Discovery BoxActs 8:6-8 
Context8:6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, 1 as they heard and saw the miraculous signs 2 he was performing. 8:7 For unclean spirits, 3 crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, 4 and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8:8 So there was 5 great joy 6 in that city.
1 tn Grk “to what was being said by Philip,” a passive construction that has been changed to active voice in the translation.
2 tn Here the following context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned. This term appears 13 times in Acts, but only twice more after Acts 8:13 (i.e., 14:3; 15:12).
3 sn The expression unclean spirits refers to evil supernatural spirits which were ceremonially unclean, and which caused the persons possessed by them to be ceremonially unclean.
4 tn Grk “For [in the case of] many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out, crying in a loud voice.”
5 tn Grk “and there came about,” but this is somewhat awkward in English.
6 sn Great joy. The reason for eschatological joy was that such events pointed to God’s decisive deliverance (Luke 7:22-23). Note how the acts of healing extend beyond the Twelve here.
