8:25 So after Peter and John 4 had solemnly testified 5 and spoken the word of the Lord, 6 they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming 7 the good news to many Samaritan villages 8 as they went. 9
1 sn The kingdom of God is also what Jesus preached: Acts 1:3. The term reappears in 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31.
2 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
3 tn The imperfect verb ἐβαπτίζοντο (ebaptizonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
4 tn Grk “after they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and could be taken to refer specifically to the warning given to Simon in the preceding verses. However, a more general reference is more likely, referring to parting exhortations from Peter and John to the entire group of believers.
6 sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
7 tn Grk “they were returning to Jerusalem and were proclaiming.” The first imperfect is taken ingressively and the second is viewed iteratively (“proclaiming…as they went”).
8 sn By proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages, the apostles now actively share in the broader ministry the Hellenists had started.
9 tn “As they went” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the imperfect tense (see tn above).
10 tn The participle προσδραμών (prosdramwn) is regarded as attendant circumstance.
11 tn The words “to it” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
12 tn Grk “heard him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
14 tn Grk “he said”; but since what follows is a question, it is better English style to translate the introduction to the question “he asked him.”
15 tn Or “appeared.”
16 sn Azotus was a city on the coast of southern Palestine, known as Ashdod in OT times.
17 tn The words “the area” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
18 tn Or “he preached the gospel.”
19 tn Or “cities.”
20 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.
map For location see Map2-C1; Map4-B3; Map5-F2; Map7-A1; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.