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Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
Acts 8:5 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.
  • BSB Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to 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 6:5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
  • Acts 21:8And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
  • Acts 8:40But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
  • Acts 8:35–36Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
  • 1 Cor 1:23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
  • Acts 5:42And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
  • 1 Cor 3:11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
  • Acts 8:1And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
  • Acts 17:2–3And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
  • Acts 9:20And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
  • 1 Cor 2:2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
  • Acts 1:8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
  • John 4:25–26The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
  • Matt 10:5–6These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
  • Acts 8:14–15Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

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.