The Meaning of Acts 8:25 Explained

Acts 8:25

KJV: And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

YLT: They indeed, therefore, having testified fully, and spoken the word of the Lord, did turn back to Jerusalem; in many villages also of the Samaritans they did proclaim good news.

Darby: They therefore, having testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and announced the glad tidings to many villages of the Samaritans.

ASV: They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they, when  they had testified  and  preached  the word  of the Lord,  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  preached the gospel  in many  villages  of the Samaritans. 

What does Acts 8:25 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The subjects of this verse are evidently Peter and John. The fact that while they were returning to Jerusalem the apostles preached the gospel in other Samaritan towns shows that they fully accepted the Samaritans as fellow believers. Furthermore they welcomed them into the church. Quite a change had taken place in John"s heart in particular, and in Peter"s, since these disciples had visited Samaria with Jesus. John had wanted to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village (cf. Luke 9:52-54).
This mission into Samaria constituted a further gospel advance to the Gentiles. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as half Jew and half Gentile. In view of Peter"s later reluctance to go to the Gentiles (ch10) this incident was clearly part of God"s plan to broaden his vision. It prepared him to accept Gentiles into the church equally with Jews.

Context Summary

Acts 8:14-25 - Confirming New Believers
Simon attracted people to himself; he posed as a man of power and mystery. The gospel fixes our thoughts exclusively upon Jesus. We preach Him as Lord, and ourselves as servants for His sake. Simon's faith was spurious; he believed about rather than in Christ. John was sent with Peter to bring the fire of Pentecost to the very locality where formerly he and his brother had suggested that they should call fire from heaven to destroy. See Luke 9:54. May we not learn from this mission that some are specially qualified to lead others into the enjoyment of pentecostal blessing? In this service Peter used the power of the keys entrusted to him by the Master; and we may all do likewise when we lead others forward to claim that which awaits them in Christ Jesus.
Simon saw what an additional source of influence would accrue to him if only he could exert the same powers, but he had no idea of the spiritual conditions on which alone they could be obtained. Simony is the name for the practice of making gain by means of religion, 1 Timothy 6:5. Perhaps in Acts 8:22 does not indicate a doubt upon God's side, but upon Simon's side-whether his treacherous heart would ever be able to conform to the divine conditions. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

Greek Commentary for Acts 8:25

They therefore [οι μεν ουν]
Demonstrative οι — hoi with μεν — men (no following δε — de) and the inferential ουν — oun (therefore) as often in Acts (Acts 1:6, etc.). [source]
Returned [υπεστρεπον]
Imperfect active picturing the joyful journey of preaching (ευηγγελιζοντο — euēggelizonto imperfect middle) to the Samaritan villages. Peter and John now carried on the work of Philip to the Samaritans. This issue was closed. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 8:25

Acts 2:41 They then [οι μεν ουν]
A common phrase in Acts either without antithesis as in Acts 1:6; Acts 5:41; Acts 8:4, Acts 8:25; Acts 9:31; Acts 11:19; Acts 16:5; or with it as here, Acts 8:25; Acts 13:4; Acts 14:3; Acts 17:17; Acts 23:31; Acts 25:4. Ουν — Oun connects with what precedes as the result of Peter‘s sermon while μεν — men points forward to what is to follow. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 8:25 mean?

They indeed therefore having earnestly testified and having spoken the word of the Lord traveled back to Jerusalem to many then villages of the Samaritans they were preaching the gospel
Οἱ μὲν οὖν διαμαρτυράμενοι καὶ λαλήσαντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου ὑπέστρεφον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα πολλάς τε κώμας τῶν Σαμαριτῶν εὐηγγελίζοντο

μὲν  indeed 
Parse: Particle
Root: μέν  
Sense: truly, certainly, surely, indeed.
διαμαρτυράμενοι  having  earnestly  testified 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Middle, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: διαμαρτύρομαι  
Sense: to testify.
λαλήσαντες  having  spoken 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀπολαλέω 
Sense: to utter a voice or emit a sound.
λόγον  word 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
τοῦ  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Κυρίου  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
ὑπέστρεφον  traveled  back 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ὑποστρέφω  
Sense: to turn back.
Ἱεροσόλυμα  Jerusalem 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: Ἱεροσόλυμα  
Sense: denotes either the city itself or the inhabitants.
πολλάς  to  many 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: πολύς  
Sense: many, much, large.
κώμας  villages 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: κώμη  
Sense: the common sleeping place to which labourers in the field return, a village.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Σαμαριτῶν  Samaritans 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: Σαμαρίτης  
Sense: a Samaritan,.
εὐηγγελίζοντο  they  were  preaching  the  gospel 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Plural
Root: εὐαγγελίζω  
Sense: to bring good news, to announce glad tidings.