Acts 8:39
in Acts 8When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
KJV
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
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This verse in Acts 8
Commentary
12 notes on this verseThe Spirit seized Philip, for though the eunuch had indeed wished to converse, Philip, refusing and denying because it was not yet time, nevertheless would have grieved him. Philip himself also gained very much profit, seeing that what he had heard in Ezekiel and Habakkuk …
This site's exposition
caught away Philip
on Acts 8:39-40
When they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, a sudden removal the bench compares to Elijah's translations in the Old Testament, and the eunuch saw him no more yet went on his way rejoicing, needing no further human helper once he had Christ. Philip surfaces at Azotus, ancient Ashdod, some twenty miles up the coast, and preaches in every city on the road north until he reaches Caesarea, the port city where the book will find him settled with four prophesying daughters many chapters later. The chapter that opened with a church scattered by violence closes with an evangelist carried by the Spirit himself, the same hand governing both the persecution and the mission it produced.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; in order that the occurrence might be shown to be of God; that he might not consider it to be merely man. And he went, it says, on his way rejoicing. This hints, that he would have been grieved had he known: for the greatness of his joy, having had the Spirit also vouchsafed to him, he did not even see things present.
It was well and expedient therefore that the Spirit caught Philip away; else the eunuch would have desired to go with him, and Philip would have grieved him by declining to comply with his request, the time being not yet come. So that had he known him, he would not have been so delighted.
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But why did the Spirit of the Lord bear him away? Hereby the occurrence was shown to be more wonderful. Even then, the eunuch did not know him. Consequently this was done, that Philip might afterwards be a subject of wonder to him. For, it says, he went on his way rejoicing.
The Medieval Church2 voices
"An Angel of the Lord caught Philip away." An Angel takes him, thereby adding greater wonderousness to what had happened, and at the same time bringing joy to Philip as well, that he was deemed worthy of the same things as the prophets, such as …
The Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. There are some who testify that an angel did this in the Holy Spirit, as Jerome reports.
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And when they were come up out of the water,.... Which is another circumstance, showing that baptism was then performed by immersion; with this compare Mat 3:16 and so it is said of the high priest, when he washed himself on the day of atonement, ירד וטבל עלה, "he went down and dipped, and came up" (m); and so any other person that was obliged to dipping on any account, ירד וטבל ועלה, "went down and dipped, and came up" (n).
Stephen's death rejoiced in by one--by many, no doubt, but by one in particular, and that was Saul, who was afterwards called Paul; he was consenting to his death, syneudokon -- he consented to it with delight (so the word signifies); he was pleased with it. He fed his eyes with this bloody spectacle, in hopes it would put a stop to the growth of Christianity.
(2.) The doctrine he preached was Christ; for he determined to know nothing else. He preached Christ to them; he proclaimed Christ to them (so the word signifies), as a king, when he comes to the crown, is proclaimed throughout his dominions. The Samaritans had an expectation of the Messiah's coming, as appears by John iv.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Out of the water - ἐκ ek. This preposition stands opposed to εἰς eis, “into”; and as that may mean to, so this may mean From; if that means into, this means here out of. The Spirit of the Lord - See Act 8:29. The Spirit had suggested to Philip to go to meet the eunuch, and the same Spirit, now that he had fulfilled the design of his going there, directed his departure. Caught away - This phrase has been usually understood of a forcible or miraculous removal of Philip to some other place.
The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip - Perhaps this means no more than that the Holy Spirit suggested to the mind of Philip that he should withdraw abruptly from the eunuch, and thus leave him to pursue his journey, reflecting on the important incidents which had taken place. Some suppose that the angel of the Lord, and the Spirit of the Lord, are the same person throughout this chapter. There is a remarkable reading in the Codex Alexandrinus which exists thus in two lines: - ΠΝΑΑΓΙΟΝΕΠΕΠΕΞΕΝΕΠΙΤΟΝΕΥΝΟΥΧΟΝ The Spirit of the Lord fell upon the eunuch: ΑΓΓΕΛΟΞΔΕΚΥΗΡΠΑΞΕΝΤΟΝΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΝ. But the angel of the Lord snatched away Philip. This reading is found in several other MSS. and in some versions. Many think that the Spirit or angel of God carried off Philip in some such manner as the Apocrypha represents the transportation of Habakkuk, who was taken up by the hair of the head, and carried from Judea to Babylon! For such an interposition there was no need. When Philip had baptized the eunuch, the Spirit of God showed him that it was not the will of God that he should accompany the eunuch to Meroe, but, on the contrary, that he should hasten away to Ashdod; as God had in that, and the neighboring places, work sufficient to employ him in.
The words behind it
24 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὅτε | hote | When | G3753 → | 103 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἀνέβησαν | anebesan | they came up | G305 → | 82 times |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὕδατος, | hudatos | water, | G5204 → | 76 times |
| πνεῦμα | pneuma | [the] Spirit | G4151 → | 378 times |
| κυρίου | kuriou | of [the] Lord | G2962 → | 711 times |
| ἥρπασεν | herpasen | carried away | G726 → | |
| τὸν | ton | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Φίλιππον, | philippon | Philip, | G5376 → | 36 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὐκ | ouk | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| εἶδεν | eiden | saw | G1492 → | 374 times |
| αὐτὸν | auton | him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| οὐκέτι | ouketi | no longer | G3756 →G2089 → | 140 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| εὐνοῦχος· | eunouchos | eunuch; | G2135 → | 8 times |
| ἐπορεύετο | eporeueto | he was going | G4198 → | 147 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὁδὸν | hodon | way | G3598 → | 101 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | of him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| χαίρων.¶ | chairon | rejoicing. | G5463 → | 74 times |
ὅτεWhen
hoteG3753 →103 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
ἀνέβησανthey came up
anebesanG305 →82 times
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
ὕδατος,water,
hudatosG5204 →76 times
πνεῦμα[the] Spirit
pneumaG4151 →378 times
κυρίουof [the] Lord
kuriouG2962 →711 times
ἥρπασενcarried away
herpasenG726 →
τὸν<the>
tonG3588 →19766 times
Φίλιππον,Philip,
philipponG5376 →36 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὐκnot
oukG3756 →1664 times
εἶδενsaw
eidenG1492 →374 times
αὐτὸνhim
autonG846 →5565 times
οὐκέτιno longer
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
εὐνοῦχος·eunuch;
eunouchosG2135 →8 times
ἐπορεύετοhe was going
eporeuetoG4198 →147 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
ὁδὸνway
hodonG3598 →101 times
αὐτοῦof him
autouG846 →5565 times
χαίρων.¶rejoicing.
chaironG5463 →74 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 43:5Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 8:3
He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God…
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 11:24
And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- 2 Corinthians 12:2–4
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows.
- Ezekiel 8:3
Through
Ezekiel 11:1Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 3:14
So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 3:14
Through
1 Kings 18:12I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 37:1
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 2:16
“Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put…
- Ezekiel 37:1
Through
Ezekiel 8:3He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:16
They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations.
- Deuteronomy 32:16
Through
2 Kings 2:16“Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 18:12
I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill…
- 1 Kings 18:12
Where this verse is studied
About Acts
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Acts; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 19; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts and William Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.