Acts 7:2-53

¹ tn Grk “said.”

² tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

³ sn A quotation from Gen 12:1.

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

⁵ 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.

⁶ 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 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.

⁸ tn Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).

⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹² 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.

¹³ tn Or “will be strangers,” that is, one who lives as a noncitizen of a foreign country.

¹⁴ sn A quotation from Gen 15:13. Exod 12:40 specifies the sojourn as 430 years.

¹⁵ 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).”

¹⁶ tn The words “of there” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

sn A quotation from Gen 15:14.

¹⁷ tn Or “and serve,” but with religious/cultic overtones (BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω).

¹⁸ sn An allusion to Exod 3:12.

¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²¹ 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.

²² 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.

²³ 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.

²⁴ sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).

²⁵ 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.

²⁶ 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.

²⁷ 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.

²⁸ tn Or “appointed.” See Gen 41:41-43.

²⁹ tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”

³⁰ tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.

³¹ 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.

³² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

³³ 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).

³⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

³⁵ 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.

³⁶ tn BDAG 194 s.v. γένος 2. gives “family, relatives” here; another alternative is “race” (see v. 19).

³⁷ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

³⁸ tn Or “Joseph had his father summoned” (BDAG 121 s.v. ἀποστέλλω 2.b).

³⁹ tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).

⁴⁰ 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.

⁴¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

⁴² tn “and they.”

⁴³ sn See Gen 49:29-32.

⁴⁴ 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.

⁴⁵ tn Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”

⁴⁶ 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).

⁴⁷ tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.

⁴⁸ sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.

⁴⁹ 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.”

⁵⁰ tn Or “race.”

⁵¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

⁵² tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).

⁵³ 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).

⁵⁴ 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).

⁵⁵ 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”).

⁵⁶ tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).

⁵⁷ 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.

⁵⁸ tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).

⁵⁹ tn Or “instructed.”

⁶⁰ tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).

⁶¹ tn Grk “heart.”

⁶² tn Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

⁶³ tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”

⁶⁴ 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.

⁶⁵ 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.

⁶⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶⁷ tn Or “he defended,” “he retaliated” (BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμύνομαι).

⁶⁸ tn Grk “his brothers.”

⁶⁹ tn Grk “was granting them deliverance.” The narrator explains that this act pictured what Moses could do for his people.

⁷⁰ tn Grk “by his hand,” where the hand is a metaphor for the entire person.

⁷¹ 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.

⁷² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷³ tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).

⁷⁴ tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).

⁷⁵ tn Or “repudiated Moses,” “rejected Moses” (BDAG 126-27 s.v. ἀπωθέω 2).

⁷⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷⁷ tn Or “appointed.”

⁷⁸ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do you?”

sn 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.

⁷⁹ 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.

⁸⁰ 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.

⁸¹ 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.

⁸² tn Or “wilderness.”

⁸³ sn An allusion to Exod 3:2.

⁸⁴ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

⁸⁵ 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.

⁸⁶ sn A quotation from Exod 3:6. The phrase suggests the God of promise, the God of the nation.

⁸⁷ tn Or “to investigate,” “to contemplate” (BDAG 522 s.v. κατανοέω 2).

⁸⁸ 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.

⁸⁹ tn Or “mistreatment.”

⁹⁰ tn Or “to set them free.”

⁹¹ 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.

⁹² sn A quotation from Exod 3:7-8, 10.

⁹³ 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).

⁹⁴ 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.

⁹⁵ tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”

⁹⁶ 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).

⁹⁷ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.

sn 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).

⁹⁸ tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

⁹⁹ 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.

¹⁰⁰ tn Or “desert.”

¹⁰¹ tn Grk “to the sons of Israel.”

¹⁰² sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. This quotation sets up Jesus as the “leader-prophet” like Moses (Acts 3:22; Luke 9:35).

¹⁰³ 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.

¹⁰⁴ tn Or “desert.”

¹⁰⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹⁰⁶ 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.

¹⁰⁷ tn Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.

¹⁰⁸ 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.

¹⁰⁹ 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.

¹¹⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹¹¹ 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.

¹¹² sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).

¹¹³ tn Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

¹¹⁴ 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.

¹¹⁵ 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.

¹¹⁶ tn Grk “In those days.”

¹¹⁷ 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.

¹¹⁸ 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.

¹¹⁹ tn The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (eufrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See BDAG 414-15 s.v. εὐφραίνω 2.

¹²⁰ tn Or “in what they had done.”

¹²¹ sn The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18-32.

¹²² tn Or “stars.”

sn To worship the hosts of heaven. Their action violated Deut 4:19; 17:2-5. See Ps 106:36-43.

¹²³ tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).

¹²⁴ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”

¹²⁵ tn Or “tent.”

sn A tabernacle was a tent used to house religious objects or a shrine (i.e., a portable sanctuary).

¹²⁶ sn Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.

¹²⁷ 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.

¹²⁸ 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.

¹²⁹ tn Or “I will make you move.”

¹³⁰ sn A quotation from Amos 5:25-27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.

¹³¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹³² tn Or “tent.”

sn 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.

¹³³ tn Or “desert.”

¹³⁴ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³⁵ 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.

¹³⁶ 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.

¹³⁷ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹³⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

sn Before our ancestors. Stephen has backtracked here to point out how faithful God had been before the constant move to idolatry just noted.

¹³⁹ tn Grk “In those days.”

¹⁴⁰ 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.

¹⁴¹ tn Or “grace.”

¹⁴² tn Grk “before,” “in the presence of.”

¹⁴³ 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”).

¹⁴⁴ tn On this term see BDAG 929 s.v. σκήνωμα a (Ps 132:5).

¹⁴⁵ 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.)

¹⁴⁶ sn See 1 Kgs 8:1-21.

¹⁴⁷ sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).

¹⁴⁸ 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).

¹⁴⁹ sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.

¹⁵⁰ tn Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.

¹⁵¹ tn The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply.

sn A quotation from Isa 66:1-2. If God made the heavens, how can a human building contain him?

¹⁵² sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

¹⁵³ 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.

¹⁵⁴ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

¹⁵⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹⁵⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹⁵⁷ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

¹⁵⁸ 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.

¹⁵⁹ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

¹⁶⁰ 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).

¹⁶¹ 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.

¹⁶² 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.

sn 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 7:35.

¹⁶³ tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

¹⁶⁴ tn Or “did not obey it.”