Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 8:27
And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
27. behold, a man of Ethiopia ] It is better to supply the substantive verb here, “behold there was, &c.” otherwise the conjunction at the commencement of the next verse is left untranslated.
Ethiopia, like Cush in the O. T., is a general name given to the country which is now called Nubia and Abyssinia. Its northern portion was the great kingdom of Meroe, which we know was ruled over by queens for a long period (Plin. H. N. vi. 29), and it is from this kingdom, most probably, that the eunuch had come. Jews were abundant in Egypt, and this man had become a proselyte to their religion.
under Candace queen of the Ethiopians ] We are told by Pliny (l. c.) that this was the name of a series of queens of Meroe, just as Pharaoh at an early period and Ptolemy subsequently were general names for the kings of Egypt, and Csar for the Roman emperors.
and had come to Jerusalem for to worship ] As proselytes did, as well as Jews. This we learn from the enumeration of those who were present at the feast of Pentecost (Act 2:10), among whom proselytes are expressly named. So (Joh 12:20) we find Greeks coming up to the feasts at Jerusalem.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A man of Ethiopia – Gaza was near the confines between Palestine and Egypt. It was in the direct road from Jerusalem to Egypt. Ethiopia was one of the great kingdoms of Africa, part of which is now called Abyssinia. It is frequently mentioned in Scripture under the name of Cush. But Cush comprehended a much larger region, including the southern part of Arabia, and even sometimes the countries adjacent to the Tigris and Euphrates. Ethiopia proper lay south of Egypt, on the Nile, and was bounded north by Egypt, that is, by the cataracts near Syene; east by the Red Sea, and perhaps part by the Indian Ocean; south by unknown regions in the interior of Africa; and west by Libya and the deserts. It comprehended the modern kingdoms of Nubia or Sennaar, and Abyssinia. The chief city in it was the ancient Meroe, situated on the island or tract of the same name, between the Nile and Ashtaboras, not far from the modern Shendi Robinsons Calmet).
An eunuch … – See the notes on Mat 19:12. Eunuchs were commonly employed in attendance on the females of the harem; but the word is often used to denote any confidential officer, or counselor of state. It is evidently so used here.
Of great authority – Of high rank; an officer of the court. It is clear from what follows that this man was a Jew. But it is known that Jews were often raised to posts of high honor and distinction in foreign courts, as in the case of Joseph in Egypt, and of Daniel in Babylon.
Under Candace … – Candace is said to have been the common name of the queens of Ethiopia, as Pharaoh was of the sovereigns of Egypt. This is expressly stated by Pliny (Nat. History, 7:29). His words are: The edifices of the city were few; a woman reigned there of the name of Candace, which name had been transmitted to these queens for many years. Strabo mentions also a queen of Ethiopia of the name of Candace. Speaking of an insurrection against the Romans, he says, Among these were the officers of queen Candace, who in our days reigned over the Ethiopians. As this could not have been the Candace mentioned here, it is plain that the name was common to these queens – a sort of royal title. She was probably queen of Meroe, an important part of Ethiopia (Bruces Travels, vol. ii, p. 431; Clarke).
Who had the charge … – The treasurer was an officer of high trust and responsibility.
And had come … – This proves that he was a Jew, or at least a Jewish proselyte. It was customary for the Jews in foreign lands, as far as practicable, to attend the great feasts at Jerusalem. He had gone up to attend the Passover, etc. See the notes on Act 2:5.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 27. A man of Ethiopia] should be translated an Ethiopian, for the reasons given on Ac 7:2.
An eunuch] See this word interpreted, on Mt 19:12. The term eunuch was given to persons in authority at court, to whom its literal meaning did not apply. Potiphar was probably an eunuch only as to his office; for he was a married man. See Acts 37:36; Acts 39:1. And it is likely that this Ethiopian was of the same sort.
Of great authority] , A perfect lord chamberlain of the royal household; or, rather, her treasurer, for it is here said, he had charge of all her treasure, . The apparent Greek word , Gaza, is generally allowed to be Persian, from the authority of Servius, who, in his comment on AEn. lib. i. ver. 118:-
Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto,
Arma virum, tabulaeque, et Troia GAZA per undas.
“And here and there above the waves are seen
Arms, pictures, precious goods, and floating men.”
DRYDEN.
The words of Servius are: “Gaza Persicus sermo est, et significat divitias; unde Gaza urbs in Palaestina dicitur, quod in ea Cambyses rex Persarum cum AEgyptiis bellum inferret divitias suas condidit.” GAZA is a Persian word, and signifies RICHES: hence Gaza, a city in Palestine, was so called because Cambyses, king of Persia, laid up his treasures in it, when he waged war with the Egyptians. The nearest Persian word of this signification which I find is [Persian] gunj, or ganz, and [Persian] gunja, which signify a magazine, store, hoard, or hidden treasure. The Arabic [Arabic] kluzaneh, comes as near as the Persian, with the same meaning. Hence [Arabic] makhzen, called magazen by the Spaniards, and magazine by the English; a word which signifies a collection of stores or treasures, or the place where they are laid up. It is scarcely necessary to remark that this name is given also to certain monthly publications, which are, or profess to be, a store of treasures, or repository of precious, or valuable things.
But who was Candace? It is granted that she is not found in the common lists of Ethiopic sovereigns with which we have been favoured. But neither the Abyssinians nor the Jews admitted women in their genealogies. I shall not enter into this controversy, but shall content myself with quoting the words of Mr. Bruce. “It is known,” says he, “from credible writers engaged in no controversy, that this Candace reigned upon the Nile in Atbara, near Egypt. Her capital also, was taken in the time of Augustus, a few years before the conversion of the slave by Philip; and we shall have occasion often to mention her successors and her kingdom, as existing in the reign of the Abyssinian kings, long after the Mohammedan conquest: they existed when I passed through Atbara, and do undoubtedly exist there to this day.”-Bruce’s Travels, vol. ii. p. 431.
It does not appear, as some have imagined, that the Abyssinians were converted to the Christian faith by this eunuch, nor by any of the apostles; as there is strong historic evidence that they continued Jews and Pagans for more than three hundred years after the Christian aera. Their conversion is with great probability attributed to Frumentius, sent to Abyssinia for that purpose by Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, about A.D. 330. See Bruce as above.
The Ethiopians mentioned here are those who inhabited the isle or peninsula of Meroe, above and southward of Egypt. It is the district which Mr. Bruce calls Atbara, and which he proves formerly bore the name of Meroe. This place, according to Diodorus Siculus, had its name from Meroe, daughter of Cambyses, king of Persia, who died there in the expedition which her father undertook against the Ethiopians. Strabo mentions a queen in this very district named Candace: his words are remarkable. Speaking of an insurrection of the Ethiopians against the Romans he says: ‘ , ‘ , , , “Among these were the officers of Queen CANDACE, who in our days reigned over the Ethiopians. She was a masculine woman, and blind of one eye.” Though this could not have been the Candace mentioned in the text, it being a little before the Christian aera, yet it establishes the fact that a queen of this name did reign in this place; and we learn from others that it was a common name to the queens of Ethiopia. Pliny, giving an account of the report made by Nero’s messengers, who were sent to examine this country, says, AEdificia oppidi (Meroes) pauca: regnare faeminam CANDACEN; quod nomen multis jam annis ad reginas transiit. Hist. Nat. lib. vi. cap. 29, ad fin. They reported that “the edifices of the city were few: that a woman reigned there of the name of Candace; which name had passed to their queens, successively, for many years.” To one of those queens the eunuch in the text belonged; and the above is sufficient authority to prove that queens of this name reigned over this part of Ethiopia.
Had come to Jerusalem for to worship] Which is a proof that he was a worshipper of the God of Israel; but how came he acquainted with the Jewish religion? Let us, for a little, examine this question. In 1Kg 10:1, c., we have the account of the visit paid to Solomon by the queen of Sheba, the person to whom our Lord refers, Mt 12:42, and Lu 11:31. It has been long credited by the Abyssinians that this queen, who by some is called Balkis, by others Maqueda, was not only instructed by Solomon in the Jewish religion, but also established it in her own empire on her return that she had a son by Solomon named Menilek, who succeeded her in the kingdom; and, from that time till the present, they have preserved the Jewish religion. Mr. Bruce throws some light upon this subject: the substance of what he says is the following: “There can be no doubt of the expedition of the queen of Sheba; as Pagan, Moor, Arab, Abyssinian, and all the countries round, vouch for it, nearly in the terms of Scripture. Our Saviour calls her queen of the south; and she is called, in 1Kg 10:1, c., 2Ch 9:1, c., queen of Sheba or Saba for Saba, Azab, and Azaba, all signify the south: and she is said to have come from the uttermost parts of the earth. In our Saviour’s time the boundaries of the known land, southward, were Raptam or Prassum which were the uttermost parts of the known earth, and were with great propriety so styled by our Lord. The gold, myrrh, cassia, and frankincense, which she brought with her, are all products of that country. The annals of the Abyssinians state that she was a pagan when she left Saba or Azab, to visit Solomon; and that she was there converted and had a son by Solomon, who succeeded her in the kingdom, as stated above. All the inhabitants of this country, whether Jews or Christians, believe this; and, farther, that the 45th Psalm Ps 45:1, c. was a prophecy of her journey to Jerusalem that she was accompanied by a daughter of Hiram from Tyre; and that the latter part of the Psalm is a prophecy of her having a son by Solomon, and of his ruling over the Gentiles.” Travels, vol. ii. page 395, c. All this being granted, and especially the Scripture fact of the queen of Sheba’s visit, and the great probability, supported by uninterrupted tradition, that she established the Jewish religion in her dominions on her return, we may at once see that the eunuch in question was a descendant of those Jews or that he was a proselyte in his own country to the Jewish faith, and was now come up at the great feast to worship God at Jerusalem. Mr. Bruce may be right; but some think that Saba, in Arabia Felix, is meant: See Clarke on Mt 12:42.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A man of Ethiopia: the Ethiopians were the most despicable unto the Jews; and Homer calls them, ; but God would now show that there is no difference of nations with him; but in every nation, he that worketh righteousness shall be accepted, Act 10:35.
An eunuch; in great esteem in courts, especially to attend on queens, to avoid all suspicion: here that prophecy was fulfilled, Isa 56:4,5; though both in the Hebrew and (anciently) in the Greek tongue a eunuch signified more largely, viz. any attendant in the chamber.
Candace; a name common to the queens of that country; as all the kings of Egypt were called Pharaohs, and the emperors of Germany are called Caesars.
Come to Jerusalem for to worship; being a proselyte, he had been to worship God in that solemn festival of the passover.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27. a man of EthiopiaUpperEgypt, Meroe.
an eunuch of greatauthorityEunuchs were generally employed for confidentialoffices in the East, and to some extent are still.
Candacethe family nameof the queens of Upper Egypt, like Pharaoh, Csar, c. (as appearsfrom classic authors).
had come to Jerusalem toworshipthat is, to keep the recent feast of Pentecost, as aGentile proselyte to the Jewish faith. (See Isa 56:3-8Joh 12:20).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he arose and went,…. As soon as he had his orders, he immediately obeyed them; he made no dispute about the matter, though he was directed only part of his way, and had no account of what he went about, or was to do;
and behold, a man of Ethiopia; or “a man, an Ethiopian”; an Hebraism, such as “a man a Jew”, Zec 8:23 wherefore his being called a man, is no contradiction to his being an eunuch; for the word “man” does not regard his sex, but with the other the country of which he was; and it is the same as if he had only been called an Ethiopian, which signifies one of a black countenance; for Ethiopia was not so called from Ethiops, the son of Vulcan, who is said to reign over it, but from the colour of its inhabitants;
Jer 13:23. This country in the Hebrew language is called Cush, and the people of it Cushites, from Cush the son of Ham, Ge 10:6 And so Josephus says i, that the Ethiopians over whom he (Cush) reigned, are now by themselves, and by all in Asia, called Chuseans; and so likewise the inhabitants of upper Ethiopia, or the Abyssines, are to this day called Cussinns, by the Portuguese. Geographers make mention of two Ethiopias, one in Africa, divided into upper and lower, and which is here meant; and the other in Asia and a part of Arabia, and which is the Ethiopia spoken of in the Old Testament: a note of admiration is prefixed, to observe to us what was remarkable in providence that just at this time, and in this way, such a man should be travelling; and what was still a greater wonder of grace, that such an one should be the object of God’s peculiar favour, and should be chosen and called, have the Gospel preached to him, and be admitted to an ordinance of it; whereby some prophecies began to have their accomplishment in part, Ps 68:31
An eunuch of great authority; he might be one that was literally so, it being common for eastern princes and great men to have such persons as guards over their wives, to preserve their chastity; and so hereby was a fulfilment in part of Isa 56:3 though this word is used to denote a person in office: so Potiphar is called
, an eunuch, though he had a wife, and which we rightly render an officer; and the Chaldee paraphrase renders it, , “a prince”, or great man, Ge 39:1. So Balaam is said k to be one of the king’s eunuchs, and yet Jannes and Jambres are said to be his sons; and the word Dynastes here used, which we translate “of great authority”, may be considered as explanative of the word eunuch; to teach us, that this word was not expressive of his case, but a title of office: it is reported of this eunuch, that after his conversion he preached the Gospel to the inhabitants of Zeylan and Arabia Felix, and in the island of Traprobane in the Red sea, and at last suffered martyrdom l: this great person said to be
under Candace queen of the Ethiopians; that is, of those Ethiopians who inhabited the island of Meroe; for Candace, or Candaoce, as Pliny m reads it, was a common name of the queens of that island, as Pharaoh was of the Egyptian kings, and Caesar of the Roman emperors: the word Candace signifies a governor of children, that is, servants; it is derived from the Ethiopic word , “Kani”, which signifies to govern; and from , “Dak, a child”, or servant; and the king of the Abyssines is to this day called Prestar Chan, or Kan, a prince of servants, who is commonly and corruptly called Prester John; and Chan, or Kan, is a well known name for an emperor or governor in the eastern countries as with the Tartars and Persians, witness the late famous Kouli Kan. Some say n, her proper name was Judith, others Lacasa o, and others Hendake, or Indich; which, as Ludolphus p observes, is no other than Candace; though this last name Indich, according to Zaga Zabo, an ambassador of the king of the Ethiopians, was the name of the eunuch himself; his words, as reported by Damianus a Goes q, are these;
“we, almost before all other Christians, received baptism from the eunuch of Candace, queen of Ethiopia, whose name was Indich:”
who had the charge of all her treasure; was her lord treasurer; which shows, that he was not an eunuch to her on account of chastity, but an high officer in her kingdom: the word Gaza here used, signifies in the Persian language treasure, or treasury r. The Ethiopic version takes it for the name of a place, and renders it, “and he was governor of the city of Gaza”, but very wrongly: “and had come to Jerusalem for to worship”; hence he seems to have been either a Jew by birth, or rather a proselyte to the Jewish religion; and had been at Jerusalem at one of their annual feasts, the passover, “pentecost”, or tabernacles, to worship the God of Israel, whom he believed to be the only true God.
i Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 2. k Heb. Chron. Mosis, fol. 4. 2. & 6. 2. l Fabricii Lux Evangelii, p. 115, 708. m Hist. Nat. l. 6. c. 29. Vid. Alexand. ab Alex. l. 1. c. 2. n Godignus de rebus Abysainis, p. 117. apud Castel. Lex Polyglott. col. 4003. o Mariani Reatini Catalog. Reg. Aethiop. in De Dieu in loc. p Hist. Ethiop. l. 3. c. 2. q In De Dieu in loc. r Mela, v. 1. p. 22. Alex. ab Alex. l. 2. c. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
A eunuch of great authority ( ). Eunuchs were often employed by oriental rulers in high posts. Dynasty comes from this old word used of princes in Lu 1:52 and of God in 1Ti 6:15. Eunuchs were not allowed to be Jews in the full sense (De 23:1), but only proselytes of the gate. But Christianity is spreading to Samaritans and to eunuchs.
Candace (). Not a personal name, but like Pharaoh and Ptolemy, the title of the queens of Ethiopia. This eunuch apparently brought the gospel to Ethiopia.
Treasure (). Persian word, common in late Greek and Latin for the royal treasure, here only in the N.T.
For to worship (). Future active participle expressing purpose, a common idiom in the ancient Greek, but rare in the N.T. (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1128).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Of Ethiopia. The name for the lands lying south of Egypt, including the modern Nubia, Cordofan, and Northern Abyssinia. Rawlinson speaks of subjects of the Ethiopian queens living in an island near Meroe, in the northern part of this district. He further remarks : “The monuments prove beyond all question that the Ethiopians borrowed from Egypt their religion and their habits of civilization. They even adopted the Egyptian as the language of religion and of the court, which it continued to be till the power of the Pharaohs had fallen, and their dominion was again confined to the frontier of Ethiopia. It was through Egypt, too, that Christianity passed into Ethiopia, even in the age of the apostles, as is shown by the eunuch of Queen Candace.”
Of great authority [] . A general term for a potentate.
Candace. The common name of the queens of Meroe : a titular distinction, like Pharaoh in Egypt, or Caesar at Rome.
Treasure [] . Only here in New Testament. A Persian word.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And he arose and went,” (kai anastas eporeuthe) “And he arose and went away,” Immediately and obediently, along that southerly direction of winding roads, paths, or ways over hiIIs, vaIIeys, and across p I a ins into the desert of Gaza.
2) “And, behold, a man of Ethiopia,” (kai idiou aner aithops) “And behold a responsible man, an Ethiopian,” a Cushite descendant of Ham; a country laying south of Egypt to the merging of the two branches of the Nile River and perhaps extended east to the Red Sea.
3) “An eunuch of great authority under Candace,” (eunouchos dunastes Kandakes) “A eunuch, an important man of powerful standing (a courtier) of Candace,” one with extended influence and respect from the Oriental court of his country.
4) “Queen of the Ethiopians,” (basilissees Athiopon) “Who was queen of the Ethiopians,” her servant, the Eunuch wore the Persian title Candace, an official title similar to that of Pharaoh, not a personal name.
5) “Who had the charge of all her treasure,” (hos en epi pases tes gazes autes) “A man who was over all of her treasure,” a supervisor of investments, expenditures, and accounting on her behalf, lord treasurer or chamberlain of her household.
6) “And had come to Jerusalem for to worship,” (hos eleluthei prookuneson eis lerousalem) “A man who had come worshipping (to worship) in Jerusalem;” Both proselytes and foreign Jews journeyed to Jerusalem periodically to worship, as to wit on Pentecost. He was either a Jew or a proselyte, one converted to Judaism from the Gentiles.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
27. Behold, a man, an Ethiopian. He calleth him a man, who he saith shortly after was an eunuch; but because kings and queens in the East were wont to appoint eunuchs over their weighty affairs, thereby it came to pass that lords of great power were called generally (531) eunuchs, whereas, notwithstanding, they were men. Furthermore, Philip findeth indeed, now at length, that he did not obey God in vain. Therefore, whosoever committeth the success to God, and goeth on forward thither whither he biddeth him, he shall at length try (532) that all that falleth out well which is taken in hand at his appointment. (533) The name Candace was not the name of one queen only; but as all the emperors of Rome were called Caesars,, so the Ethiopians, as Pliny withesseth, called their queens Candaces. This maketh also unto the matter that the writers of histories report that that was a noble and wealthy kingdom, because it may the better be gathered by the royalty and power thereof how gorgeous the condition and dignity of the eunuch was. The head and principal place (534) was Meroe. The profane writers agree with Luke, who report that women used to reign there.
Came [had come] to worship. Hereby we gather that the name of the true God was spread far abroad, seeing he had some worshippers in far countries. Certes, it must needs be that this man did openly profess another worship than his nation; for so great a lord could not come into Judea by stealth, and undoubtedly he brought with him a great train. And no marvel if there were some everywhere in the East parts which worshipped the true God, because that after the people were scattered abroad, there was also some smell (535) of the knowledge of the true God spread abroad with them throughout foreign countries; yea, the banishment (536) of the people was a spreading abroad of true godliness. Also, we see that though the Romans did condemn the Jewish religion with many cruel edicts, yet could they not bring to pass but that many, even on [in] heaps, would profess the same. (537) These were certain beginnings (538) of the calling of the Gentiles, until such time as Christ, having with the brightness of his coming put away the shadows of the law, might take away the difference which was between the Jews and the Gentiles; and having pulled down the wall of separation, he might gather together from all parts the children of God, (Eph 2:14.)
Whereas the eunuch came to Jerusalem to worship, it must not be accounted any superstition. He might, indeed, have called (539) upon God in his own country, but this man would not omit the exercises which were prescribed to the worshippers of God; and, therefore, this was his purpose, not only to nourish faith privily (540) in his heart, but also to make profession of the same amongst men. And yet, notwithstanding, he could not be so divorced (541) from his nation, but that he might well know that he should be hated of many. But he made more account of the external profession of religion, which he knew God did require, than of the favor of men. And if such a small sparkle of the knowledge of the law did so shine in him, what a shame were it for us to choke the perfect light of the gospel with unfaithful silence? If any do object that the sacrifices were even then abrogated, and that now the time was come wherein God would be called upon everywhere without difference of place, we may easily answer, that those to whom the truth of the gospel was not yet revealed, were retained in the shadows of the law without any superstition. For whereas it is said that the law was abolished by Christ, as concerning the ceremonies, it is thus to be understood, that where Christ showeth himself plainly, those rites vanish away which prefigured him when he was absent. Whereas the Lord suffered the eunuch to come to Jerusalem before he sent him a teacher, it is to be thought that it was done for this cause, because it was profitable that he should yet be framed by the rudiments of the law, that he might be made more apt afterward to receive the doctrine of the gospel. And whereas God sent none of the apostles unto him (542) at Jerusalem, the cause lieth hid in his secret counsel, unless, peradventure, it were done that he might make more account of the gospel, as of some treasure found suddenly, and offered unto him contrary to hope; or because it was better that Christ should be set before him, after that being separated and withdrawn from the external pomp of ceremonies and the beholding of the temple, he sought the way of salvation quietly at such time as he was at rest. (543)
(531) “ Promiscue,” promiscuously.
(532) “ Experietur,” will experience.
(533) “ Ejus auspiciis et mandato,” under his auspices, and by his command.
(534) “ Primaria sedes,” metropolis.
(535) “ Odor,” savour.
(536) “ Exilium populi,” the exile of the people, the captivity of the Jews.
(537) “ Turmatim multi ad eam transirent,” from going over, becoming proselytes, to it in crowds
(538) “ Praeludia,” preludes to.
(539) “ Deum precari,” have prayed to God.
(540) “ Et clanculum,” and stealthily, omitted.
(541) “ Divortium facere,” differ from.
(542) “ Neminem ex apostolis illi Deus obtulerit,” God cast none of the apostles in is way.
(543) “ Liberius in otio et quiete,” more freely in ease and quiet.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(27) A man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority.Literally, a eunuch, a potentate. The Ethiopia from which the traveller came was the region so named by the geographers of St. Lukes time in the upper valley of the Nile. Its connection with the Jewish people presents many points of interest. There seems reason to believe that in the time of Manasseh, who (according to the statement in the narrative of Aristeas as to the LXX. translation) formed an alliance with Psammetichus king of Egypt, a considerable body of Jews were sent off to protect the outposts of his kingdom, and it is in reference, probably, to these that Zephaniah speaks of the suppliants of the daughter of my dispersed beyond the rivers of Ethiopia (Zep. 3:10). Jewish influences had accordingly been at work there for some centuries. They may probably be traced in the piety of the Ethiopian eunuch, Ebed-melech, in the time of Jeremiah (Jer. 38:7-13; Jer. 39:16-18). Even at an earlier period the hopes of Israel had looked forward to, perhaps had actually seen, the admission of Ethiopians among the citizens of Zion (Psa. 87:4), Ethiopia stretching forth her hands unto God (Psa. 68:31). The fact that the traveller had come as a pilgrim or a proselyte, shows (if, as the narrative implies, the latter) that he was a circumcised proselyte of righteousness. His baptism was not, like that of Cornelius, the admission of a Gentile as such. The word eunuch has been taken by some commentators as meaning only chamberlain, which is, indeed, the strict etymological sense of the word. Its use in Mat. 19:12, and indeed in later Greek writers generally, is, however, in favour of the literal sense of the word. The strict letter of Deu. 23:1, forbidding the admission of such persons into the congregation of the Lord, had been already modified (probably on the assumption that the state was not one which they had brought about by their own act) in favour of the sons of the stranger, the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, by Isaiah (Isa. 56:4); and we may well think of St. Luke, as glad to record a proof that the discipline of the Church of Christ was as liberal on this point as the teaching of the Evangelical prophet. It is interesting to note that the first act of the first (Ecumenical Council was to formulate a like rule in dealing with such cases of the kind as then presented themselves (Conc. Nic. Song of Solomon 1), admitting those who were not self-mutilated even into the ranks of the clergy.
Under Candace queen of the Ethiopians.The quantity of the second syllable is uncertain, but the analogy of Cance is in favour of its being short. The knowledge of the student of Strabo (Strabo, xvii. p. 820) may, perhaps, be traced in the description. He mentions a Queen of Mero, in Ethiopia, bearing the name of Candace. The occurrence of the same name in Plin. iv. 35, Dion.-Cass. liv. 5, indicates that it was, like Pharaoh, a dynastic name or title. Eusebius (Hist. ii. 1) states that in his time (circ. A.D. 430) the region was still under the rule of a queen, according to the custom of the country.
Who had the charge of all her treasure.The Greek word for treasure is Gaza, a word of Persian origin, which about this time had come into use both among Greek and Latin writers (Cicero, de Off. ii. 22). The LXX. translators employ it in Ezr. 5:17; Ezr. 6:1; Ezr. 7:21; Isa. 39:2. Aristotle (Hist. Plant. viii. 11) is the first Greek writer in whom we find it naturalised. It is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but a compound form appears as denoting the treasury of the Temple in Luk. 21:1. The coincidence between this Gaza and the name of the town is at least suggestive of the thought that St. Luke saw in it a nomen et omen. The man came from one Gaza, and was going to another; and he, like the man in the parable of Mat. 13:44, found a treasure which he had not looked for, but which came to him as the reward of his diligently seeking.
Had come to Jerusalem for to worship.The act itself, even prior to the eunuchs conversion by Philip, was a fulfilment of the hope of the prophet Zephaniah cited above. Whether of Jewish origin or incorporated as a proselyte of righteousness, he belonged to the daughter of the dispersed, and so long a journey by a man in so high a position was in itself a notable event. He came seeking, we must believe, for light and wisdom, and they were given him beyond his expectations.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a high official (or ‘eunuch’) of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.’
Obediently Philip arose and went. And there in the place described he found a large and richly laden caravan travelling along the road, with, included within it, a splendid chariot or covered ox wagon, carrying someone who was clearly of great importance. He was to learn that the man came from Nubia, where he had overall control of the ‘Ethiopian’ treasury on behalf of the queen. He was her Minister of Finance. And he had visited Jerusalem in order to worship there.
Many such God-fearers sought at some time to make the trip to Jerusalem where they could be at the very heart of the religion that they respected and adhered to. To many it would be the trip of a lifetime, and they would remember their first glorious view of the Temple, the richly garbed High Priest, and the high emotional and religious atmosphere for ever. But it had probably not fulfilled all his expectations. Being the influential person he was he would probably have had personal contact with the hierarchy and may well have been shocked by their worldliness and political ambitions, having dreamed of meeting men of deep spirituality. He had had such hopes. He might well have been disillusioned. Thus as he left there he had in his heart a yearning for something more, and hungry of soul he was reading the Scriptures. Little did he realise that soon there would approach him a refugee fleeing from the High Priest, but who was the representative of the Angel of the Lord, and he would get to the root of his dilemma.
‘A high official/eunuch of great authority.’ Many men of high position were eunuchs, for it made them safe to be among the women of the court, and not a threat to the throne by producing children. And this man was of high position indeed. But if he was a eunuch it could only make him feel inferior in his relationship to the God of Judaism, for eunuchs were seen as restricted in their approach to God (Deu 23:1 as interpreted in 1st century AD). It may, however, be that the term here simply means ‘high court official’, as it often does.
‘Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.’ Or more probably of those in the region of Upper Nubia. ‘Candace’ would be her throne name. Nubian women rulers bearing this title during the Hellenistic period are well attested in ancient literature. She ruled on behalf of her son who as the child of the sun god was considered too ‘holy’ to be involved in mundane affairs. Her real name may have been Amanitare
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 8:27-28. A man of Ethiopia, an eunuch, &c. A certain Ethiopian eunuch, a grandee of Candace, &c. See the note on Gen 37:36. It appears that Candace was a name common to several of the queens who reigned in Meroe, a part of Ethiopia to the south of Egypt. Perhaps the eunuch had been lately brought over to the Jewish religion; to which it is plain he was a proselyte, and so was not much acquainted with the national expectation of a Messiah, and much less with their prophesies. See Act 8:31. Probably the chariot in which he was sitting was something in the form of our chaises with four wheels; for though the eunuch did not guide it himself, there was room for another person to come and sit with him: the driver therefore seems to have sat on a seat by himself.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 8:27 . ] And behold (there was) a man . Comp. on Mat 3:17 .
] is, seeing that is a substantive, most simply taken, not conjointly (a power-wielding eunuch , after the analogy of Herod. ii. 32: , comp. Sir 8:1 ), but separately: a eunuch, one wielding power , so that there is a double apposition (see Bornemann in loc ). The more precise description, what kind of wielder of power he was, follows (chief treasurer, , Plut. Mor. p. 823 C; Athen. vi. p. 261 B). The express mention of his sexual character is perhaps connected with the universalism of Luke, in contrast to Deu 23:1 . In the East, eunuchs were taken not only to be overseers of the harem, but also generally to fill the most important posts of the court and the closet (Pignor. de servis , p. 371 f.; Winer, Realw. s.v. Verschnittene ); hence is often employed generally of court officials, without regard to corporeal mutilation. See de Dieu, in loc. ; Spanheim, ad Julian. Oratt. p. 174. Many therefore (Cornelius a Lapide, de Dieu, Kuinoel, Olshausen) suppose that the Ethiopian was not emasculated, for he is called and he was not a complete Gentile (as Eusebius and Nicephorus would make him), but, according to Act 8:30 ff., a Jew, whereas Israelitish citizenship did not belong to emasculated persons (Deu 23:1 ; Michaelis, Mos. R. II. 95, IV. 185; Ewald, Alterth. p. 218). But if so, , with which, moreover, the general word [228] is sufficiently compatible, would be an entirely superfluous term. The very fact, however, that he was an officer of the first rank in the court of a queen , makes it most probable that he was actually a eunuch ; and the objection drawn from Deut. l.c. is obviated by the very natural supposition that he was a proselyte of the gate (comp. on Joh 12:20 ). That this born Gentile, although a eunuch, had been actually received into the congregation of Israel (Baumgarten), and accordingly a proselyte of righteousness , as Calovius and others assumed, cannot be proved either from Isa 56:3-6 , where there is a promise of the Messianic future , in the salvation of which even Gentiles and eunuchs were to share; nor from the example of Ebedmelech, Jer 38:7 ff. (considered by Baumgarten as the type of the chamberlain), of whom it is not said that he was a complete Jew; nor can it be inferred from the distant journey of the man and his quick reception of baptism (Lange, apost. Zeitalt. II. p. 109), which is a very arbitrary inference. Eusebius, ii. 1, also designates him as , who had been converted. was, like Pharaoh among the Egyptian kings, the proper name in common of the queens of Ethiopia , which still in the times of Eusebius was governed by queens. See Strabo, xvii. 1. 54, p. 820; Dio Cass. liv. 5; Plin. N. H. iv. 35. 7. Their capital was Napata . See particularly Laurent, neutest. Stud. p. 140 ff.
On , a word received from the Persian (“pecuniam regiam, quam gazam Persae vocant,” Curt. iii. 13. 5) into Greek and Latin, see Serv. ad Virgil. Aen. i. 119, vol. i. p. 30, ed. Lion. and Wetstein in loc.
, as in vi. 3. Nepos, Datam. 5 : “gazae custos regiae.”
Tradition (Bzovius, Annal. ad a. 1524, p. 542), with as much uncertainty as improbability (Ludolf, Comm. ad Hist. Aeth. p. 89 f.), calls the Ethiopian Indich and Judich , and makes him, what is without historical proof, doubtless, but in itself not improbable, though so early a permanent establishment of Christianity in Ethiopia is not historically known, the first preacher of the gospel among his countrymen, whose queen the legend with fresh invention makes to be baptized by him (Niceph. ii. 6).
[228] He might even have been married . See Gen 39:1 , and Knobel in loc.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
Ver. 27. Candace ] This, saith Pliny, was a common name to the Ethiopian queens, as Caesar was to the Roman emperors. Her country might haply be that large region of Nubia, which had from the apostles’ time (as it is thought) professed the Christian faith; but hath again above a hundred years since forsaken it, and embraced instead of it, partly Mahometanism, and partly idolatry; and that by the most miserable occasion that might befall, namely, famine of the word of God through lack of ministers.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
27. ] The very general use of eunuchs in the East for filling offices of confidence, and the fact that this man was minister to a female sovereign, makes it probable that he was literally an eunuch. If not so, the word would hardly have been expressed. No difficulty arises from Deu 23:1 , for no inference can be drawn from the history further than that he may have been a proselyte of the gate, in whose case the prohibition would not apply. Nay, the whole occurrence seems to have had one design, connected with this fact. The walls of partition were one after another being thrown down: the Samaritans were already in full possession of the Gospel: it was next to be shewn that none of those physical incapacities which excluded from the congregation of the Lord under the old covenant, formed any bar to Christian baptism and the inheritance among believers; and thus the way gradually paved for the great and as yet incomprehensible truth of Gal 3:28 .
] As Pharaoh among the Egyptians was the customary name of kings, so Candce of the Queens among the thiopians in upper Egypt ( , Dio Cass. liv. 5), in the island of Meroe, Plin. vi. 29, where he says, ‘Ipsum oppidum Meroen ab introitu insul abesse LXX m. pass. Regnare fminam Candacen, quod nomen multis jam annis ad reginas transiit. Cterum cum potirentur rerum thiopes, insula ea magn claritatis fuit.’
] A Persian term. Q. Curt. iii. 13. 5, ‘pecuniam regiam, quam gazam Pers vocant.’ See Virg. n. i.119.
] This did not only Jews and proselytes, but also those pious Gentiles who adhered to Judaism, the proselytes of the gate, see Joh 12:20 . Euseb. ii. 1, prope fin., speaking of this eunuch says, , . . ., taking for granted that he was a Gentile. There were (see below, ch. Act 11:21 ) cases of Gentile conversion before that of Cornelius; and the stress of the narrative in ch. 10 consists in the miscellaneous admission of all the Gentile company of Cornelius, and their official reception into the church by that Apostle to whom was especially given the power. We may remark, that if even the plain revelation by which the reception of Cornelius and his company was commanded failed finally to convince Peter, so that long after this he vacillated ( Gal 2:11-12 ), it is no argument for the eunuch not being a Gentile, that his conversion and baptism did not remove the prejudices of the Jewish Christians.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 8:27 . : immediate and implicit obedience. , see on Act 1:11 ; cf. Hort, Ecclesia , p. 179, on the force of the phrase; used characteristically by St. Luke of sudden and as it were providential interpositions, Act 1:10 , Act 10:17 , Act 12:7 , and see note on Act 16:1 . : the word can be taken literally, for there is no contradiction involved in Deu 23:1 , as he would be simply “a proselyte of the gate” (Hort, Judaistic Christianity , p. 54). The instances sometimes referred to as showing that the exclusion of eunuchs from the congregation of the Lord was relaxed in the later period of Jewish history can scarcely hold good, since Isa 56:3 refers to the Messianic future in which even the heathen and the eunuchs should share, and in Jer 38:7 ; Jer 39:15 nothing is said which could lead us to describe Ebed Melech, another Ethiopian eunuch, as a Jew in the full sense. On the position and influence of eunuchs in the East, both in ancient and modern times, see “Eunuch,” B.D. 2 , and Hastings’ B.D. St. Luke’s mention that he was a eunuch is quite in accordance with the “universalism” of the Acts; gradually the barriers of a narrow Judaism were broken down, first in the case of the Samaritans, and now in the case of the eunuch. Eusebius, H. E. , ii., i., speaks of him as , who was converted to Christ, and even as a “proselyte of the gate” he might be so described, for the gulf which lay between a born Gentile and a genuine descendant of Abraham could never be bridged over (Schrer, Jewish People , div. ii., vol. ii., p. 326, E.T.). Moreover, in the case of the Ethiopian eunuch, descended from the accursed race of Ham, this separation from Israel must have been intensified to the utmost ( cf. Amo 9:7 ). No doubt St. Luke may also have desired to instance the way in which thus early the Gospel spread to a land far distant from the place of its birth (McGiffert, Apostolic Age , p. 100). : noun in apposition to ., only used by St. Luke here and in his Gospel, Luk 1:52 , and once again by St. Paul, 1Ti 6:15 . In LXX frequent (used of God, Sir 46:5 , 2Ma 15:3 ; 2Ma 15:23 , etc.; so too of Zeus by Soph.), for its meaning here cf. Gen 1:4 , Latin, aulicus . : not a personal name, but said to be a name often given to queens of Ethiopia ( cf. Pharaoh, and later Ptolemy, in Egypt), Pliny, N. H. , vi., 35, 7. In the time of Eusebius, H. E. , ii., 1, Ethiopia is said to be still ruled by queens, Strabo, xvii., I., 54; Bion of Soli, Ethiopica (Mller, Fragm. Hist. Grc. , iv., p. 351). According to Brugsch the spelling would be Kanta-ki: cf. “Candace,” B.D. 2 , and “Ethiopia,” Hastings’ B.D. : a Persian word found both in Greek and Latin ( cf. Cicero, De Off. , ii., 22; Virg., n. , i., 119; and see Wetstein, in loco ). In LXX, Ezr 6:1 (Est 4:7 ), treasures; Act 5:17 , Act 7:20 , treasury; Act 7:21 , treasurers; cf. also Isa 39:2 , and in LXX, and in N.T., Luk 21:1 , Mar 12:41 (2), 43, Joh 8:20 . “Observat Lucas, et locum, ubi prfectus Gaz Philippo factus est obviam, Gazam fuisse vocatum” Wetstein; see also on the nomen et omen Felten and Plumptre, and compare on the word Jerome, Epist. , cviii. 11. If the second is retained (R.V.) it emphasises the fact that the eunuch was already a proselyte Weiss). : proves not that (he was a Jew, but that he was not a heathen (Hackett). The proselytes, as well as foreign Jews, came to Jerusalem to worship. We cannot say whether he had gone up to one of the feasts; St. Chrysostom places it to his credit that he had gone up at an unusual time.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
behold. Greek. idou. App-133.
of great authority = a potentate. Greek. dunastes. App-98.
under = of.
Candace. A title of the queens of Ethiopia. Compare Pharaoh.
queen. Greek. basilissa. Only here, Mat 12:42. Luk 11:31. Rev 18:7.
had the charge of = was over (Greek. epi. App-104.)
treasure. Greek. gaza. Only here.
worship. Greek. proskuneo. App-137.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
27. ] The very general use of eunuchs in the East for filling offices of confidence, and the fact that this man was minister to a female sovereign, makes it probable that he was literally an eunuch. If not so, the word would hardly have been expressed. No difficulty arises from Deu 23:1, for no inference can be drawn from the history further than that he may have been a proselyte of the gate, in whose case the prohibition would not apply. Nay, the whole occurrence seems to have had one design, connected with this fact. The walls of partition were one after another being thrown down: the Samaritans were already in full possession of the Gospel: it was next to be shewn that none of those physical incapacities which excluded from the congregation of the Lord under the old covenant, formed any bar to Christian baptism and the inheritance among believers; and thus the way gradually paved for the great and as yet incomprehensible truth of Gal 3:28.
] As Pharaoh among the Egyptians was the customary name of kings, so Candce of the Queens among the thiopians in upper Egypt ( , Dio Cass. liv. 5),-in the island of Meroe, Plin. vi. 29, where he says, Ipsum oppidum Meroen ab introitu insul abesse LXX m. pass. Regnare fminam Candacen, quod nomen multis jam annis ad reginas transiit. Cterum cum potirentur rerum thiopes, insula ea magn claritatis fuit.
] A Persian term. Q. Curt. iii. 13. 5, pecuniam regiam, quam gazam Pers vocant. See Virg. n. i.119.
] This did not only Jews and proselytes, but also those pious Gentiles who adhered to Judaism,-the proselytes of the gate, see Joh 12:20. Euseb. ii. 1, prope fin., speaking of this eunuch says, , …, taking for granted that he was a Gentile. There were (see below, ch. Act 11:21) cases of Gentile conversion before that of Cornelius; and the stress of the narrative in ch. 10 consists in the miscellaneous admission of all the Gentile company of Cornelius, and their official reception into the church by that Apostle to whom was especially given the power. We may remark, that if even the plain revelation by which the reception of Cornelius and his company was commanded failed finally to convince Peter, so that long after this he vacillated (Gal 2:11-12), it is no argument for the eunuch not being a Gentile, that his conversion and baptism did not remove the prejudices of the Jewish Christians.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 8:27. , of Candace) a name which, according to Pliny, has now for many years passed to the queens (of Ethiopia).-[, for the purpose of worshipping) He seems also long ago to have received circumcision.-V. g.]
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
he arose: Mat 21:2-6, Mar 14:13-16, Joh 2:5-8, Heb 11:8
a man: Psa 68:31, Psa 87:4, Isa 43:6, Isa 45:14, Isa 60:3, Isa 60:6, Isa 66:19, Jer 13:23, Jer 38:7, Jer 39:16, Zep 3:10
queen: 1Ki 10:1, Mat 12:42
and had: 1Ki 8:41-43, 2Ch 6:32, 2Ch 6:33, Psa 68:29, Isa 56:3-8, Joh 12:20
Reciprocal: Deu 30:13 – go over the sea 1Ki 8:42 – when he shall 2Ki 8:5 – the woman Est 4:4 – chamberlains Job 36:3 – fetch Isa 18:7 – shall the Isa 22:15 – treasurer Act 2:5 – were Act 8:30 – ran thither Act 16:14 – worshipped
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Act 8:27. A man of Ethiopia. This man was not, as some have suggested, a Jew who lived in Ethiopia, but most probably was a heathen convert to Judaism, and now was returning home from a pilgrimage to the chief shrine of his adopted religion. We know that at this time there were many Jews in Ethiopia.
Under Candace queen of the Ethiopians. Candace was the ordinary name of the female rulers of Meroe, the north part of Ethiopia. Eusebius, H. E. ii. 1, writing some three hundred years later, tells us that even in his days the custom still prevailed in Ethiopia of the supreme power being held by a female ruler. The title Candace was the customary title of the sovereign, as Pharaoh had been in Egypt, and Csar continued to be in Rome.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
27, 28. Philip promptly obeyed the command of the angel, and was soon in close proximity to the intended convert, though, as yet, he knew nothing of him. (27) “He arose and went; and behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, (28) was returning, and sitting in his chariot, was reading the Prophet Isaiah.”
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 27
Ethiopia; a part of Africa, south of Egypt.–Eunuch; a name denoting a certain class of high officers of state, connected with the royal household.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
8:27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch {i} of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
(i) A man of great wealth and authority with Candace. Now this word “Candace” is a common name of all the Queens of Ethiopia.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
We can see Philip’s yieldedness to the Spirit’s control in his obedience. On the road he met the man who was evidently in charge of the Ethiopian treasury (cf. Isa 56:3-8; Psa 68:31). The name "Ethiopia" at this time described a kingdom located south of modern Egypt in Sudan (i.e., Nubia). It lay between the first Nile cataract at Aswan and the modern city of Khartoum, many hundreds of miles from Jerusalem.
"When told that a man was Ethiopian, people of the ancient Mediterranean world would assume that he was black, for this is the way that Ethiopians are described by Herodotus and others." [Note: Tannehill, 2:109. See Herodotus 2.22, 3.101; and Philostratus, The Life of Apollonius 6.1. See also J. Daniel Hays, "The Cushites: A Black Nation in the Bible," Bibliotheca Sacra 153:612 (October-December 1996):408.]
There is no evidence that there was prejudice based on skin color in antiquity. [Note: Witherington, p. 295.]
". . . in ancient Greek historiographical works there was considerable interest in Ethiopia and Ethiopians precisely because of their ethnic and racially distinctive features. . . . Furthermore, in the mythological geography of the ancient Greek historians and other writers as well, Ethiopia was quite frequently identified with the ends of the earth . . . in a way that Rome most definitely was not. We are entitled, then, to suspect that Luke the historian has decided to portray in miniature a foreshadowing of the fulfillment of the rest of Jesus’ mandate (Act 1:1) in Acts 8 . . ." [Note: Ibid., p. 290.]
Candace was the dynastic title of the queen mother who at this time served as the head of the government in Ethiopia. Her personal name was evidently Amanitare (sometimes spelled Amantitere; A.D. 25-41). [Note: Piers T. Crocker, "The City of Meroe and the Ethiopian Eunuch," Buried History 22:3 (September 1986):67.] The king of Ethiopia did not involve himself in the routine operations of his country since his people regarded him as the child of the sun.
It was not uncommon for men in high Near Eastern government positions to be castrated. This prevented them from impregnating royal women and then making claims on the throne. However the word "eunuch" (Gr. eunouchos) appears often in the Septuagint (e.g., of Potiphar, Gen 39:1) and in other Greek writings describing a high military or political figure. [Note: Longenecker, p. 363.] This eunuch may, therefore, not have been emasculated but simply a high official. Some scholars believe he was both. [Note: E.g., Barrett, pp. 425-26; and Witherington, p. 296.] Luke repeatedly referred to him as a eunuch (Act 8:27; Act 8:34; Act 8:36; Act 8:38-39). Emasculated men could not participate fully in Israel’s worship (Deu 23:1).
This official had made a pilgrimage to worship Yahweh. Somehow he had heard of Him and had come to reverence Him. He was making the trip home, probably to the capitol city of Meroe, in his "covered wagon." [Note: Bruce, Commentary on . . ., p. 186.] While traveling, he was reading the Septuagint translation of Isaiah’s prophecy (i.e., Isa 53:7-9; cf. Isa 56:3-8). Perhaps he had purchased this roll of Isaiah in Jerusalem.
"The chariot would have been in fact an ox-drawn wagon and would not have moved at much more than a walking pace, so that it would cause no difficulty for Philip to run alongside it and call out to the occupant." [Note: Marshall, The Acts . . ., p. 162.]
It was unusual for a non-Jew to possess a personal copy of the Old Testament. [Note: Longenecker, p. 363.] Scrolls were expensive in the first century, but this man could afford one. Perhaps he was able to do so because of his high government position, or perhaps he had only a part of Isaiah’s prophecy that he or someone else had copied. In any case his great interest in the Jews’ religion is obvious.
"In those days the world was full of people who were weary of the many gods and the loose morals of the nations. They came to Judaism and there they found the one God and the austere moral standards which gave life meaning. If they accepted Judaism and were circumcised and took the Law upon themselves they were called proselytes; if they did not go that length but continued to attend the Jewish synagogues and to read the Jewish scriptures they were called God-fearers. So this Ethiopian must have been one of these searchers who came to rest in Judaism either as a proselyte or a God-fearer." [Note: Barclay, p. 70.]
"Some of the God-fearers were only one step from becoming converts [to Judaism], while others just added the Jewish God to their pantheon. So long as they showed some kind of sympathy with the Jewish religion they were considered God-fearers." [Note: Levinskaya, p. 78. See also pp. 120-26, "God-fearers in the Book of Acts."]