And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Parallel translations
- WEB Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
- BSB So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
- NKJV So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
- NASB Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
- NLT Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Philip ran to the chariot and, hearing the official read Isaiah, asked whether he understood it. The question opens a door for explaining Scripture's meaning.
Overview
Philip's prompt obedience and his pointed question model wise evangelism that meets people where they are. The eunuch was reading the very text that points to the suffering Servant, yet he needed help to grasp it. Scripture rightly understood always leads to Christ, and faithful teachers help others see him there.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Luke 24:44–45And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
- John 5:39Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
- Eph 5:17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
- Matt 13:23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
- Matt 13:19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
- Matt 15:10And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
- Eccl 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
- Matt 24:15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
- Matt 13:51Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
- Mark 13:14But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
- Ps 119:32I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
- 1 Cor 14:19Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
- Acts 8:27And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
- Rev 13:18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
- John 4:34Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 8:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.