Acts 8:37

Acts 8:37 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Context of Acts 8:37

35Then Philip spoke and beginning with this Scripture he preached Jesus to him [explaining that He is the promised Messiah and the source of salvation]. 36As they continued along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch exclaimed, “Look! Water! What forbids me from being baptized?” [Philip said to him, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38And he ordered that the chariot be stopped; and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [suddenly] took Philip [and carried him] away [to a different place]; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but he went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 8:37 word by word

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• Philipὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• PhilipΦίλιπποςPhilippos · PhilipG5376
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Ifεἰei · ifG1487
• thou believestπιστεύωpisteuō · to trust (in)G4100
• withἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• allὅλοςholos · allG3650
• thine heartκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
• thou mayestἔξεστι, ἐξόνexesti · be permittedG1832
• And he answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• that JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for Acts 8:37

• Acts 8:12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women.
• Acts 2:38And Peter said to them, “Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Matthew 28:19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
• Mark 16:16He who has believed [in Me] and has been baptized will be saved [from the penalty of God’s wrath and judgment]; but he who has not believed will be condemned.
• Romans 10:10For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
• 1 Peter 3:21Corresponding to that [rescue through the flood], baptism [which is an expression of a believer’s new life in Christ] now saves you, not by removing dirt from the body, but by an appeal to God for a good (clear) conscience, [demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
• Acts 9:20And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This Man is the Son of God [the promised Messiah]!”
• Matthew 16:16Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.”
• John 6:68Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have the words of eternal life [you are our only hope].
• John 9:35Jesus heard that they had put him out [of the synagogue], and finding him, He asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
• John 11:27She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed and continue to believe that You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God, He who was [destined and promised] to come into the world [and it is for You that the world has waited].”
• John 20:31but these have been written so that you may believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God; and that by believing [and trusting in and relying on Him] you may have life in His name.
• 1 Corinthians 12:3Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is [my] Lord,” except by [the power and influence of] the Holy Spirit.
• 1 John 4:15Whoever confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
• 1 John 5:1Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves the child born of Him.

Commentaries on Acts 8:37

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God - He believed that Jesus, whom Philip preached to him, was The Christ or Messiah, and consequently the Son of God. This whole verse is omitted by ABCG, several others of the first authority, Erpen's edit. of the Arabic, the Syriac, the Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, and some of the Slavonic: almost all the critics declare against it as spurious. Griesbach has left it out of the text; and Professor White in his…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37And Philip said … - This was stated by Philip as the proper qualification for making a profession of religion. The terms are: (1)“Faith,” that is, a reception of Jesus as a Saviour; yielding the mind to the proper influences of the truths of redemption. See the notes on Mark 16:16. (2)there is required not merely the assent of the understanding, but a surrender of the “heart, the will, the affections,” to the truth of the gospel. As these were the proper…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-40Verses 26-40 Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to redeem time for holy duties; to fill up every minute with something…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26-40Philip obeyed the Holy Spirit and followed the Spirit’s direction. He then took the opportunity to share the message of the gospel with an Ethiopian eunuch (a trusted male official who served a king or queen) on the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. This event shows how effective Philip was in explaining and sharing the Christian message. It also shows his strong commitment to bringing the good news to all people, no matter their social position or…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 34-3834-38. And the eunuch answered, I pray thee, &c.--The respect with which he here addresses Philip was prompted by his reverence for one whom he perceived to be his superior in divine things; his own worldly position sinking before this.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 8:37

• Baptism
• Confession
• Converts
• Ethiopia
• Faith
• Gaza
• Heart
• Jesus Continued
• Philip
• Preaching
• Righteous

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• God
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Son of God
• Jesus Christ
• Baptism, Christian
• Believe

Commentaries on Acts 8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings