Acts 8:5

Philip went down to the main city of Samaria ¹  and began proclaiming ²  the Christ ³  to them.

Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them.

Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah.

Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah.

And Philip went down to Samaria and was teaching them about Christ.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

Philip went down to the main city of Samaria ¹  and began proclaiming ²  the Christ ³  to them.

¹ tn The word “main” is supplied in the translation to clarify that “Samaria” is not the name of the city (at least in NT times). See both BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, and L&N 93.568.

sn The main city of Samaria most likely refers to the principal city of Samaria, rebuilt by Herod the Great as Sebaste in honor of Augustus (J. Boehmer, “Studien zur Geographie Palästinas bes. im Neuen Testament,” ZNW 9 [1908]: 216-18; D. Gill and C. Gempf, eds., The Book of Acts in its Graeco-Roman Setting, 272). This is the best option if the article before “city” is taken as original. If the reading without the article is taken as original, then another city may be in view: Gitta, the hometown of Simon Magus according to Justin Martyr (cf. C. K. Barrett, Acts [ICC], 1:402-3; F. F. Bruce, Acts [NICNT], 165).

² tn The imperfect ἐκήρυσσεν (ekhrussen) has been translated as an ingressive, since this is probably the first time such preaching took place.

³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.