Acts 8:31
New International Version
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

New Living Translation
The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

English Standard Version
And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Berean Standard Bible
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Berean Literal Bible
And he said, "How indeed could I be able, unless someone will guide me?" And he invited Philip, having come up, to sit with him.

King James Bible
And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

New King James Version
And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

New American Standard Bible
And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

NASB 1995
And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

NASB 1977
And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Amplified Bible
And he said, “Well, how could I [understand] unless someone guides me [correctly]?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Christian Standard Bible
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me? ” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

American Standard Version
And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he said, “How can I understand unless a man will instruct me?” And he asked Philippus to come up and sit with him.

Contemporary English Version
The official answered, "How can I understand unless someone helps me?" He then invited Philip to come up and sit beside him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who said: And how can I, unless some man shew me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

English Revised Version
And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The official answered, "How can I understand unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to sit with him in his carriage.

Good News Translation
The official replied, "How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?" And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him.

International Standard Version
The man replied, "How can I unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.

Literal Standard Version
And he said, “Why, how am I able, if someone may not guide me?” He called Philip also, having come up, to sit with him.

Majority Standard Bible
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

New American Bible
He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.

NET Bible
The man replied, "How in the world can I, unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

New Revised Standard Version
He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

New Heart English Bible
He said, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up, and sit with him.

Weymouth New Testament
"Why, how can I," replied the eunuch, "unless some one explains it to me?" And he earnestly invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

World English Bible
He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

Young's Literal Translation
and he said, 'Why, how am I able, if some one may not guide me?' he called Philip also, having come up, to sit with him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Philip and the Ethiopian
30So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.…

Cross References
Acts 8:30
So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

Acts 8:32
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

Romans 10:14
How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?


Treasury of Scripture

And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

How.

Psalm 25:8,9
Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way…

Psalm 73:16,17,22
When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; …

Proverbs 30:2,3
Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man…

And he.

2 Kings 5:9,26
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha…

2 Kings 10:15,16
And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot…

Jump to Previous
Able Begged Besought Desired Earnestly Eunuch Except Guide Guides Invited Me Philip Possible Side Sit Someone Unless
Jump to Next
Able Begged Besought Desired Earnestly Eunuch Except Guide Guides Invited Me Philip Possible Side Sit Someone Unless
Acts 8
1. By occasion of the persecution in Jerusalem, the church being planted in Samaria,
4. by Philip the deacon, who preached, did miracles, and baptized many;
9. among the rest Simon the sorcerer, a great seducer of the people;
14. Peter and John come to confirm and enlarge the church;
15. where, by prayer and imposition of hands giving the Holy Spirit;
18. when Simon would have bought the like power of them,
20. Peter sharply reproving his hypocrisy and covetousness,
22. and exhorting him to repentance,
25. together with John preaching the word of the Lord, return to Jerusalem;
26. but the angel sends Philip to teach and baptize the Ethiopian Eunuch.














(31) How can I, except some man should guide me?--The words of the inquirer imply, as has been said above, that the prophecy was new to him. It is as though, in turning over, or perhaps unrolling, the MS., this was the passage which, in its strange, touching portraiture of the Man of Sorrows, had riveted his attention, and on which he was consequently dwelling with the prayer that some authorised interpreter would unfold its meaning. The word for "guide" connects itself with the title of "a guide of the blind," which the Rabbis were fond of claiming (Matthew 15:14; Romans 2:19).

Verse 31. - One shall for man should, A.V. and T.R.; he besought Philip to come up and sit with him for he desired Philip that he would, etc., A.V. He besought, etc. Tim humility and thirst for instruction of this great courtier are very remarkable, and the instance of the joint use of the written Word and the living teacher is noteworthy.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“How
Πῶς (Pōs)
Adverb
Strong's 4459: Adverb from the base of pou; an interrogative particle of manner; in what way?; also as exclamation, how much!

can I,”
δυναίμην (dynaimēn)
Verb - Present Optative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1410: (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.

he said,
εἶπεν (eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“unless
ἐὰν (ean)
Conjunction
Strong's 1437: If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.

someone
τις (tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

guides
ὁδηγήσει (hodēgēsei)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3594: To lead, guide; met: I instruct, teach. From hodegos; to show the way (teach).

me?”
με (me)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

And
τε (te)
Conjunction
Strong's 5037: And, both. A primary particle of connection or addition; both or also.

he invited
παρεκάλεσέν (parekalesen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3870: From para and kaleo; to call near, i.e. Invite, invoke.

Philip
Φίλιππον (Philippon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5376: From philos and hippos; fond of horses; Philippus, the name of four Israelites.

to come up
ἀναβάντα (anabanta)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 305: To go up, mount, ascend; of things: I rise, spring up, come up. From ana and the base of basis; to go up.

[and] sit
καθίσαι (kathisai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 2523: Another form for kathezomai; to seat down, i.e. Set; intransitively, to sit; figuratively, to settle.

with
σὺν (syn)
Preposition
Strong's 4862: With. A primary preposition denoting union; with or together.

him.
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


Links
Acts 8:31 NIV
Acts 8:31 NLT
Acts 8:31 ESV
Acts 8:31 NASB
Acts 8:31 KJV

Acts 8:31 BibleApps.com
Acts 8:31 Biblia Paralela
Acts 8:31 Chinese Bible
Acts 8:31 French Bible
Acts 8:31 Catholic Bible

NT Apostles: Acts 8:31 He said How can I unless someone (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 8:30
Top of Page
Top of Page