Acts 8:39

Come up out. Greek anabaind ek, “to come up out of.” This shows that both men went down into the water, otherwise they could not have come up out of the water. This was certainly for the purpose of baptism by immersion. See on Matt. 3:6; Mark 16:16; Rom. 6:3-6. Here, then, we have a clear illustration of the method of baptism employed in the early church, even on such an unexpected, rather informal occasion as this.

The Spirit. The Spirit had initiated Philip’s meeting with the eunuch, and now that it had reached a successful result, the Spirit again opened new possibilities for service to him.

Caught away. Greek harpazo, “to seize,” “to carry off by force,” “to snatch away.” The same verb is used in a comparable way in 1 Thess 4:17; Rev. 12:5. Human feeling would naturally have led the evangelist to remain, to complete his work with the eunuch and to instruct him more fully. But by means of a supernatural power, Philip was literally snatched away from his companion.

And he went. Literally, “for he went.” This explains more clearly why the eunuch “saw him no more.” It also suggests that the eunuch accepted Philip’s disappearance as a supernatural act, that he spent no time in fruitless search for his teacher and baptizer, but rather went on his own way, that is, continued his interrupted journey.

Rejoicing. The position of this word at the end of a phrase is typically Lukan (cf. Luke 15:5; 19:6). Believing that Philip was in the hands of God, the eunuch felt no anxiety about him, but could afford to go on his way rejoicing in the new light he had received. Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History ii. 1. 13) speaks of the eunuch as returning to his native country, and there preaching “the knowledge of the God of the universe and the sojourn of our Saviour which gives life to men,” and so fulfilling the words “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God” (Ps. 68:31). It is significant that the Ethiopian church has had elements similar to Judaism throughout its history. It was early separated from the remainder of Christendom, and retained the simplicity of the life and teachings of the early church for some time. Ethiopian Christians long kept the seventh-day Sabbath, together with the observance of the first day of the week.