Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 8:29

"And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot." — Acts 8:29 (ASV)

Having been directed to the desert road on the way to Gaza, Philip is again directed by the Spirit to the carriage that the Ethiopian minister of finance is traveling in. As Philip approaches, he hears the man reading aloud from Isaiah (the normal practice in the ancient world). So while running along beside the Ethiopian’s carriage, Philip asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?”