Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
Was returning. Having come so far, he not only stayed out the days of the festival, but prolonged his stay until now. It says much for his fidelity and value to his royal mistress that he had such liberty. But the faith in Yahweh and love of His worship and Word, with which he was imbued, sufficiently explain this.
And sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet - no doubt, in the Greek translation, called the Septuagint Olshausen, taking it for granted that he was reading in the original Hebrew, concludes from this that he was a born Jew. But besides that the historian says nothing as to the language of the copy he used, the whole description conveys the impression that he was an Ethiopian pagan by birth. Not contented with the statutory services in which he had joined, he beguiles the tedium of the journey homeward by reading the Scriptures. But this is not all; because as Philip "heard him read the prophet Esaias," he must have been reading aloud; and though it was customary, as it still is, in the East to read aloud, since he was audible even to Philip, the probability is that he was reading not for his own benefit only, but for that of his charioteer also.