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And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Acts 8:38 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
  • BSB And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
  • NKJV So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
  • NASB And he ordered that the chariot stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.
  • NLT He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

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 baptized the eunuch in the water by the road, sealing his new faith in Christ.

Overview

The baptism publicly confirms the eunuch's belief and his incorporation into the church. That an Ethiopian official, a foreigner and a eunuch, is welcomed shows the gospel breaking down barriers that once excluded such people from the assembly. In Christ the promise that the nations would be blessed begins visibly to unfold.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 2

  • John 4:1When therefore the LORD knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
  • John 3:22–23After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 8:38YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 8:38 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.