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Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.
Acts 8:5 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.
  • KJV Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
  • NKJV Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
  • NASB Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them.
  • NLT Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah.

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 went to a city in Samaria and proclaimed Christ there. The gospel crossed a major barrier, reaching the long-despised Samaritans.

Overview

Philip, one of the seven (Acts 6:5), preached Christ in Samaria, marking the gospel's expansion beyond the Jews (Acts 1:8). This fulfilled Jesus' own readiness to reach Samaritans (John 4). It demonstrates that the good news is for all peoples, breaking down old ethnic and religious divisions.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Acts 6:5This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
  • Acts 21:8Leaving the next day, we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven.
  • Acts 8:40But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
  • Acts 8:35–36Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
  • 1 Cor 1:23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
  • Acts 5:42Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
  • 1 Cor 3:11For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
  • Acts 8:1And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
  • Acts 17:2–3As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
  • Acts 9:20Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.”
  • 1 Cor 2:2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
  • Acts 1:8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
  • John 4:25–26The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”
  • Matt 10:5–6These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
  • Acts 8:14–15When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 8:5YouTube · 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 8:5 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.