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Acts 8:5-13

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

5. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed [with them]: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8. And there was great joy in that city. 9. But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10. To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. 12. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Acts 8:5-13 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Acts 8:5

Theological / Devotional

Philip. This cannot refer to Philip the apostle, since verse 1 specifically states that the apostles remained in Jerusalem. The reference must therefore be to the deacon by that name (see on ch. 6:5). Because he was conspicuous in this early evangelism, he was afterward known as Philip the evangelist (ch. 21:8).

City of Samaria. Opinion is divided as to whether this refers to Sebaste (previously known as Samaria), the capital of Samaria, or to an unidentified city. Whatever the precise location may have been, the seed had already been sown in Samaria (see on John 4:4-42). As a result the fields were “white already to harvest” (John 4:35).

Preached. Greek kerusso, a different word from that used in verse 4, and meaning, “to proclaim [as a herald],” implying a more formal, deliberate preaching than that of the unordained believers. The word is used of the preaching of both John the Baptist and Christ (Matt. 3:1 ; 4:17). The tense of the verb implies that Philip continued to preach.

Christ. Rather, “the Christ,” the Anointed One, or Messiah. John 4:25 implies that the expectation of the Messiah was strong among the Samaritans, as among the Jews, and Philip’s work therefore was to proclaim that the long-expected One had come, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, the Son of God.

By SdaBc