Acts 8:6-8

8:6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, ¹  as they heard and saw the miraculous signs ²  he was performing. 8:7 For unclean spirits, ³  crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, ⁴  and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8:8 So there was ⁵  great joy ⁶  in that city.

¹ tn Grk “to what was being said by Philip,” a passive construction that has been changed to active voice in the translation.

² tn Here the following context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned. This term appears 13 times in Acts, but only twice more after Acts 8:13 (i.e., 14:3; 15:12).

³ sn The expression unclean spirits refers to evil supernatural spirits which were ceremonially unclean, and which caused the persons possessed by them to be ceremonially unclean.

⁴ tn Grk “For [in the case of] many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out, crying in a loud voice.”

⁵ tn Grk “and there came about,” but this is somewhat awkward in English.

⁶ sn Great joy. The reason for eschatological joy was that such events pointed to God’s decisive deliverance (Luke 7:22-23). Note how the acts of healing extend beyond the Twelve here.