Acts 6:3

6:3 But carefully select from among you, brothers, ¹  seven ²  men who are well-attested, ³  full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge ⁴  of this necessary task. ⁵ 

Acts 6:8

Stephen is Arrested

6:8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and miraculous signs ⁶  among the people.

Acts 6:10

6:10 Yet ⁷  they were not able to resist ⁸  the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

Acts 7:1--8:2

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ⁹  7:2 So he replied, ¹⁰  “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather ¹¹  Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 7:3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ ¹²  7:4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God ¹³  made him move ¹⁴  to this country where you now live. 7:5 He ¹⁵  did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, ¹⁶  not even a foot of ground, ¹⁷  yet God ¹⁸  promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, ¹⁹  even though Abraham ²⁰  as yet had no child. 7:6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Your ²¹  descendants will be foreigners ²²  in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. ²³  7:7 But I will punish ²⁴  the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there ²⁵  and worship ²⁶  me in this place.’ ²⁷  7:8 Then God ²⁸  gave Abraham ²⁹  the covenant ³⁰  of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, ³¹  and Isaac became the father of ³²  Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ³³  7:9 The ³⁴  patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold ³⁵  him into Egypt. But ³⁶  God was with him, 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made ³⁷  him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 7:11 Then a famine occurred throughout ³⁸  Egypt and Canaan, causing ³⁹  great suffering, and our ⁴⁰  ancestors ⁴¹  could not find food. 7:12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain ⁴²  in Egypt, he sent our ancestors ⁴³  there ⁴⁴  the first time. 7:13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family ⁴⁵  became known to Pharaoh. 7:14 So Joseph sent a message ⁴⁶  and invited ⁴⁷  his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people ⁴⁸  in all. 7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, ⁴⁹  along with our ancestors, ⁵⁰  7:16 and their bones ⁵¹  were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money ⁵²  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, ⁵³  the people increased greatly in number ⁵⁴  in Egypt, 7:18 until another king who did not know about ⁵⁵  Joseph ruled ⁵⁶  over Egypt. ⁵⁷  7:19 This was the one who exploited ⁵⁸  our people ⁵⁹  and was cruel to our ancestors, ⁶⁰  forcing them to abandon ⁶¹  their infants so they would die. ⁶²  7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful ⁶³  to God. For ⁶⁴  three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, ⁶⁵  Pharaoh’s daughter adopted ⁶⁶  him and brought him up ⁶⁷  as her own son. 7:22 So Moses was trained ⁶⁸  in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful ⁶⁹  in his words and deeds. 7:23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind ⁷⁰  to visit his fellow countrymen ⁷¹  the Israelites. ⁷²  7:24 When ⁷³  he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, ⁷⁴  Moses ⁷⁵  came to his defense ⁷⁶  and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. 7:25 He thought his own people ⁷⁷  would understand that God was delivering them ⁷⁸  through him, ⁷⁹  but they did not understand. ⁸⁰  7:26 The next day Moses ⁸¹  saw two men ⁸²  fighting, and tried to make peace between ⁸³  them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ 7:27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed ⁸⁴  Moses ⁸⁵  aside, saying, ‘Who made ⁸⁶  you a ruler and judge over us? 7:28 You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ ⁸⁷  7:29 When the man said this, ⁸⁸  Moses fled and became a foreigner ⁸⁹  in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

7:30 “After ⁹⁰  forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert ⁹¹  of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ⁹²  7:31 When 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, ⁹³  the God of Abraham, Isaac, ⁹⁴  and Jacob.’ ⁹⁵  Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely. ⁹⁶  7:33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ⁹⁷  7:34 I have certainly seen the suffering ⁹⁸  of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. ⁹⁹  Now ¹⁰⁰  come, I will send you to Egypt.’ ¹⁰¹  7:35 This same ¹⁰²  Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ ¹⁰³  God sent as both ruler and deliverer ¹⁰⁴  through the hand of the angel ¹⁰⁵  who appeared to him in the bush. 7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs ¹⁰⁶  in the land of Egypt, ¹⁰⁷  at ¹⁰⁸  the Red Sea, and in the wilderness ¹⁰⁹  for forty years. 7:37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ¹¹⁰  ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ¹¹¹  7:38 This is the man who was in the congregation ¹¹²  in the wilderness ¹¹³  with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, ¹¹⁴  and he ¹¹⁵  received living oracles ¹¹⁶  to give to you. ¹¹⁷  7:39 Our ¹¹⁸  ancestors ¹¹⁹  were unwilling to obey ¹²⁰  him, but pushed him aside ¹²¹  and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 7:40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt ¹²²  – we do not know what has happened to him!’ ¹²³  7:41 At ¹²⁴  that time ¹²⁵  they made an idol in the form of a calf, ¹²⁶  brought ¹²⁷  a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing ¹²⁸  in the works of their hands. ¹²⁹  7:42 But God turned away from them and gave them over ¹³⁰  to worship the host ¹³¹  of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices ¹³²  forty years in the wilderness, was it, ¹³³  house of Israel? 7:43 But you took along the tabernacle ¹³⁴  of Moloch ¹³⁵  and the star of the ¹³⁶  god Rephan, ¹³⁷  the images you made to worship, but I will deport ¹³⁸  you beyond Babylon.’ ¹³⁹  7:44 Our ancestors ¹⁴⁰  had the tabernacle ¹⁴¹  of testimony in the wilderness, ¹⁴²  just as God ¹⁴³  who spoke to Moses ordered him ¹⁴⁴  to make it according to the design he had seen. 7:45 Our ¹⁴⁵  ancestors ¹⁴⁶  received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, ¹⁴⁷  until the time ¹⁴⁸  of David. 7:46 He ¹⁴⁹  found favor ¹⁵⁰  with ¹⁵¹  God and asked that he could ¹⁵²  find a dwelling place ¹⁵³  for the house ¹⁵⁴  of Jacob. 7:47 But Solomon built a house ¹⁵⁵  for him. 7:48 Yet the Most High ¹⁵⁶  does not live in houses made by human hands, ¹⁵⁷  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? ¹⁵⁸ 

7:50 Did my hand ¹⁵⁹  not make all these things?’ ¹⁶⁰ 

7:51 “You stubborn ¹⁶¹  people, with uncircumcised ¹⁶²  hearts and ears! ¹⁶³  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ¹⁶⁴  did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ¹⁶⁵  not persecute? ¹⁶⁶  They ¹⁶⁷  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ¹⁶⁸  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ¹⁶⁹  7:53 You ¹⁷⁰  received the law by decrees given by angels, ¹⁷¹  but you did not obey ¹⁷²  it.” ¹⁷³ 

Stephen is Killed

7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious ¹⁷⁴  and ground their teeth ¹⁷⁵  at him. 7:55 But Stephen, ¹⁷⁶  full ¹⁷⁷  of the Holy Spirit, looked intently ¹⁷⁸  toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ¹⁷⁹  at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. ¹⁸⁰  “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, ¹⁸¹  shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 7:58 When ¹⁸²  they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, ¹⁸³  and the witnesses laid their cloaks ¹⁸⁴  at the feet of a young man named Saul. 7:59 They ¹⁸⁵  continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 7:60 Then he fell ¹⁸⁶  to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” ¹⁸⁷  When ¹⁸⁸  he had said this, he died. ¹⁸⁹  8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ¹⁹⁰  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ¹⁹¹  persecution began ¹⁹²  against the church in Jerusalem, ¹⁹³  and all ¹⁹⁴  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ¹⁹⁵  of Judea and Samaria. 8:2 Some ¹⁹⁶  devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation ¹⁹⁷  over him. ¹⁹⁸ 

Acts 11:24

11:24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people ¹⁹⁹  were brought to the Lord.

Micah 3:8

3:8 But I ²⁰⁰  am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,

and have a strong commitment to justice. ²⁰¹ 

This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,

and Israel with its sin. ²⁰² 

[6:3]  ¹ tn It is not clear from a historical standpoint (but it is unlikely) that women would have been involved in the selection process too. For this reason the translation “brothers” has been retained, rather than “brothers and sisters” (used in contexts where both male and female believers are clearly addressed).

[6:3]  ² sn Seven. Jewish town councils often had seven members (Josephus, Ant. 4.18.14 [4.214]).

[6:3]  ³ tn Or “are of good reputation” (BDAG 618 s.v. μαρτυρέω 2.b).

[6:3]  ⁴ tn The translation “put in charge” is given by BDAG 492 s.v. καθίστημι 2.

[6:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “of this need”; translated “necessary work” or “needed task” by L&N 42.22.

[6:8]  ⁶ tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context. Here the work of miracles extends beyond the Twelve for the first time.

[6:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “and.” The context, however, indicates that the conjunction carries an adversative force.

[6:10]  ⁸ sn They were not able to resist. This represents another fulfillment of Luke 12:11-12; 21:15.

[7:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[7:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “said.”

[7:2]  ¹¹ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[7:3]  ¹² sn A quotation from Gen 12:1.

[7:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ¹⁴ tn The translation “made him move” for the verb μετοικίζω (metoikizw) is given by L&N 85.83. The verb has the idea of “resettling” someone (BDAG 643 s.v.); see v. 43, where it reappears.

[7:5]  ¹⁵ tn 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.

[7:5]  ¹⁶ tn 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.

[7:5]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).

[7:5]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:5]  ¹⁹ sn 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.

[7:5]  ²⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:6]  ²¹ tn 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.

[7:6]  ²² tn Or “will be strangers,” that is, one who lives as a noncitizen of a foreign country.

[7:6]  ²³ sn A quotation from Gen 15:13. Exod 12:40 specifies the sojourn as 430 years.

[7:7]  ²⁴ tn BDAG 568 s.v. 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).”

[7:7]  ²⁵ tn The words “of there” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:7]  ²⁶ tn Or “and serve,” but with religious/cultic overtones (BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω).

[7:7]  ²⁷ sn An allusion to Exod 3:12.

[7:8]  ²⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ²⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ³⁰ sn 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.

[7:8]  ³¹ tn 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.

[7:8]  ³² tn 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.

[7:8]  ³³ sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).

[7:9]  ³⁴ tn 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.

[7:9]  ³⁵ tn The meaning “sell” for the middle voice of ἀποδίδωμι (apodidwmi) is given by BDAG 110 s.v. 5.a. See Gen 37:12-36, esp. v. 28.

[7:9]  ³⁶ tn 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.

[7:10]  ³⁷ tn Or “appointed.” See Gen 41:41-43.

[7:11]  ³⁸ tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”

[7:11]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.

[7:11]  ⁴⁰ sn 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.

[7:11]  ⁴¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:12]  ⁴² tn 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).

[7:12]  ⁴³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:12]  ⁴⁴ tn 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.

[7:13]  ⁴⁵ tn BDAG 194 s.v. γένος 2. gives “family, relatives” here; another alternative is “race” (see v. 19).

[7:14]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “Joseph had his father summoned” (BDAG 121 s.v. ἀποστέλλω 2.b).

[7:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).

[7:15]  ⁴⁹ tn 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.

[7:15]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:16]  ⁵¹ tn “and they.”

[7:16]  ⁵² sn See Gen 49:29-32.

[7:17]  ⁵³ tn 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. 6-7 above.

[7:17]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”

[7:18]  ⁵⁵ tn 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).

[7:18]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.

[7:18]  ⁵⁷ sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.

[7:19]  ⁵⁸ tn According to L&N 88.147 it is also possible to translate κατασοφισάμενος (katasofisameno") as “took advantage by clever words” or “persuaded by sweet talk.”

[7:19]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “race.”

[7:19]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:19]  ⁶¹ tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).

[7:19]  ⁶² tn 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).

[7:20]  ⁶³ tn Or “was well-formed before God,” or “was well-pleasing to God” (BDAG 145 s.v. ἀστεῖος suggests the meaning is more like “well-bred” as far as God was concerned; see Exod 2:2).

[7:20]  ⁶⁴ tn 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”).

[7:21]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).

[7:21]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “Pharaoh’s daughter took him up for herself.” According to BDAG 64 s.v. 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 NRSV), 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.

[7:21]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).

[7:22]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “instructed.”

[7:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).

[7:23]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “heart.”

[7:23]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

[7:23]  ⁷² tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”

[7:24]  ⁷³ tn 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.

[7:24]  ⁷⁴ tn “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.

[7:24]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:24]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “he defended,” “he retaliated” (BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμύνομαι).

[7:25]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “his brothers.”

[7:25]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “was granting them deliverance.” The narrator explains that this act pictured what Moses could do for his people.

[7:25]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “by his hand,” where the hand is a metaphor for the entire person.

[7:25]  ⁸⁰ sn 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.

[7:26]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:26]  ⁸² tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).

[7:26]  ⁸³ tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).

[7:27]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “repudiated Moses,” “rejected Moses” (BDAG 126-27 s.v. ἀπωθέω 2).

[7:27]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:27]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “appointed.”

[7:28]  ⁸⁷ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do you?”

[7:29]  ⁸⁸ tn 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.

[7:29]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “resident alien.” Traditionally πάροικος (paroiko") 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.

[7:30]  ⁹⁰ tn 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.

[7:30]  ⁹¹ tn Or “wilderness.”

[7:30]  ⁹² sn An allusion to Exod 3:2.

[7:32]  ⁹³ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:32]  ⁹⁴ tn 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.

[7:32]  ⁹⁵ sn A quotation from Exod 3:6. The phrase suggests the God of promise, the God of the nation.

[7:32]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “to investigate,” “to contemplate” (BDAG 522 s.v. κατανοέω 2).

[7:33]  ⁹⁷ sn 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.

[7:34]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “mistreatment.”

[7:34]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “to set them free.”

[7:34]  ¹⁰⁰ tn 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.

[7:34]  ¹⁰¹ sn A quotation from Exod 3:7-8, 10.

[7:35]  ¹⁰² sn 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).

[7:35]  ¹⁰³ sn 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.

[7:35]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”

[7:35]  ¹⁰⁵ tn 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 LXX).

[7:36]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.

[7:36]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:36]  ¹⁰⁸ tn 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.

[7:36]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “desert.”

[7:37]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “to the sons of Israel.”

[7:37]  ¹¹¹ sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. This quotation sets up Jesus as the “leader-prophet” like Moses (Acts 3:22; Luke 9:35).

[7:38]  ¹¹² tn This term, ἐκκλησία (ekklhsia), 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.

[7:38]  ¹¹³ tn Or “desert.”

[7:38]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:38]  ¹¹⁵ tn 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.

[7:38]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.

[7:38]  ¹¹⁷ tc ‡ The first person pronoun ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “to us”) is read by A C D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy, while the second person pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”) is read by Ì⁷⁴ א B 36 453 al 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” (TCGNT 307). 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.

[7:39]  ¹¹⁸ tn 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.

[7:39]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:39]  ¹²⁰ sn 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.

[7:39]  ¹²¹ sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).

[7:40]  ¹²² tn Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:40]  ¹²³ sn 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.

[7:41]  ¹²⁴ tn 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.

[7:41]  ¹²⁵ tn Grk “In those days.”

[7:41]  ¹²⁶ tn Or “a bull calf” (see Exod 32:4-6). The term μοσχοποιέω (moscopoiew) occurs only in Christian writings according to BDAG 660 s.v.

[7:41]  ¹²⁷ tn 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.

[7:41]  ¹²⁸ tn The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (eufrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See BDAG 414-15 s.v. εὐφραίνω 2.

[7:41]  ¹²⁹ tn Or “in what they had done.”

[7:42]  ¹³⁰ sn The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18-32.

[7:42]  ¹³¹ tn Or “stars.”

[7:42]  ¹³² tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).

[7:42]  ¹³³ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”

[7:43]  ¹³⁴ tn Or “tent.”

[7:43]  ¹³⁵ sn Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.

[7:43]  ¹³⁶ tc ‡ Most mss, including several important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א A C E Ψ 33 1739 Ï h p vg sy^h mae bo Cyr), have ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, in conformity with the LXX of Amos 5:26. But other significant and diverse witnesses lack the pronoun: The lack of ὑμῶν in B D 36 453 gig sy^p sa Ir^lat Or is difficult to explain if it is not the original wording here. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[7:43]  ¹³⁷ sn Rephan (῾Ραιφάν, RJaifan) was a pagan deity. The term was a name for Saturn. It was variously spelled in the mss (BDAG 903 s.v. has Rompha as an alternate spelling). The references cover a range of deities and a history of unfaithfulness.

[7:43]  ¹³⁸ tn Or “I will make you move.”

[7:43]  ¹³⁹ sn A quotation from Amos 5:25-27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.

[7:44]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:44]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “tent.”

[7:44]  ¹⁴² tn Or “desert.”

[7:44]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:44]  ¹⁴⁴ tn 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.

[7:45]  ¹⁴⁵ tn 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.

[7:45]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:45]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:45]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “In those days.”

[7:46]  ¹⁴⁹ tn 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.

[7:46]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “grace.”

[7:46]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “before,” “in the presence of.”

[7:46]  ¹⁵² tn The words “that he could” are not in the Greek text, but are implied as the (understood) subject of the infinitive εὑρεῖν (Jeurein). 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”).

[7:46]  ¹⁵³ tn On this term see BDAG 929 s.v. σκήνωμα a (Ps 132:5).

[7:46]  ¹⁵⁴ tc Some mss read θεῷ (qew, “God”) here, a variant much easier to understand in the context. The reading “God” is supported by א² A C E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy co. The more difficult οἴκῳ (oikw, “house”) is supported by Ì⁷⁴ א* B D H 049 pc. Thus the second reading is preferred both externally because of better ms 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 LXX 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 vii.2-53,” NTS 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 TCGNT 308-9.)

[7:47]  ¹⁵⁵ sn See 1 Kgs 8:1-21.

[7:48]  ¹⁵⁶ sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).

[7:48]  ¹⁵⁷ sn 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).

[7:49]  ¹⁵⁸ sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.

[7:50]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.

[7:50]  ¹⁶⁰ tn The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply.

[7:51]  ¹⁶¹ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ¹⁶² tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

[7:51]  ¹⁶³ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ¹⁶⁶ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ¹⁶⁷ tn 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.

[7:52]  ¹⁶⁸ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ¹⁶⁹ sn 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).

[7:53]  ¹⁷⁰ tn 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.

[7:53]  ¹⁷¹ tn Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so BDAG 291 s.v. εἰς 9, BDF §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.

[7:53]  ¹⁷² tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[7:53]  ¹⁷³ tn Or “did not obey it.”

[7:54]  ¹⁷⁴ tn This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπρίω).

[7:54]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage (BDAG 184 s.v. βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.

[7:55]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:55]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.

[7:55]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:55]  ¹⁷⁹ sn 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.

[7:56]  ¹⁸⁰ tn 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.

[7:57]  ¹⁸¹ sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.

[7:58]  ¹⁸² tn 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.

[7:58]  ¹⁸³ sn They began to stone him. The irony of the scene is that the people do exactly what the speech complains about in v. 52.

[7:58]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Or “outer garments.”

[7:59]  ¹⁸⁵ tn 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.

[7:60]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “Then falling to his knees he cried out.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:60]  ¹⁸⁷ sn 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).

[7:60]  ¹⁸⁸ tn 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.

[7:60]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

[8:1]  ¹⁹⁰ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ¹⁹¹ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ¹⁹² tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ¹⁹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ¹⁹⁴ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Or “countryside.”

[8:2]  ¹⁹⁶ tn “Some” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[8:2]  ¹⁹⁷ sn Made loud lamentation. For someone who was stoned to death, lamentation was normally not allowed (m. Sanhedrin 6:6). The remark points to an unjust death.

[8:2]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Or “mourned greatly for him.”

[11:24]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Grk “a significant crowd.”

[3:8]  ²⁰⁰ sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.

[3:8]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the Lord, and justice and strength.” The appositional phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” explains the source of the prophet’s power. The phrase “justice and strength” is understood here as a hendiadys, referring to the prophet’s strong sense of justice.

[3:8]  ²⁰² tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.