What is Philip in the Bible?
Lived in the New Testament era
Philip was one of the seven men chosen by the early church in Jerusalem to serve as deacons, responsible for the daily distribution of food to widows (Act.6.5). Philip appears in 27 verses across 4 books of the Bible.
The Bible uses the name Philip for 2 different entries. All 2 are below, each with its own passages.
Philip in Acts
Philip was one of the seven men chosen by the early church in Jerusalem to serve as deacons, responsible for the daily distribution of food to widows (Act.6.5). After the martyrdom of Stephen, a great persecution arose against the church, and the believers were scattered. Philip went to Samaria and preached the gospel, performing miracles and casting out unclean spirits (Act.8.4-8). Many Samaritans believed and were baptized, including Simon the sorcerer (Act.8.9-13). Philip was then directed by an angel to go south on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he encountered an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians (Act.8.26-28). The eunuch was reading from the book of Isaiah, and Philip explained to him the good news about Jesus (Act.8.29-35). The eunuch believed and was baptized by Philip (Act.8.36-38). After this, Philip was miraculously transported by the Spirit to Azotus, and he continued preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (Act.8.39-40). Later, Philip is mentioned as one of the "seven" and referred to as "Philip the evangelist" (Act.21.8). He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy (Act.21.9). Paul and his companions stayed with Philip in Caesarea during Paul's final journey to Jerusalem (Act.21.8-16).
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Philip in John
Philip was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, chosen by Him to be part of His inner circle of disciples. He was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter (Jhn.1.44). Philip is first mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in the lists of the twelve apostles (Mat.10.3; Mrk.3.18; Luk.6.14). In the Gospel of John, he is introduced in the narrative of Jesus calling His first disciples. After being called by Jesus, Philip found Nathanael and told him about Jesus, describing Him as the one Moses and the prophets wrote about (Jhn.1.45). Throughout the Gospel of John, Philip is portrayed as having a close relationship with Jesus. He was present at the feeding of the five thousand, where Jesus tested him by asking where they could buy bread to feed the multitude (Jhn.6.5-7). Philip was also approached by some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, and he, along with Andrew, brought their request to Jesus (Jhn.12.21-22). In Jhn.14.8-9, Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, to which Jesus responded, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." After Jesus' ascension, Philip was among the apostles who gathered in Jerusalem to pray and await the coming of the Holy Spirit (Act.1.13). He played a significant role in the early Christian church and, according to tradition, preached the gospel in Phrygia and died a martyr's death in Hierapolis.
13 verses: John 1:43, John 1:44, John 1:45, John 1:46, John 1:48, John 6:5, John 6:7, John 12:21, John 12:22, John 14:8, John 14:9, Matthew 10:3, and more
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Where does Philip appear in the Bible?
Philip is referenced in 27 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- Acts 6:5
- Acts 8:5
- Acts 8:6
- Acts 8:12
- Acts 8:13
- Acts 8:26
- Acts 8:29
- Acts 8:30
- Acts 8:31
- Acts 8:35
- Acts 8:38
- Acts 8:39
- Acts 8:40
- Acts 21:8
Showing the first 14 of 27.
Open all 27 references in ProtosWhat else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Philip.
Common questions
How many people in the Bible are called Philip?
Philip refers to 2 different entries in the Bible: Philip in Acts; Philip in John.
How many times does the Bible mention Philip?
Philip appears in 27 verses across 4 books, most often in Acts, which accounts for 14 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Philip?
Acts, John, Matthew, Mark.
Where can I read every verse about Philip?
This page lists 14 of them. Protos carries all 27, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
