Acts 8:25

So after Peter and John ¹  had solemnly testified ²  and spoken the word of the Lord, ³  they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming ⁴  the good news to many Samaritan villages ⁵  as they went. ⁶ 

Lu 9:52-56; Joh 15:27; Ac 1:8; Ac 18:5; Ac 20:21; Ac 26:22,23; Ac 28:23,28,31; 1Pe 5:12

¹ tn Grk “after they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

² 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.

³ 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.

⁴ 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”).

⁵ sn By proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages, the apostles now actively share in the broader ministry the Hellenists had started.

⁶ tn “As they went” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the imperfect tense (see tn above).