Acts 8:40

Was found at. The Greek preposition eis may be literally translated “into,” suggesting that Philip was found inside the city. Not that a search party was sent out for him, but that there his presence was made known.

Azotus. The Ashdod of the Old Testament (1 Sam. 5:1-7), one of the five chief cities of the Philistines, about 3 miles from the sea and halfway between Gaza and Joppa.

Like Gaza, its history was marked by successive sieges: by the Assyrians (Isa. 20:1), by the Egyptians (Herodotus ii. 159), by the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 5:68; 10:84). It was restored by the Roman general Gabinius in 55 B.C. The old name lingers in the modern Esdud. The Israelis have built a large port city adjacent to the ancient site. Philip did not stay there, but “passed through,” or “passed on.” Luke’s narrative suggests that Philip continued his work as an evangelist. The psalmist names Philistia as joining with Ethiopia in providing a company of converts for the city of God (Ps. 87:4).

He preached. Rather, “he was preaching,” or “he continued to preach.” Philip’s remarkable experience with the eunuch hardly interrupted his other activities as a preacher of the gospel.

In all the cities. His route probably led through Lydda and Joppa, and we may doubtless see the effects of his labors in the flourishing Christian communities later found in both these towns (ch. 9:32, 36).

Caesarea. Caesarea lay on the road from Tyre to Egypt, and was of great historical importance. It dates from the Roman period. In the writings of Strabo the geographer it was known only as Strato’s Tower, and was merely a landing place for ships. Herod the Great transformed it into a flourishing port with a harbor as large as that of Piraeus, at Athens. He named the city for his imperial patron Augustus, calling it Caesarea Sebaste, the latter word being equivalent to the Latin title Augusta. After the expulsion of Archelaus from Judea, it became the official residence of the Roman procurator (cf. ch. 23:23, 24). Tacitus speaks of Caesarea as the chief city, the caput, of Judea. Its population was largely heathen, with an admixture of Jews, making it a fruitful center for missionary labor. As the following chapters of Acts show (the city is mentioned 15 times), it was prominent in the early history of the church. It may be inferred from ch. 21:8 that Philip made it the headquarters of his evangelistic work. Caesarea later became the scene of the labors of the Church Father Origen. Possibly it was the birthplace of the historian-bishop Eusebius. There are now only a few scattered ruins on the site of the ancient city.