Acts 8:26

Then an angel of the Lord ¹  said to Philip, ²  “Get up and go south ³  on the road that goes down from Jerusalem ⁴  to Gaza.” (This is a desert ⁵  road.) ⁶ 

Jos 13:3; Jos 15:47; 2Ki 1:3; 1Ch 22:16; Isa 60:1-22; Zec 9:5; Mt 3:1-3; Lu 3:2-4; Ac 5:19; Ac 10:7,22; Ac 12:8-11,23; Ac 27:23; Heb 1:14

¹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

² tn Grk “Lord spoke to Philip, saying.” The redundant participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated.

³ tn Or “Get up and go about noon.” The phrase κατὰ μεσημβρίαν (kata meshmbrian) can be translated either “about noon” (L&N 67.74) or “toward the south” (L&N 82.4). Since the angel’s command appears to call for immediate action (“Get up”) and would not therefore need a time indicator, a directional reference (“toward the south”) is more likely here.

⁴ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

⁵ tn Or “wilderness.”

⁶ tn The words “This is a desert road” are probably best understood as a comment by the author of Acts, but it is possible they form part of the angel’s speech to Philip, in which case the verse would read: “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza – the desert road.”

sn The concluding note about the road appears to be a parenthetical note by the author.