Actes 8:31

31 Il répondit: Comment le pourrais-je, si quelqu'un ne me guide? Et il invita Philippe à monter et à s'asseoir avec lui.

Actes 8:31 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 8:31

And he said, how can I, except some man should guide me?
&c.] Which shows that he was of an excellent spirit and temper; since instead of answering in a haughty and disdainful manner, as great men are too apt to do; and instead of charging Philip with, impertinence and insolence, in interrupting him whilst reading, and putting such a question to him, he expresses himself with great and uncommon modesty; with a sense and confession of his ignorance and incapacity and of the necessity and usefulness of the instructions of men, appointed of God to open and explain the Scriptures: and though he wanted such a guide, and could have been glad of one, yet he was willing to use all diligence himself in reading, that he, might, if possible, come at some knowledge of the truth; which was very commendable in him; and no doubt but the spirit he was in was much owing to his reading the word, and to the Spirit of God disposing his mind in this manner:

and he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him;
which is an instance of his great humanity and courteousness, and of his meekness and condescension, as well as of his vehement thirst after the knowledge of the Scriptures; he concluding, or at least hoping by Philip's question, and by the air and look of the man, that he was one that might be useful to him this way.

Actes 8:31 In-Context

29 L'Esprit dit à Philippe: Avance, et approche-toi de ce char.

30 Philippe accourut, et entendit l'Ethiopien qui lisait le prophète Esaïe. Il lui dit: Comprends-tu ce que tu lis?

31 Il répondit: Comment le pourrais-je, si quelqu'un ne me guide? Et il invita Philippe à monter et à s'asseoir avec lui.

32 Le passage de l'Ecriture qu'il lisait était celui-ci: Il a été mené comme une brebis à la boucherie; Et, comme un agneau muet devant celui qui le tond, Il n'a point ouvert la bouche.

33 Dans son humiliation, son jugement a été levé. Et sa postérité, qui la dépeindra? Car sa vie a été retranchée de la terre.