Discovery BoxActs 7:18-60
Context7:18 until another king who did not know about 1 Joseph ruled 2 over Egypt. 3 7:19 This was the one who exploited 4 our people 5 and was cruel to our ancestors, 6 forcing them to abandon 7 their infants so they would die. 8 7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful 9 to God. For 10 three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, 11 Pharaoh’s daughter adopted 12 him and brought him up 13 as her own son. 7:22 So Moses was trained 14 in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful 15 in his words and deeds. 7:23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind 16 to visit his fellow countrymen 17 the Israelites. 18 7:24 When 19 he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, 20 Moses 21 came to his defense 22 and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. 7:25 He thought his own people 23 would understand that God was delivering them 24 through him, 25 but they did not understand. 26 7:26 The next day Moses 27 saw two men 28 fighting, and tried to make peace between 29 them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ 7:27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed 30 Moses 31 aside, saying, ‘Who made 32 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?’ 33 7:29 When the man said this, 34 Moses fled and became a foreigner 35 in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
7:30 “After 36 forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert 37 of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 38 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, 39 the God of Abraham, Isaac, 40 and Jacob.’ 41 Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely. 42 7:33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 43 7:34 I have certainly seen the suffering 44 of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. 45 Now 46 come, I will send you to Egypt.’ 47 7:35 This same 48 Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ 49 God sent as both ruler and deliverer 50 through the hand of the angel 51 who appeared to him in the bush. 7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs 52 in the land of Egypt, 53 at 54 the Red Sea, and in the wilderness 55 for forty years. 7:37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 56 ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ 57 7:38 This is the man who was in the congregation 58 in the wilderness 59 with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, 60 and he 61 received living oracles 62 to give to you. 63 7:39 Our 64 ancestors 65 were unwilling to obey 66 him, but pushed him aside 67 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 68 – we do not know what has happened to him!’ 69 7:41 At 70 that time 71 they made an idol in the form of a calf, 72 brought 73 a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing 74 in the works of their hands. 75 7:42 But God turned away from them and gave them over 76 to worship the host 77 of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices 78 forty years in the wilderness, was it, 79 house of Israel? 7:43 But you took along the tabernacle 80 of Moloch 81 and the star of the 82 god Rephan, 83 the images you made to worship, but I will deport 84 you beyond Babylon.’ 85 7:44 Our ancestors 86 had the tabernacle 87 of testimony in the wilderness, 88 just as God 89 who spoke to Moses ordered him 90 to make it according to the design he had seen. 7:45 Our 91 ancestors 92 received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, 93 until the time 94 of David. 7:46 He 95 found favor 96 with 97 God and asked that he could 98 find a dwelling place 99 for the house 100 of Jacob. 7:47 But Solomon built a house 101 for him. 7:48 Yet the Most High 102 does not live in houses made by human hands, 103 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? 104
7:50 Did my hand 105 not make all these things?’ 106
7:51 “You stubborn 107 people, with uncircumcised 108 hearts and ears! 109 You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors 110 did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors 111 not persecute? 112 They 113 killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, 114 whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! 115 7:53 You 116 received the law by decrees given by angels, 117 but you did not obey 118 it.” 119
7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious 120 and ground their teeth 121 at him. 7:55 But Stephen, 122 full 123 of the Holy Spirit, looked intently 124 toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing 125 at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. 126 “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, 127 shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 7:58 When 128 they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, 129 and the witnesses laid their cloaks 130 at the feet of a young man named Saul. 7:59 They 131 continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 7:60 Then he fell 132 to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” 133 When 134 he had said this, he died. 135
[7:18] 1 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] 2 tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.
[7:18] 3 sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.
[7:19] 4 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] 6 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:19] 7 tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).
[7:19] 8 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] 9 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] 10 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] 11 tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).
[7:21] 12 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] 13 tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).
[7:22] 15 tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).
[7:23] 17 tn Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.
[7:23] 18 tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”
[7:24] 19 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] 20 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] 21 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:24] 22 tn Or “he defended,” “he retaliated” (BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμύνομαι).
[7:25] 23 tn Grk “his brothers.”
[7:25] 24 tn Grk “was granting them deliverance.” The narrator explains that this act pictured what Moses could do for his people.
[7:25] 25 tn Grk “by his hand,” where the hand is a metaphor for the entire person.
[7:25] 26 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] 27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:26] 28 tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).
[7:26] 29 tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).
[7:27] 30 tn Or “repudiated Moses,” “rejected Moses” (BDAG 126-27 s.v. ἀπωθέω 2).
[7:27] 31 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:28] 33 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do you?”
[7:29] 34 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] 35 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] 36 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] 38 sn An allusion to Exod 3:2.
[7:32] 39 tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:32] 40 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] 41 sn A quotation from Exod 3:6. The phrase suggests the God of promise, the God of the nation.
[7:32] 42 tn Or “to investigate,” “to contemplate” (BDAG 522 s.v. κατανοέω 2).
[7:33] 43 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] 44 tn Or “mistreatment.”
[7:34] 45 tn Or “to set them free.”
[7:34] 46 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] 47 sn A quotation from Exod 3:7-8, 10.
[7:35] 48 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] 49 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] 50 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] 51 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] 52 tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.
[7:36] 53 tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.
[7:36] 54 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.
[7:37] 56 tn Grk “to the sons of Israel.”
[7:37] 57 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] 58 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] 60 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:38] 61 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] 62 tn Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.
[7:38] 63 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] 64 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] 65 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:39] 66 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] 67 sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).
[7:40] 68 tn Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.
[7:40] 69 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] 70 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] 71 tn Grk “In those days.”
[7:41] 72 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] 73 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] 74 tn The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (eufrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See BDAG 414-15 s.v. εὐφραίνω 2.
[7:41] 75 tn Or “in what they had done.”
[7:42] 76 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] 78 tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).
[7:42] 79 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”
[7:43] 81 sn Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.
[7:43] 82 tc ‡ Most
[7:43] 83 sn Rephan (῾Ραιφάν, RJaifan) was a pagan deity. The term was a name for Saturn. It was variously spelled in the
[7:43] 84 tn Or “I will make you move.”
[7:43] 85 sn A quotation from Amos 5:25-27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.
[7:44] 86 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:44] 89 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:44] 90 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] 91 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] 92 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:45] 93 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:45] 94 tn Grk “In those days.”
[7:46] 95 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] 97 tn Grk “before,” “in the presence of.”
[7:46] 98 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] 99 tn On this term see BDAG 929 s.v. σκήνωμα a (Ps 132:5).
[7:46] 100 tc Some
[7:47] 101 sn See 1 Kgs 8:1-21.
[7:48] 102 sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).
[7:48] 103 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] 104 sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.
[7:50] 105 tn Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.
[7:50] 106 tn The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply.
[7:51] 107 sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.
[7:51] 108 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] 109 tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)
[7:51] 110 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:52] 111 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:52] 112 sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.
[7:52] 113 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] 114 sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.
[7:52] 115 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] 116 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] 117 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] 118 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] 119 tn Or “did not obey it.”
[7:54] 120 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] 121 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] 122 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:55] 123 tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.
[7:55] 124 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] 125 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] 126 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] 127 sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.
[7:58] 128 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] 129 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] 130 tn Or “outer garments.”
[7:59] 131 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] 132 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] 133 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] 134 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] 135 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.
