Acts 7:39

7:39 Our ¹  ancestors ²  were unwilling to obey ³  him, but pushed him aside ⁴  and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,

Acts 7:51

7:51 “You stubborn ⁵  people, with uncircumcised ⁶  hearts and ears! ⁷  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ⁸  did!

[7:39]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:39]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).

[7:51]  ⁵ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”