need of some one to guide (\hod ge \ from \hod gos \, guide , and that from \hodos \, way , and \hegeomai \, to lead ). rwp @Acts:8:32 @{The place } (\he perioch \). See the verb \periechei \ so used in strkjv @1Peter:2:6 |. The word is used either of the section as in Codex A before the beginning of Mark or the contents of a passage . He was here reading one particular passage (Isaiah:53:7f .|). The quotation is from the LXX which has some variations from the Hebrew . rwp @Acts:8:33 @{Was taken away } (\rth \). First aorist passive indicative of \air \, to take away . It is not clear what the meaning is here either in the Hebrew or the LXX . Knowling suggests that the idea is that justice was withheld , done away with , in his death , as it certainly was in the death of Christ . rwp @Acts:8:34 @{Of whom } (\peri tinos \). Concerning whom , a pertinent inquiry surely and one that troubles many critics today . rwp @Acts:8:35 @{Beginning from this scripture } (\arxamenos apo t s graph s taut s \). As a text . Philip needed no better opening than this Messianic passage in Isaiah . {Preached unto him Jesus } (\eu ggelisato aut i ton I soun \). Philip had no doubt about the Messianic meaning and he knew that Jesus was the Messiah . There are scholars who do not find Jesus in the Old Testament at all , but Jesus himself did (Luke:24:27 |) as Philip does here . Scientific study of the Old Testament (historical research ) misses its mark if it fails to find Christ the Center of all history . The knowledge of the individual prophet is not always clear , but after events throw a backward light that illumines it all (1Peter:1:11f .; strkjv @2Peter:1:19-21 |). rwp @Acts:8:36 @{What doth hinder me to be baptized ?} (\Ti k luei me baptisth nai ?\). Evidently Philip had said something about baptism following faith and conversion . Verse 37 | is not a genuine part of Acts , a western addition . Later baptismal liturgies had it . rwp @Acts:8:39 @{Out of the water } (\ek tou hudatos \). Not from the edge of the water , but up out of the water as in strkjv @Mark:1:10 |. {Caught away } (\h rpasen \). Suddenly and miraculously , for \harpaz \, like the Latin _rapio_ , means to carry off . Cf . strkjv @2Corinthians:12:2 ; strkjv @1Thessalonians:4:17 |. {Went on his way } (\eporeueto \). Kept on going , imperfect active . rwp @Acts:8:40 @{He preached the gospel } (\eu ggelizeto \). Imperfect middle describing the evangelistic tour of Philip "till he came to Caesarea " (\he s tou elthein auton \, genitive articular infinitive with the preposition \he s \ and the accusative of general reference ) where he made his home and headquarters thereafter (Acts:21:28 |) and was known as the Evangelist .

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