Acts 8:31 - Forerunner Commentary

Acts 8:31

29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
^a“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
^bSo He opened not His mouth.

33 In His humiliation His ^ajustice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is ^btaken from the earth.”

34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, ^aand beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

Verse Comparison: Acts 8:31

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Acts 8:32 >>

American Standard Version
And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.

Amplified® Bible
And he said, How is it possible for me to do so unless someone explains it to me {and} guides me [in the right way]? And he earnestly requested Philip to come up and sit beside him.

Contemporary English Version
The official answered, "How can I understand unless someone helps me?" He then invited Philip to come up and sit beside him.

Darby English Version
And he said, How should I then be able unless some one guide me? And he begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

Good News Bible
The official replied, "How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?" And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him.

International Standard Version
He replied, "How can I unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.

King James Version
And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

New American Standard Bible
And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."

New International Version
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

New King James Version
And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Young's Literal Translation
and he said, `Why, how am I able, if some one may not guide me?' he called Philip also, having come up, to sit with him.

New English Translation
The man¹ replied, “How in the world can I,² unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

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