The passage
      v26. In Old Testament prophetic style Philip is guided by "an angel" (synonymous with the "Spirit of the Lord") to minister to a "seeker" on the Jerusalem-Gaza road.
      v27-28. The Ethiopian was an official from an ancient kingdom that stretched from the first cataract on the Nile at Aswan, south to Khartoum. As a court official, he may have been a eunuch, or just carried the title. He was obviously a God-fearer, a Gentile follower of the Jewish faith, although if a eunuch, his participation in religious celebrations would have been limited.
      v29-31. The Ethiopian was travelling in a covered wagon and was reading from Isaiah 53. The ancient practice was to read aloud, since the manuscripts of the time were not easy to read. Philip is prompted by the Spirit to run beside the wagon (such prompting could be in the form of a direct word, although more likely just an inner conviction). Philip asks whether the Ethiopian understands what he is reading. Philip is then invited to interpret.
      v32-33. Neither the prophets, nor the teachers of the law, ever made the link between the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, the Davidic Messiah of Isaiah 11 and the glorious Son of Man of Daniel 7. Jesus certainly made the link, and it was not till after his death and resurrection that the disciples made the link. The Ethiopian was using the Septuagint (Greek) version of Isaiah.
      v34-35. The Ethiopian's question allowed Philip to explain the gospel. We can well imagine Philip starting with the Isaiah passage and going on to explain how Jesus was the suffering Servant for the sin of the many. So, Philip communicated the gospel to the Ethiopian.
      v36-38. Although not recorded, Philip obviously concluded his gospel presentation with a call to "repent and be baptized" (Repentance is not about feeling sorry, but is rather a turning to Jesus in faith. Following the practice of John the Baptist, repentance is expressed outwardly in water immersion or dipping). The Ethiopian obviously felt the time was right, for they were soon on the lookout for some water.
      v37. This verse is found in the AV (from the Western text), but dates from the 2nd century. "And Philip said, 'If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'" This addition at least shows the weight the early church put on a public confession of Jesus as God's son.
      v39. The Spirit now leads Philip toward further missionary opportunities. The Western text includes the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Ethiopian after baptism. He obviously does receive the Spirit (he "went on his way rejoicing"), as do all who believe in Jesus.
      v40. Philip moves north along the coast road, preaching in the old Philistine cities on the way. In church tradition it is believed he settled down in Caesarea, a family man with four daughters renowned as prophets.

Truth revealed
      Jesus promised his disciples that "when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth", Jn.16:13; "He will teach you all things", Jn.14:26. Of course, He did make this promise to His disciples and He did add, "and will remind you of everything I have said to you." A promise to a specific group of people is not necessarily a promise for everyone. Obviously, only the disciples could be reminded of Jesus' actual words. Still, in John's first letter we find the promise "the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you..... his anointing teaches you about all things ...." 1Jn.2:27.
      Clearly, God is in the business of revealing truth to those who seek it. The Holy Spirit is the instrument of that revelation, and this is why He is called "the Spirit of truth". Although sometimes the scriptures may imply that the revelation of truth through the Spirit supersedes both education and intellect, the Bible itself dispels this misunderstanding. The ministries of the Word serve to build us up, Eph.4:11-13, and we are bound to test the truth, 1Cor.2:13. Yet, although human initiative is required in the truth business, it is God who expedites the truth.
      So it was that an Ethiopian eunuch, confused by a prophecy concerning a Suffering Servant, discovered the truth through the initiative of the Spirit and the willing ability of Philip. Of this we can be sure, our Lord will not leave us in the dark when it comes to the truth that sets us free. As we listen to the Word expounded, join with our brothers and sisters in a Bible study, research a Bible passage in a good commentary, or just meditate on a daily Bible reading, so the mystery will be revealed.

v27
      anastaV (anisthmi) aor. part. "So" - having arisen [we went]. The aorist indicating punctiliar action. Philip immediately responded to the angel's directive. This is best expressed with "so", as NIV; "so he got up and went on his way", Moffatt.
      Aiqioy "Ethiopian" - Nubian.
      eunoucoV "eunuch" - He may have been a Poselyte, but more likely a God-fearer, because full religious privileges were not bestowed upon eunuchs, Deut 23:1. This restriction may well have been lifted by now following the promise in Isaiah 56:3ff. There is, of course, the possibility that he was not castrated, for the word was used generally for a trusted high official in the court of a king.
      basilisshV (a) "queen" - The Nubian kings were regarded as children of the sun, divine, and so secular duties were carried out by the queen mother who bore the title Candace. The "eunuch" therefore worked for the queen mother in the treasury, "her chancellor of the exchequer", Barclay.
      proskunhswn (proskunew) fut. part. "to worship" - worshipping. The participle probably expresses purpose; "he had visited Jerusalem in order to worship the God of Israel." The use of the word here may imply a pilgrimage, cf. 24:11; "he had been to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage", REB.

v28
      hn upostrefwn imperf. verb to-be + pres. part. "on his way home" - he was returning. A periphrastic imperfect, although Barrett says it is best treated as a descriptive than a periphrastic construction, "he was on his way back", Barrett. epi + gen. "in" - upon, on.
      aJrmatoV (aJrma) "chariot" - wagon. Not necessarily a chariot, but a wheeled wagon of some sort.

v29
      eipen (legw) de to pneuma "the spirit told" - and said the Spirit. The initial message was from an angel, but now the Spirit instructs Philip. Some commentators draw a distinction between the two, but Luke seems to be using the terms interchangeably. Technically one might say, the Spirit speaks through the angel.
      proselqe (prosercomai) aor. imp. "go to" - "Approach".
      kollhqhti (kollaw) aor. pas. imp. "stay near" - join to, keep company, keep near, bind close together. The two imperatives, "approach" and "join to" are best simplified; "go and join the carriage", Barclay.

v30
      prosdramwn (prostrecw) aor. part. [Philip] ran up to the chariot" - having run out, run to. "Philip quickened his pace", Barrett.
      hkousen (akouw) aor. "heard" - heard. As was the practice up till recent times, people read aloud, or at least mouthed the words.
      ara - A particle introducing a question which expects neither a positive nor negative answer, or possibly more positive than negative.
      ge - An enclitic which serves to emphasize the particle and introduce doubt, so Moule. "Do you really / do you indeed have any idea about what you are reading?"

v31
      an + opt. "[how can I]" - [how indeed/then might I be able]. Indicates that the sentence is contingent on the previous statement and is very stylish.
      ean mh + fut. ind. "unless [someone explains]" - unless. An aorist subjunctive would normally be required to follow this particle so as to form the protasis of conditional sentence, 3rd class. Barrett notes that the fut. ind. and aor. subj. sound the same. Although, following the optative it is possible that it introduces the reasoning associated with the answer. "How can I unless I have someone to guide me", Phillips.
      oJdhghsei (oJdhgew) fut. ind. "explains" - will instruct, guide, show the way
      parekalesen (parakalew) aor. + inf. "he invited" - he asked / exhorted, urged, [to sit with him]. Here with the infinitive, "asked", therefore "invited".
      anabanta (anabainw) aor. part. "to come up" - having come up [to sit]. The participle is descriptive of the action involved in "to sit"; "he invited Philip to ride along in the carriage with him."

v32
      hJ perioch "this passage" - The eunuch was obviously reading the LXX, the Greek Old Testament, as Luke's quote is from this version and not the Hebrew version of Isaiah 53:7-8. Probably the whole of the servant song, Isaiah 52/53 was being read and Luke summarizes the salient verses. The eunuch's question concerns the one who suffers without complaint?
      hcqh (agw) aor. pas. "led" - lead. "Being led away", not "taken away."
      tou keirontoV (keirw) aor. part. "the shearer" - the one having cut the hair off, sheared
      afwnoV adj. "silent" - without sound, dumb, speechless. "He was as silent as a lamb whose wool is being cut of, and he did not say a word", CEV.

v33
      hrqh (airw) aor. pas. "deprived" - was taken away - [in his humiliation his judgment] was lifted up, take away. "Fair judgment was denied him", NJB.
      hJ krisiV (iV ewV) "justice" - the judgment, decision [of him]. Not an easy idea to express, possibly "he has no redress", REB, although the denial of justice, as NIV, seems best.
      dihghsetai (dihgeomai) fut. "speak" - will tell, relate, narrate.
      thn genean autou "his descendants" - the generation of him. Possibly referring to his contemporary generation, so AV, but most likely making the point that because of his death he has no descendants, as NIV. "How can he have children if his life is snatched away?", CEV.
      oJti "for" - that. Here causal; "he has no descendants because."
      airetai "(airw) pres. pas. "was taken from" - is taken up. Probably best in the sense of his life being "taken away", ie. "killed", although "taken up to glory", as in the ascension, is possible.

v34
      apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "-" - [the eunuch] having answered [Philip said] - Presumably responding to an unexpressed question by Philip as to whether the eunuch understands what he has read. Best ignored.

v35
      anoixaV de o FilippoV to stoma autou "then Philip" - and Philip having opened the mouth of him. Obviously, this descriptive phrase can be left untranslated.
      arxamenoV (arcw) aor. part. "began" - having begun [from this scripture]. Obviously, he starts from the scripture being read by the eunuch.
      euhggelisato (euanggelizw) aor. "told him" - he communicated a message, communicated important news, preached [to him]. Meanings such as "bring good news", "preach good tidings" reads a meaning back into the word which it originally did not carry. The messenger from the battle front announces important news, either good or bad. Literally, "communicated to him Jesus", "told him important information about Jesus", or given the context, "explained how Jesus has fulfilled the Isaiah passage."

v36
      wJV "as" - while.
      eporeuonto (poreuomai) imperf. "they traveled" - they were going. "As they were going along the road", CEV.
      kata thn oJdon "along the road - on the way. "As they travelled on", Moffatt. uJdwr (wr atoV) "water" - Unstated as to a pool, stream etc. So, is this the desert road? The Wadi el Hasi north of Gaza is often identified as the source of the water, but this is only a guess.
      kwluei (kwluw) "[why] shouldn't" - prevents, debars, hinders, forbids [me to be baptized]. What objection can be raised; "is there any reason why I shouldn't be baptized?", Barclay.
      baptisqhnai (baptizw) aor. pas. inf. "be baptized" - to be immersed, dipped. Epexegetic infinitive, explaining what he should not be restrained from. Obviously Peter has covered the necessary response to the gospel of "repent and be baptized" 2:38 - turn to Jesus and express this outwardly in water immersion/dipping.

v37
      This verse is found in the Western text, but probably dates from the 2nd century. "And Philip said, 'If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God'", AV.

v38
      ekeleusen (keleuw) aor. "ordered" - he commanded.
      sthnai (iJsthmi) aor. inf. "to stop" - to stand. Infinitive following a verb of command. "He ordered the carriage to halt", Barclay.
      eiV "into" - to, into. Naturally, "to the water's edge" or "into/in the body of the water", is determined by our support for a baptism by either splashing or full immersion. I'm sure Jesus doesn't mind either, especially as he never baptized anyone with water!
      ebaptisen (baptizw) aor. "Philip baptized [him]" - he baptized. The agent, "Philip", is often added for clarity.

v39
      anebhsan (anabainw) aor. "they came up" - they came up, rose up, advanced [from, out of]. Posing the same problem as above: "when they left the pool/wadi/well...", or "when they came up out of the pool/wadi/well..."
      pneuma kuriou "the Spirit of the Lord" - spirit/wind of lord. Following the Canon of Apollonius the fact that both nouns are anarthrous (without an article) does not negate a translation with definite articles. That Philip was whisked away by "the wind of the Lord" has been suggested, but rarely accepted.
      hJrpasen (aJrpazw) aor. "suddenly took [Philip] away" - sized, snatched, carried off.... by force. The aorist's punctiliar action further emphasizing the immediacy of "snatch away", so NIV. The Western text says an angel took him away, trying to explain the miraculous sense conveyed by the words. Of course, Philip's departure may not have been miraculous, just immediate; "the Spirit of the Lord hurried Philip away", Goodspeed.
      gar "-" - [the eunuch didn't seem any longer] for [for he (the eunuch) was going the way rejoicing]. Clearly there is an ellipsis here. "The eunuch saw no more of Philip, for he, unlike Philip, was not supernaturally removed but simply continued his journey. He did so rejoicing", Barrett.
      cairwn (cairw) "rejoicing" - rejoicing. Joy overtakes the eunuch indicating the reception of the Spirit, although there is no record of the Spirit falling on him and particularly no reference of him having spoken in tongues. It is possible that the bestowal of the Spirit (the Spirit's outward manifestation in power evidenced in the gift of tongues?), is at this time, seen as an apostolic responsibility. It is more likely that Luke does not want to disturb the theological movement of the gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles, which move finds its culmination in the conversion of Cornelius and his reception of the Spirit with the outward evidence of tongues. Of course, Luke my be treating the Ethiopian as a Proselyte, but this is unlikely. Whatever the case, it is an interesting omission on the part of Luke. It obviously disturbed the editors of the Western text since they add that while the angel of the Lord whisked Philip away, the Spirit fell on the Ethiopian.