What's In Your Bible?
…for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. – Psalms 138:2
Acts 8:37
The Salvation of the Ethiopian Eunuch
Acts 8:37 is a pivotal verse in chapter 8.
The Ethiopian’s Salvation depends on it.
But the new versions omit it.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Frequently Asked Questions
For this specific topic
General
Yes. Yes it does.
Additional Documentation
Church fathers who lived before anything we have in Greek directly quote this verse.
Irenaeus 178 A.D., Tertullian 220, Cyprian died in 258, as well as Ambrosiaster 384, Ambrose 397, Augustine 430, and Venerable Bede of England in 735.
The evidence in favor of including this verse is quite massive.
It is found in the Greek texts of Erasmus, Stephanus 1550, Beza 1598, Elzevir 1633 and Scrivener 1894. It is in manuscripts E, 4, 36, 88, 97, 103, 104, 242, 257, 307, 322, 323, 385, 429, 453, 464, 467, 629, 630, 913, 945, 1522, 1739, 1765, 1877, 1891, and others.
It’s not found in Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, A or C.
For every “minority reading” in the KJB there is easily a 20 to 1 ratio of minority readings to be found in versions like the NASB, NIV, ESV.
There is a great deal of historical and manuscript evidence for the inclusion of this entire verse.
Byzantine Greek text used by the Orthodox Greek Churches all over the world. Modern Greek Bible and Modern Hebrew Bible. The whole verse is found in Old Latin manuscripts from the textline that predates any Greek manuscripts, including the Old Latin texts of ar, c, dem, e, gig, h, l, m, ph, r, t, w.
Even the notes in critical text editions tell us that this verse existed in the Old Latin copies, the Coptic Middle Egyptian version, the Ethiopic, Georgian, and Slavonic, Lamsa’s 1933 translation of the Syriac Peshitta and Armenian early Bible versions.
It is also found in the Latin Vulgate and the Clementine Vulgate.
Latin Vulgate – New Testament translated from Greek texts in 385-405 A.D. 36 Et dum irent per viam, venerunt ad quamdam aquam: et ait eunuchus: Ecce aqua: quid prohibet me baptizari? 37 Dixit autem Philippus: Si credis ex toto corde, licet. Et respondens ait: Credo Filium Dei esse Jesum Christum.
Special thanks to Will Kinney for his research.