Acts 8:32

8:32 Now the passage of scripture the man ¹  was reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,

and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he did ²  not open his mouth.

Acts 8:35

8:35 So Philip started speaking, ³  and beginning with this scripture ⁴  proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.

[8:32]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:32]  ² tn Grk “does.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the first line of the quotation (“he was led like a sheep to slaughter”), which has an aorist passive verb normally translated as a past tense in English.

[8:35]  ³ tn Grk “opening his mouth” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:35]  ⁴ sn Beginning with this scripture. The discussion likely included many of the scriptures Acts has already noted for the reader in earlier speeches. At the least, readers of Acts would know what other scriptures might be meant.