Acts 8 verse 27

Acts 8 verse 27

(Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch)

And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of Ethiopia, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship.   (KJV)

And rising up, he went. And, behold, an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, one in power with Candace the queen of Ethiopia, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.     (IB)

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Retranslation:  And he arose! And as he rises, advances, more of his "self" is removed (figuratively dies)!  And Philip is commanded by God to really look and to considered deeply what he is seeing. Behold!  And Philip considers this Ethiopian, a chamberlain, unmarried and impotent, who had great authority over the treasures of the Queen of Confinement, and who had come to the City of God desiring to enter into communion with God, and,----- with joy and pleasure,----- would gladly become the servant of God.

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NOTE on Philip’s continuing journey of self sacrifice: Philip is being shown something. He sees a very powerful man. He is not a Jew nor is he a follower of Jesus; but he is reading the Torah, believes in God, and, specifically wants to know what or who Isaiah is talking about. If I was Philip, I would be reconsidering a lot of prejudices I had about who was fit for the kingdom of heaven, because this rich foreigner, having great power over the world of Confinement, looks like he already has one foot in! 

NOTE on the Greek word “proskylio” (worship):  These early Christians thought of “worshipping” from the point of view of a dog!  Are you like a “fawning dog” in the presence of God?  Do you wriggle with excitement being in Her presence? Do you never take your eyes off Her? Do you strain to listen to Her? Are Her commands, Go! Fetch! obeyed instantly, exuberantly? Do you adore the Master any less because the Master gives the commands and you obey? Is the dog resentful over its “place” in the scheme of things? Does it long to be somewhere else? Is it happiest in the Master’s presence? 

Is there any place you’d rather be?

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rising up 450 anistemi, from 303 and 2476; to stand up (literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive):---arise, lift up, raise up (again), rise (again), stand up, stand upright.

went 4198 poreuomai, middle from a derivative of the same as 3984; to traverse, i.e. travel (literally or figuratively); especially to remove [figuratively die], live, etc.):----depart, go (away, forth, one’s way, up), (make a, take a) journey, walk. 

behold 2400 idou, second person singular imperfect middle of 1492; used as an imperative lo!:-------behold, lo, see.

see 1492 eido, a primary verb; used on in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent 3700 and 3708; properly to see (literally or figuratively); by implication (in the perfect only) to know:------be aware, behold, can (+ not tell), consider, know, have knowledge, look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot. Compare 3700.

man 435

Ethiopia 128 Aithiops from aitho (to scorch) and ops (the face, from 3700); an Aethiopian:-----Ethiopian.

eunuch 2135 eunouchos, from eune (a bed) and 2192; a castrated person (such being employed in Oriental bed-chambers); by extension an impotent or unmarried man; by implication a chamberlain (state-officer):------eunuch.

2192 echo, including an alternate form scheo (used in certain tenses only); a primary verb: to hold (used in various applications, literal or figurative, direct or remote; as a possession, ability, contiguity, relation or condition):----be (able, hold, possessed with), accompany, begin to amend, can, cannot, conceive, count, diseased, do eat, enjoy, fear, following, have, hold, keep, lack, go to law, lie, must needs, of necessity, need, next, recover, reign, rest, return, sick, take for, tremble, uncircumcised, use.

power 1413 dynastes, from 1410; a ruler or officer:----of great authority, mighty, potentate.

1410 dynamai, of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible:----be able, can (do), +cannot, could, may, might, be possible, be of power.

Candace 2582  Kandake, of foreign origin; Candace, an Egyptian queen:-----Candace.

queen 938 basilissa, feminine of 936; a queen:----queen.

936 basileuo, from 935; to rule (literally or figuratively):----king, reign.

935 basileus, probably from 939 (through the notion of a foundation of power); a soverign (abstract, relative or figurative):------king.

939 basis from baino (to walk); a pace (“base”), i.e. (by implication) the foot:----foot.

who 3739

was 2258

over 1909

all 3956

her 846

treasure 1047 gaza, of foreign origin; a treasure:-----treasure.

treasure (Origins Dict.) See THESIS. Greek thesauros, a store of objects laid up, hence treasure; English thesaurus, a store, a storehouse, a literary, or lexicographical, repository.

who 846 

had come 2064 erchomai, middle of a primary verb (used only in the personal imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred [middle] eleuthomai or [active] eltho, which do not otherwise occur); to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally or figuratively):----accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, call out, go, grow, light, next, pass, resort, be set.

worship 4352 proskylio, from 4314 and a probable derivative of 2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):-----worship.

fawn (1828 Dict. def.): See Fain.

1. To court favor, or show attachment to, by frisking about one; as, a dog fawns on his master.
2. To soothe, to flatter meanly; to blandish; to court servilely; to cringe and bow to gain favor; as a fawning favorite or minion. 

fain (ibid.) Sax. fagen, glad; fagnian, Gothic faginon, to rejoice.]

1. Glad; pleased; rejoiced. But the appropriate sense of the word is glad, or pleased to do something under some kind of necessity; that is, glad to evade evil or secure good. Thus, says Locke, “The learned Castalio was fain to make trenches at Basil, to keep himself from starving.” This appropriation of the word, which is modern, led Dr. Johnson into a mistake in defining the word. The proper signification is glad, joyful.

fain adverb (ibid.) Gladly; with joy or pleasure.  “He would fain have filled his belly with the husks.” Luke xv.   “He would fain flee out of his hand.” Job xxvii.

4314 pros, a strengthened form of 4253; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. wither or for which it is predicated.) In compounds it denotes essentially the same applications, namely, motion towards, accession to, or nearness at:-----about, according to, against, among, at, because of, before, between, by, whereby, for, at thy house, in, for intent, nigh unto, of, which pertain to, that, to (the end that), together, to, toward, unto, with (-in).

4352 pro, a primary preposition; “fore”, i.e. in front of, prior (figuratively superior) to. In the compounds it retains the same meanings:-----above, ago, before, or ever.

2965 kyon, a primary word; a dog [“hound”] (literal or figurative):-----dog.

heal 2323 therapeuo, from the same as 2324; to wait upon menially, i.e. (figuratively) to adore (God), or (specifically) to relieve (of disease):------cure, heal, worship.

servant 2324 therapon, apparently a participle from an otherwise obsolete derivative of the base of 2330; a menial attendant (as if cherishing):-----servant.

healing 2322 therapeia, from 2323; attendance (specifically medical, i.e. cure); figuratively and collectively domestics:-----healing, household.