^7:1Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?”¹^7:2So he replied,² “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather³ Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, ^7:3and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’⁴^7:4Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God⁵ made him move⁶ to this country where you now live. ^7:5He⁷ did not give any of it to him for an inheritance,⁸ not even a foot of ground,⁹ yet God¹⁰ promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him,¹¹ even though Abraham¹² as yet had no child. ^7:6But God spoke as follows: ‘Your¹³ descendants will be foreigners¹⁴ in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years.¹⁵^7:7But I will punish¹⁶ the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there¹⁷ and worship¹⁸ me in this place.’¹⁹^7:8Then God²⁰ gave Abraham²¹ the covenant²² of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old,²³ and Isaac became the father of²⁴ Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.²⁵^7:9The²⁶ patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold²⁷ him into Egypt. But²⁸ God was with him, ^7:10and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made²⁹ him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ^7:11Then a famine occurred throughout³⁰ Egypt and Canaan, causing³¹ great suffering, and our³² ancestors³³ could not find food. ^7:12So when Jacob heard that there was grain³⁴ in Egypt, he sent our ancestors³⁵ there³⁶ the first time. ^7:13On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family³⁷ became known to Pharaoh. ^7:14So Joseph sent a message³⁸ and invited³⁹ his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people⁴⁰ in all. ^7:15So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there,⁴¹ along with our ancestors,⁴²^7:16and their bones⁴³ were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money⁴⁴ from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

^7:17“But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham,⁴⁵ the people increased greatly in number⁴⁶ in Egypt, ^7:18until another king who did not know about⁴⁷ Joseph ruled⁴⁸ over Egypt.⁴⁹^7:19This was the one who exploited⁵⁰ our people⁵¹ and was cruel to our ancestors,⁵² forcing them to abandon⁵³ their infants so they would die.⁵⁴^7:20At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful⁵⁵ to God. For⁵⁶ three months he was brought up in his father’s house, ^7:21and when he had been abandoned,⁵⁷ Pharaoh’s daughter adopted⁵⁸ him and brought him up⁵⁹ as her own son. ^7:22So Moses was trained⁶⁰ in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful⁶¹ in his words and deeds. ^7:23But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind⁶² to visit his fellow countrymen⁶³ the Israelites.⁶⁴^7:24When⁶⁵ he saw one of them being hurt unfairly,⁶⁶ Moses⁶⁷ came to his defense⁶⁸ and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. ^7:25He thought his own people⁶⁹ would understand that God was delivering them⁷⁰ through him,⁷¹ but they did not understand.⁷²^7:26The next day Moses⁷³ saw two men⁷⁴ fighting, and tried to make peace between⁷⁵ them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ ^7:27But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed⁷⁶ Moses⁷⁷ aside, saying, ‘Who made⁷⁸ you a ruler and judge over us? ^7:28You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’⁷⁹^7:29When the man said this,⁸⁰ Moses fled and became a foreigner⁸¹ in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

^7:30“After⁸² forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert⁸³ of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.⁸⁴^7:31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord, ^7:32‘I am the God of your forefathers,⁸⁵ the God of Abraham, Isaac,⁸⁶ and Jacob.’⁸⁷ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely.⁸⁸^7:33But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.⁸⁹^7:34I have certainly seen the suffering⁹⁰ of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them.⁹¹ Now⁹² come, I will send you to Egypt.’⁹³^7:35This same⁹⁴ Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’⁹⁵ God sent as both ruler and deliverer⁹⁶ through the hand of the angel⁹⁷ who appeared to him in the bush. ^7:36This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs⁹⁸ in the land of Egypt,⁹⁹ at¹⁰⁰ the Red Sea, and in the wilderness¹⁰¹ for forty years. ^7:37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites,¹⁰² ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’¹⁰³^7:38This is the man who was in the congregation¹⁰⁴ in the wilderness¹⁰⁵ with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors,¹⁰⁶ and he¹⁰⁷ received living oracles¹⁰⁸ to give to you.¹⁰⁹^7:39Our¹¹⁰ ancestors¹¹¹ were unwilling to obey¹¹² him, but pushed him aside¹¹³ and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, ^7:40saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt¹¹⁴—we do not know what has happened to him!’¹¹⁵^7:41At¹¹⁶ that time¹¹⁷ they made an idol in the form of a calf,¹¹⁸ brought¹¹⁹ a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing¹²⁰ in the works of their hands.¹²¹^7:42But God turned away from them and gave them over¹²² to worship the host¹²³ of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices¹²⁴ forty years in the wilderness, was it,¹²⁵ house of Israel? ^7:43But you took along the tabernacle¹²⁶ of Moloch¹²⁷ and the star of the¹²⁸ god Rephan,¹²⁹ the images you made to worship, but I will deport¹³⁰ you beyond Babylon.’¹³¹^7:44Our ancestors¹³² had the tabernacle¹³³ of testimony in the wilderness,¹³⁴ just as God¹³⁵ who spoke to Moses ordered him¹³⁶ to make it according to the design he had seen. ^7:45Our¹³⁷ ancestors¹³⁸ received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors,¹³⁹ until the time¹⁴⁰ of David. ^7:46He¹⁴¹ found favor¹⁴² with¹⁴³ God and asked that he could¹⁴⁴ find a dwelling place¹⁴⁵ for the house¹⁴⁶ of Jacob. ^7:47But Solomon built a house¹⁴⁷ for him. ^7:48Yet the Most High¹⁴⁸ does not live in houses made by human hands,¹⁴⁹ as the prophet says,

^7:49‘Heaven is my throne,

and earth is the footstool for my feet.

What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,

or what is my resting place?¹⁵⁰

^7:50Did my hand¹⁵¹ not make all these things?’¹⁵²

^7:51“You stubborn¹⁵³ people, with uncircumcised¹⁵⁴ hearts and ears!¹⁵⁵ You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors¹⁵⁶ did! ^7:52Which of the prophets did your ancestors¹⁵⁷ not persecute?¹⁵⁸ They¹⁵⁹ killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One,¹⁶⁰ whose betrayers and murderers you have now become!¹⁶¹^7:53You¹⁶² received the law by decrees given by angels,¹⁶³ but you did not obey¹⁶⁴ it.”¹⁶⁵

Stephen is Killed

^7:54When they heard these things, they became furious¹⁶⁶ and ground their teeth¹⁶⁷ at him. ^7:55But Stephen,¹⁶⁸ full¹⁶⁹ of the Holy Spirit, looked intently¹⁷⁰ toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing¹⁷¹ at the right hand of God. ^7:56“Look!” he said.¹⁷² “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” ^7:57But they covered their ears,¹⁷³ shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. ^7:58When¹⁷⁴ they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him,¹⁷⁵ and the witnesses laid their cloaks¹⁷⁶ at the feet of a young man named Saul. ^7:59They¹⁷⁷ continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ^7:60Then he fell¹⁷⁸ to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”¹⁷⁹ When¹⁸⁰ he had said this, he died.¹⁸¹

Read in Logos

Footnotes

1 Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see ἔχω 10.a for this use).
2 Grk “said.”
3 Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
4 A quotation from Gen 12:1.
5 Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 The translation “made him move” for the verb μετοικίζω (metoikizō) is given by L&N 85.83. The verb has the idea of “resettling” someone ( ); see v. 43, where it reappears.
7 Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
8 Grk “He did not give him an inheritance in it.” This could be understood to mean that God did not give something else to Abraham as an inheritance while he was living there. The point of the text is that God did not give any of the land to him as an inheritance, and the translation makes this clear.
9 Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).
10 Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 An allusion to Gen 12:7; 13:15; 15:2, 18; 17:8; 24:7; 48:4. On the theological importance of the promise and to his descendants after him, see Rom 4 and Gal 3.
12 Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 Grk “that his”; the discourse switches from indirect to direct with the following verbs. For consistency the entire quotation is treated as second person direct discourse in the translation.
14 Or “will be strangers,” that is, one who lives as a noncitizen of a foreign country.
15 A quotation from Gen 15:13. Exod 12:40 specifies the sojourn as 430 years.
16 κρίνω 5.b.α states, “Oft. the emphasis is unmistakably laid upon that which follows the Divine Judge’s verdict, upon the condemnation or punishment: condemn, punish … Ac 7:7 (Gen 15:14).”
17 The words “of there” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. A quotation from Gen 15:14.
18 Or “and serve,” but with religious/cultic overtones ( λατρεύω).
19 An allusion to Exod 3:12.
20 Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 God gave … the covenant. Note how the covenant of promise came before Abraham’s entry into the land and before the building of the temple.
23 Grk “circumcised him on the eighth day,” but many modern readers will not understand that this procedure was done on the eighth day after birth. The temporal clause “when he was eight days old” conveys this idea more clearly. See Gen 17:11–12.
24 The words “became the father of” are not in the Greek text due to an ellipsis, but must be supplied for the English translation. The ellipsis picks up the verb from the previous clause describing how Abraham fathered Isaac.
25 The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23–26).
26 Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
27 The meaning “sell” for the middle voice of ἀποδίδωμι (apodidōmi) is given by 5.a. See Gen 37:12–36, esp. v. 28.
28 Though the Greek term here is καί (kai), in context this remark is clearly contrastive: Despite the malicious act, God was present and protected Joseph.
29 Or “appointed.” See Gen 41:41–43.
30 Grk “came upon all Egypt.”
31 Grk “and,” but logically causal.
32 Our. Stephen spoke of “our” ancestors (Grk “fathers”) in an inclusive sense throughout the speech until his rebuke in v. 51, where the nation does what “your” ancestors did, at which point an exclusive pronoun is used. This serves to emphasize the rebuke.
33 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
34 Or possibly “food,” since in a number of extrabiblical contexts the phrase σιτία καὶ ποτά (sitia kai pota) means “food and drink,” where solid food is contrasted with liquid nourishment (L&N 3.42).
35 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
36 The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
37 γένος 2. gives “family, relatives” here; another alternative is “race” (see v. 19).
38 The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
39 Or “Joseph had his father summoned” ( ἀποστέλλω 2.b).
40 Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).
41 The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
42 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
43 “and they.”
45 Grk “But as the time for the fulfillment of the promise drew near that God had declared to Abraham.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to improve English style. See vv. above.
46 Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”
47 Or simply “did not know.” However, in this context the point is that the new king knew nothing about Joseph, not whether he had known him personally (which is the way “did not know Joseph” could be understood).
48 Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.
49 A quotation from Exod 1:8.
50 According to L&N 88.147 it is also possible to translate κατασοφισάμενος (katasophisamenos) as “took advantage by clever words” or “persuaded by sweet talk.”
51 Or “race.”
52 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
53 Or “expose” ( ἔκθετος).
54 Grk “so that they could not be kept alive,” but in this context the phrase may be translated either “so that they would not continue to live,” or “so that they would die” (L&N 23.89).
55 Or “was well-formed before God,” or “was well-pleasing to God” ( ἀστεῖος suggests the meaning is more like “well-bred” as far as God was concerned; see Exod 2:2).
56 Grk “who was brought up for three months.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation by changing the relative pronoun to a regular pronoun (“he”).
57 Or “exposed” (see v. 19).
58 Grk “Pharaoh’s daughter took him up for herself.” According to ἀναιρέω, “The pap. exx. involve exposed children taken up and reared as slaves … The rendering ‘adopt’ lacks philological precision and can be used only in a loose sense (as ), esp. when Gr-Rom. terminology relating to adoption procedures is taken into account.” In this instance both the immediate context and the OT account (Exod 2:3–10) do support the normal sense of the English word “adopt,” although it should not be understood to refer to a technical, legal event.
59 Or “and reared him” ( ἀνατρέφω b).
60 Or “instructed.”
61 Or “was able” ( δυνατός 1.b.α).
62 Grk “heart.”
63 Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by ἀδελφός 2.b
64 Grk “the sons of Israel.”
65 Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
66 “Hurt unfairly” conveys a better sense of the seriousness of the offense against the Israelite than “treated unfairly,” which can sometimes refer to slight offenses, or “wronged,” which can refer to offenses that do not involve personal violence, as this one probably did.
67 Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
68 Or “he defended,” “he retaliated” ( ἀμύνομαι).
69 Grk “his brothers.”
70 Grk “was granting them deliverance.” The narrator explains that this act pictured what Moses could do for his people.
71 Grk “by his hand,” where the hand is a metaphor for the entire person.
72 They did not understand. Here is the theme of the speech. The people did not understand what God was doing through those he chose. They made the same mistake with Joseph at first. See Acts 3:17; 13:27. There is good precedent for this kind of challenging review of history in the ancient scriptures: Ps 106:6–46; Ezek 20; and Neh 9:6–38.
73 Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
74 Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).
75 Or “tried to reconcile” ( συναλλάσσω).
76 Or “repudiated Moses,” “rejected Moses” ( ἀπωθέω 2).
77 Grk “him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
78 Or “appointed.”
79 The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do you?” A quotation from Exod 2:14. Even though a negative reply was expected, the question still frightened Moses enough to flee, because he knew his deed had become known. This understanding is based on the Greek text, not the Hebrew of the original setting. Yet the negative here expresses the fact that Moses did not want to kill the other man. Once again the people have badly misunderstood the situation.
80 Grk “At this word,” which could be translated either “when the man said this” or “when Moses heard this.” Since λόγος (logos) refers to the remark made by the Israelite, this translation has followed the first option.
81 Or “resident alien.” Traditionally πάροικος (paroikos) has been translated “stranger” or “alien,” but the level of specificity employed with “foreigner” or “resident alien” is now necessary in contemporary English because a “stranger” is a person not acquainted with someone, while an “alien” can suggest science fiction imagery.
82 Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and contemporary English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
83 Or “wilderness.”
84 An allusion to Exod 3:2.
85 Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”
86 Grk “and Isaac,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
87 A quotation from Exod 3:6. The phrase suggests the God of promise, the God of the nation.
88 Or “to investigate,” “to contemplate” ( κατανοέω 2).
89 A quotation from Exod 3:5. The phrase holy ground points to the fact that God is not limited to a particular locale. The place where he is active in revealing himself is a holy place.
90 Or “mistreatment.”
91 Or “to set them free.”
92 Grk “And now.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
93 A quotation from Exod 3:7–8, 10.
94 This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).
95 A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.
96 Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrōtēn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”
97 Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14–18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 ).
98 Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned. Performing wonders and miraculous signs. Again Moses acted like Jesus. The phrase appears 9 times in Acts (2:19, 22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12).
99 Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.
100 Grk “and at,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
101 Or “desert.”
102 Grk “to the sons of Israel.”
103 A quotation from Deut 18:15. This quotation sets up Jesus as the “leader-prophet” like Moses (Acts 3:22; Luke 9:35).
104 This term, ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), is a secular use of the term that came to mean “church” in the epistles. Here a reference to an assembly is all that is intended.
105 Or “desert.”
106 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
107 Grk “fathers, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new clause introduced by “and” was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.
108 Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.
109 The first person pronoun ἡμῖν (hēmin, “to us”) is read by A C D E Ψ 33 1739 𝔐 lat sy, while the second person pronoun ὑμῖν (humin, “to you”) is read by 𝔓74 א B 36 453 co. The second person pronoun thus has significantly better external support. As well, ὑμῖν is a harder reading in this context, both because it is surrounded by first person pronouns and because Stephen perhaps “does not wish to disassociate himself from those who received God’s revelation in the past, but only from those who misinterpreted and disobeyed that revelation” ( ). At the same time, Stephen does associate himself to some degree with his disobedient ancestors in v. 39, suggesting that the decisive break does not really come until v. 51 (where both his present audience and their ancestors are viewed as rebellious). Thus, both externally and internally ὑμῖν is the preferred reading.
110 Grk “whom our.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
111 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
112 To obey. Again the theme of the speech is noted. The nation disobeyed the way of God and opted for Egypt over the promised land.
113 Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).
114 Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.
115 A quotation from Exod 32:1, 23. Doubt (we do not know what has happened to him) expresses itself in unfaithful action. The act is in contrast to God’s promise in Exod 23:20.
116 Grk “And.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
117 Grk “In those days.”
118 Or “a bull calf” (see Exod 32:4–6). The term μοσχοποιέω (moschopoieō) occurs only in Christian writings according to
119 Grk “and brought,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
120 The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (euphrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See εὐφραίνω 2.
121 Or “in what they had done.”
122 The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18–32.
123 Or “stars.” To worship the hosts of heaven. Their action violated Deut 4:19; 17:2–5. See Ps 106:36–43.
124 The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).
125 The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”
126 Or “tent.” A tabernacle was a tent used to house religious objects or a shrine (i.e., a portable sanctuary).
127 Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.
128 Most , including several important ones (𝔓74 א A C E Ψ 33 1739 𝔐 h p vg syh mae bo Cyr), have ὑμῶν (humōn, “your”) here, in conformity with the of Amos 5:26. But other significant and diverse witnesses lack the pronoun: The lack of ὑμῶν in B D 36 453 gig syp sa Irlat Or is difficult to explain if it is not the original wording here. has the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
129 Rephan (Ῥαιφάν, Rhaiphan) was a pagan deity. The term was a name for Saturn. It was variously spelled in the ( has Rompha as an alternate spelling). The references cover a range of deities and a history of unfaithfulness.
130 Or “I will make you move.”
131 A quotation from Amos 5:25–27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.
132 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
133 Or “tent.” The tabernacle was the tent used to house the ark of the covenant before the construction of Solomon’s temple. This is where God was believed to reside, yet the people were still unfaithful.
134 Or “desert.”
135 Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
136 The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
137 Grk “And.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
138 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
139 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.” Before our ancestors. Stephen has backtracked here to point out how faithful God had been before the constant move to idolatry just noted.
140 Grk “In those days.”
141 Grk “David, who” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.
142 Or “grace.”
143 Grk “before,” “in the presence of.”
144 The words “that he could” are not in the Greek text, but are implied as the (understood) subject of the infinitive εὑρεῖν (heurein). This understands David’s request as asking that he might find the dwelling place. The other possibility would be to supply “that God” as the subject of the infinitive: “and asked that God find a dwelling place.” Unfortunately this problem is complicated by the extremely difficult problem with the Greek text in the following phrase (“house of Jacob” vs. “God of Jacob”).
145 On this term see σκήνωμα a (Ps 132:5).
146 Some read θεῷ (theō, “God”) here, a variant much easier to understand in the context. The reading “God” is supported by א2 A C E Ψ 33 1739 𝔐 lat sy co. The more difficult οἴκῳ (oikō, “house”) is supported by 𝔓74 א* B D H 049 . Thus the second reading is preferred both externally because of better evidence and internally because it is hard to see how a copyist finding the reading “God” would change it to “house,” while it is easy to see how (given the of Ps 132:5) a copyist might assimilate the reading and change “house” to “God.” However, some scholars think the reading “house” is so difficult as to be unacceptable. Others (like Lachmann and Hort) resorted to conjectural emendation at this point. Others (Ropes) sought an answer in an underlying Aramaic expression. Not everyone thinks the reading “house” is too difficult to be accepted as original (see Lake and Cadbury). A. F. J. Klijn, “Stephen’s Speech-Acts 7:2–53,” 4 (1957): 25–31, compared the idea of a “house within the house of Israel” with the Manual of Discipline from Qumran, a possible parallel that seems to support the reading “house” as authentic. (For the more detailed discussion from which this note was derived, see .)
148 The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).
149 The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mark 14:58; Acts 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, 24. It suggests “man-made” or “impermanent.” The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1 Kgs 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1 Chr 6:8; Jer 7:1–34).
150 What kind … resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.
151 Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.
152 The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouchi) expects a positive reply. A quotation from Isa 66:1–2. If God made the heavens, how can a human building contain him?
153 Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.
154 The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmētoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT (occurs only once). See ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.
155 Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)
156 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
157 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
158 Which … persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.
159 Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
160 The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.
161 Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10–14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).
162 Grk “whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, who received the law” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “You” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.
163 Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so εἰς 9, §206. Thus the phrase literally means “received the law by the decrees [orders] of angels” with the genitive understood as a subjective genitive, that is, the angels gave the decrees. Decrees given by angels. According to Jewish traditions in the first century, the law of Moses was mediated through angels. See also the note on “angel” in .
164 The Greek word φυλάσσω (phulassō, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.
165 Or “did not obey it.”
166 This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” ( διαπρίω).
167 Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage ( βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.
168 Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
169 Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (huparchōn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.
170 Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
171 The picture of Jesus standing (rather than seated) probably indicates his rising to receive his child. By announcing his vision, Stephen thoroughly offended his audience, who believed no one could share God’s place in heaven. The phrase is a variation on Ps 110:1.
172 Grk “And he said, ‘Look!’ ” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
173 They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.
174 Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
175 They began to stone him. The irony of the scene is that the people do exactly what the speech complains about in v. 52.
176 Or “outer garments.” Laid their cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (in this case for throwing stones).
177 Grk “And they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
178 Grk “Then falling to his knees he cried out.” The participle θείς (theis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
179 The remarks Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and Lord, do not hold this sin against them recall statements Jesus made on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46).
180 Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
181 The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

Cross references

44 See Gen 49:29–32.
147 See 1 Kgs 8:1–21.