Acts 8:33 (KJV)

What does Acts 8:33 mean?

Acts 8:33 describes a man brought low, deprived of a just hearing, and killed. The verse asks who can speak about his “generation,” a question often understood as emphasizing how completely his life was cut short.

The words are part of a passage from Isaiah that an Ethiopian official is reading aloud. The official asks Philip whether the writer is speaking about himself or someone else; Philip then tells him about Jesus (Acts 8:34–35).

The Greek behind Acts 8:33

• “judgment” — κρίσις (krisis): This word can refer to a legal decision or justice. Here, “his judgment was taken away” is often understood to mean that the man was denied justice.
• “generation” — γενεά (genea): This word can refer to people of the same time or to a family line. In this verse, the question may point to the man’s contemporaries or to the loss of future descendants.

Why Acts 8:33 matters

• The Ethiopian official’s question makes the identity of the man important to the passage. In Acts 8:34, he asks Philip whom Isaiah is talking about.
• Philip connects the words to Jesus. Acts 8:35 says that Philip begins with this passage and tells the official about him.
• The KJV’s “his judgment was taken away” should not be read as though the man escaped being judged. In context, the phrase describes a loss suffered during his humiliation, alongside the taking of his life.