Acts 8:5

φίλιππος δὲ : the Evangelist, cf. Acts 21:8, and note on Acts 6:5. εἰς πόλιν : if we insert the article (see above on critical notes), the expression means “the city of Samaria,” i.e., the capital of the district (so Weiss, Wendt, Zöckler, see Blass, in loco), or Sebaste, so called by Herod the Great in honour of Augustus, Σεβαστή (Jos., Ant., xv., 7, 3; 8, 5; Strabo, xvi., p. 860), see Schürer, Jewish People, div. ii., vol. 1, p. 123 ff., E.T., and O. Holtzmann, Neutest. Zeitgeschichte, p. 93. ἐκήρυσσεν : the revisers distinguish between this verb and εὐαγγελ. in Acts 8:4, the latter being rendered “preaching,” or more fully, preaching the glad tidings, and the former “proclaimed” (see also Page's note on the word, p. 131), but it is doubtful if we can retain this full force of the word always, e.g., Luke 4:44, where R.V. translates κηρύσσων, “preaching”. αὐτοῖς, i.e., the people in the city mentioned, see Blass, Grammatik, p. 162, and cf. Acts 16:10; Acts 20:2.