Acts 8:32
30 So 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.
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.
33 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”
34 “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- 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.
- KJV
- The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
- WEB
- Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth.
- ASV
- Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth:
- DARBY
- And the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth.
- BLB
- Now the passage of Scripture that he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb before the one shearing it [is] silent, so He does not open His mouth.
- ÅB
- Men det stykke av Skriften som han leste, var dette: Som en sau ble han ført bort for å slaktes, og lik et lam som er stumt for den som klipper det, slik åpner han ikke sin munn;
- OTB
- Nå var det avsnittet i Skriften han leste dette:
"Han ble ført som et lam til slakting,
og som et lam er stille foran den som klipper det,
så åpner han ikke sin munn. - B1930
- Men det stykke av Skriften som han leste, var dette: Som et får blev han ført bort for å slaktes, og lik et lam som er stumt for den som klipper det, således åpner han ikke sin munn;
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Isaiah 53:7–8
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
Read in context1 Peter 2:21–24
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
Read in contextJeremiah 51:40
I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.
Read in contextJeremiah 11:19
For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
Read in contextRomans 8:36
As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
Read in contextPsalms 44:11–12
You have given us up as sheep to be devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.
Read in contextPsalms 39:9
I have become mute; I do not open my mouth because of what You have done.
Read in contextPsalms 39:2
I was speechless and still; I remained silent, even from speaking good, and my sorrow was stirred.
Read in context