Acts 8:32

Acts 8:32-33 . The place — Η περιοχη , the portion, or paragraph, of the Scripture which he read was, He was led, &c. — These words were taken from Isaiah 53:8 ; where, that the prophet speaks of Christ, no Christian can reasonably doubt, there being scarce a verse in the whole chapter which is not by the Holy Ghost applied to Christ in the New Testament; the 1st verse, John 12:38 ; the 3d, Mark 9:12 ; the 4th, Mark 8:17 ; the 5th, Mark 15:28 . And by reading this same chapter, many Jews, yea, and deists, have been converted. Some of them history records; but God knows them all. The passage here referred to is quoted according to the Septuagint version, which differs in some things from the original Hebrew. Grotius thinks the eunuch read it in Hebrew, having learned, from the many Jews that were in Ethiopia, both their religion and their language, and that Luke gives it to his readers in Greek, as being the language in which he wrote his history, and which he knew would be more generally understood. But, considering that the Septuagint version was made in Egypt, which was the country next adjoining to Ethiopia, and lay between it and Jerusalem, it is more probable that translation was most familiar to the eunuch, and therefore was now used by him.

The greatest variation from the Hebrew here is, that what in it is, He was taken from prison and from judgment, or, as the margin has it, He was taken away by distress and judgment; that is, he was taken out of this life by oppression, violence, and a pretence of justice; is here read, In his humiliation his judgment was taken away — That is, he appeared so mean and despicable in the eyes of mankind, both Jews and Romans, that they denied him common justice, and, against all the rules of equity, condemned him, even while they declared him innocent. To take away a person’s judgment is a proverbial phrase for oppressing him. The sense therefore is nearly the same with that of the Hebrew. But see the notes on Isaiah 53:7-8 ; where the paragraph is explained at large.

God’s providence is remarkable, that the eunuch should be reading this very scripture, which contains such fundamental truths, and which he had most need for to be informed of. The words referred unto are in Isaiah 53:7 . Whether read in the Hebrew tongue, which the eunuch might have learned of many Jews living in Ethiopia; or whether they were read out of the translation of the Seventy, which was then in common use, is not so necessary an inquiry; both being to the same intent and purpose. Christ was indeed as a sheep for his patience, not opening his mouth to defend his own case; but especially he was as a sheep in being a sacrifice for us, the true paschal Lamb that causeth the destroyer to pass from us; and yet he is our Shepherd too, to supply and preserve us, Psalm 23:1 .

Acts 8:32 . Ἡ δὲ περιοχὴ , but [now] the passage ) By means of that 53d chapter of Isaiah, not only many Jews, but even Atheists, have been converted: history records the names of some of these; GOD knows them all.— ὡς πρόβατον — κείροντος αὐτὸν — ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ — τὴν δὲ γενεὰν , κ . τ . λ .) So the LXX., Isaiah 53:7-8 ; except that they have not αὐτὸν , αὐτοῦ , and δέ .— ἤχθη ) It suffered itself to be led, i.e. the sheep: ἤχθη is connected with πρόβατον , and ἄφωνος with ἀμνός . For the Apodosis begins at οὕτως , so . Comp the Hebrew accents, Ὡς is put for καθώς , even as : Romans 5:18 , ὡς διʼ ἑιὸς ,— οὕτως καὶ : 2 Corinthians 11:3 . It is not a mere simile (icon), but a comparison.— ἄφωνος , dumb, without a voice ) though it has a voice, using none, as though it had none.

{12} The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: (12) Those things which seem to come most by chance or fortune (as men term it) are governed by the secret providence of God.

32, 33. The place … was this, He was led as a sheep, &c.—One cannot but wonder that this, of all predictions of Messiah's sufferings in the Old Testament the most striking, should have been that which the eunuch was reading before Philip joined him. He could hardly miss to have heard at Jerusalem of the sufferings and death of Jesus, and of the existence of a continually increasing party who acknowledged Him to be the Messiah. But his question to Philip, whether the prophet in this passage meant himself or some other man, clearly shows that he had not the least idea of any connection between this prediction and those facts.

Verse 32. - Now the place for the place , A.V.; was reading for read , A.V.; as a lamb... is dumb for like a lamb dumb , A.V.; he openeth not for opened he not , A.V. As a lamb... is dumb. The A.V. of this clause seems to me preferable as a rendering of the Greek, though the Hebrew has נֶאֶלָמָה , "is dumb." But this may be rendered "which is dumb." As regards the word περιοχή , rendered place, and considered as the antecedent to which, the use of it by Cicero ('Ad Attic.,' 13:25) for a whole paragraph, and the employment in the Syriac Version of this passage of the technical word which denotes a "section" or "paragraph," and the Vulgate rendering, Locus ... quem (Schleusner), as well as the etymology of the word, which means "a circuit," or "circumference," within which something is contained - all strongly point to the rendering in the text. Meyer, however, and others make τῆς γραφῆς the antecedent to ἥν , and construe, "The contents of the Scripture which he was reading," and refer to 1 Peter 2:6 . Acts 8:32

32 . The place of the scripture ] The A. V. omits the conjunction at the beginning of this verse. Read, Now the place, &c. The word rendered “place” signifies the whole context of the passage. The eunuch was studying the whole account of the sufferer whom the prophet here describes. The verses quoted here are Isaiah 53:7-8 , and are given word for word from the LXX. which it is most probable that the eunuch was reading, as being made in Egypt that version was most likely to be circulated among those Jews with whom this man would be brought into communication. Philip also belonging to the Grecians ( Acts 6:5 ) would be most familiar with the Greek translation. It will be seen that the translation differs in some points from the original, but yet it is sufficiently close in sense to express the intention of the prophet or rather the “mind of the Spirit” in the prophecy, and on this translation therefore Philip founds his teaching.

Acts 8:32-33 . But the contents of the passage of Scripture which he read was this . τῆς γραφῆς ] is here restricted by ἣν ἀνεγίνωσκεν to the notion of a single passage , as also, Acts 8:35 , by ταύτης (comp. Acts 1:16 ; Luke 4:21 ; and on Mark 12:10 ). Luther has given it correctly. But many others refer ἣν ἀνεγίνωσκ . to ἡ περιοχή “locus autem scripturae, quem legebat, hic erat,” Kuinoel, following the Vulgate. But it is not demonstrable that περιοχή signifies a section ; even in the places cited to show this, Cic. ad Att. xiii. 25, and Stob. Ecl. Phys. p. 164 A, it is to be taken as here: what is contained in the passage (Hesych. Suid.: ὑπόθεσις ), and this is then verbally quoted. Comp. the use of περιέχει , 1 Peter 2:6 , and Huther in loc. ὡς πρόβατον κ . τ . λ .] Isaiah 53:7-8 , with unimportant variation from the LXX.[230] The subject of the whole oracle is the צֶבֶד יְהֹוָה , i.e. according to the correct Messianic understanding of the apostolic church, the Messiah ( Matthew 8:17 ; Mark 15:28 ; John 12:38 ff; John 1:29 ; 1 Peter 2:22 ff.). Comp. the ΠΑῖς ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ , Acts 3:13 ; Acts 3:26 , Acts 4:27 ; Acts 4:30 . The prophetical words, as Luke gives them , are as follow: As a sheep He has been led to the slaughter; and as a lamb, which is dumb before its shearer, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; i.e. when He had so humbled Himself to the bloody death (comp.

Php 2:8 ), the judicial fate imposed on Him by God[231] was taken from Him, so that now therefore the culmination and crisis of His destiny set in (comp. Php 2:9 ). But His offspring who shall describe? i.e. how indescribably great is the multitude of those belonging to Him, of whom He will now be the family Head (comp. Php 2:10 )! for (ground of the origin of this immeasurable progenies) His life is taken away from the earth , so that He enters upon His heavenly work relieved from the trammels of earth (comp. John 12:32 ; Romans 5:10 ; Romans 8:29 ; Romans 8:34 ; Romans 14:9 ). γενεά does not, any more than דוֹר , signify duration of life (Luther, Beza, Calvin, and others). The explanation, also, of the indescribably wicked race of the contemporaries of Christ, who proved their depravity by putting Him to death ( ὍΤΙ ΑἼΡΕΤΑΙ Κ.Τ.Λ. ), is inappropriate. Such is the view I have previously taken, with de Wette and older commentators. But in this way the prophecy would be diverted from the person of the Messiah, and that to something quite obvious of itself; whereas, according to the above explanation, the ΑἼΡΕΤΑΙ ἈΠῸ Τ. Γ. Ἡ ΖΩῊ ΑὐΤ . stands in thoughtful and significant correlation to Ἡ ΚΡΊΣΙς ΑὐΤΟῦ ἬΡΘΗ . In these correlates lies the ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΎΝΗ of the Humbled one, John 16:10 . The Fathers have explained γενεά in the interest of orthodoxy, but here irrelevantly, of the eternal generation of the Son. See Suicer, Thes.