Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them.
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.
- 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.
- 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 6:5These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch;
- Acts 21:8On the next day, we, who were Paul’s companions, departed, and came to Caesarea. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
- Acts 8:40But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
- Acts 8:35–36Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus.
- 1 Cor 1:23but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,
- Acts 5:42Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.
- 1 Cor 3:11For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.
- Acts 8:1Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.
- Acts 17:2–3Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
- Acts 9:20Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed the Christ, that he is the Son of God.
- 1 Cor 2:2For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
- Acts 1:8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
- John 4:25–26The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Christ. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.”
- Matt 10:5–6Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans.
- Acts 8:14–15Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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.