Acts 7:21| Men
| More dignified and solemn than simply “brothers and fathers.”
Acts 7:2a| brothers| Acts 22:1
Acts 7:22b| glory| Psa. 29:3
| It might have been visible glory (cf. v. 55), as when the cloud and the fire appeared to Israel (Exo. 16:10; 24:16-17; Lev. 9:23; Num. 14:10; 16:19; 20:6; Deut. 5:24) and filled the tabernacle and the temple (Exo. 40:35; 1|Kings 8:11). It was the God of such glory who appeared to Abraham and called him. His glory was a great attraction to him. It separated (sanctified) him from the world unto God (Exo. 29:43) and was a great encouragement and strength that enabled him to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4). In the same principle, God calls the New Testament believers by His invisible glory (2|Pet. 1:3).
Acts 7:2c| Mesopotamia| Gen. 24:10;| Acts 2:9
Acts 7:2d| Haran| Gen. 11:31;| 12:4-5
Acts 7:4a| came| Gen. 11:31
Acts 7:4b| Chaldeans| Gen. 15:7;| Neh. 9:7
Acts 7:4c| died| Gen. 11:32
Acts 7:41| removed
| Apparently Abraham journeyed into Canaan (Gen. 12:4-5), but actually God removed him into the good land.
Acts 7:5a| promised| Heb. 11:9
Acts 7:5b| seed| Gen. 12:7;| 13:15;| 17:8;| 26:3;| 48:4
Acts 7:6a| sojourner| Gen. 15:13;| Exo. 2:22
Acts 7:61| foreign
| I.e., Egypt (Exo. 1:1).
Acts 7:62| they
| I.e., the Egyptians (Exo. 1:11, 13-14).
Acts 7:6b| enslave| Exo. 1:11, 14;| 5:6-14
Acts 7:63c| four| Gen. 15:13;| cf. Exo. 12:40-41
| See note 173 in Gal. 3.
Acts 7:8a| covenant| Gen. 17:9-14
Acts 7:8c| Jacob| Gen. 25:26
Acts 7:8d| twelve| Gen. 29:31-35;| 30:5-24;| 35:18, 23-26
Acts 7:9a| jealous| Gen. 37:11
Acts 7:9b| sold| Gen. 37:28;| 45:4
Acts 7:9c| with| Gen. 39:2, 21, 23
Acts 7:10a| appointed| Gen. 41:40
Acts 7:11a| famine| Gen. 41:54-57;| 42:5
Acts 7:111| sustenance
| Or, fodder (for their cattle).
Acts 7:12a| grain| Gen. 42:1-3
Acts 7:13a| made| Gen. 45:1-4
Acts 7:13b| Pharaoh| Gen. 45:16
Acts 7:14a| father| Gen. 45:9, 27
Acts 7:141| seventy-five
| Compare with seventy in Gen. 46:27 and Exo. 1:5. Stephen quoted this number from the Septuagint, which mentions five additional descendants of Joseph in Gen. 46:20. Hence, the number he mentioned of the house of Jacob who came to Egypt was seventy-five instead of seventy.
Acts 7:15a| Jacob| Gen. 46:5
Acts 7:15b| ended| Gen. 49:33;| Exo. 1:6
Acts 7:16a| bought| Gen. 33:19;| Josh. 24:32
Acts 7:17a| promise| Acts 7:5
Acts 7:17b| multiplied| Exo. 1:7, 12
Acts 7:181| another
| Or, different (in character). Not only another king, but a king of different character.
Acts 7:18a| king| Exo. 1:8
Acts 7:19a| craftily| Exo. 1:10
Acts 7:19b| babies| Exo. 1:16, 22
Acts 7:201| Moses
| From v. 20 through v. 44 Stephen purposely gave a long narration in the most positive way concerning Moses. He did this to vindicate himself before his opposers, who had accused him of blaspheming Moses (6:11).
Acts 7:202| lovely
| Lit., fair to God. A Hebraism denoting fair in the sight of God; hence, exceedingly fair.
Acts 7:20a| three| Exo. 2:2
Acts 7:211| thrown
| Or, put out (to die).
Acts 7:21a| daughter| Exo. 2:3-10
Acts 7:221a| wisdom| cf. Dan. 1:4, 17
| I.e., wisdom in learning.
Acts 7:23a| brothers| Exo. 2:11-12
Acts 7:26a| fighting| Exo. 2:13
Acts 7:261| Men
| A dignified and solemn form of address.
Acts 7:27a| Who| Exo. 2:14
Acts 7:29a| fled| Exo. 2:15
Acts 7:29b| sons| Exo. 4:20;| 18:3-4
Acts 7:301| Angel
| Here and in vv. 35 and 38 the Angel (Messenger) in the Old Testament was Christ the Lord, who is Jehovah, the Triune God (Exo. 3:2-16; Judg. 6:12-24; Zech. 2:6-11). This is proved by the Lord and God in the following verses.
Acts 7:30a| thornbush| Exo. 3:2
Acts 7:311| Lord
| The Lord and God in vv. 31-35 are the Angel (Messenger) in vv. 30, 35, and 38.
Acts 7:32a| I| Exo. 3:6
Acts 7:321| examine
| Or, take notice of; hence, examine.
Acts 7:33a| Untie| Exo. 3:5
Acts 7:341a| I| Exo. 3:7
| Lit., Having seen I saw. A Hebraism.
Acts 7:34b| heard| Exo. 2:23-24
Acts 7:34c| rescue| Exo. 3:8
Acts 7:35a| Who| Acts 7:27
Acts 7:35b| Angel| Exo. 23:20;| 32:34;| 33:2
Acts 7:351| appeared
| Or, was seen by him.
Acts 7:36a| out| Exo. 12:41
Acts 7:36b| wonders| Exo. 7:3
Acts 7:36c| Red| Exo. 14:21-31
Acts 7:36d| wilderness| Exo. 16:1
Acts 7:36e| forty| Exo. 16:35;| Num. 14:33;| Acts 7:42;| 13:18
Acts 7:37a| A| Deut. 18:15, 18;| Acts 3:22
Acts 7:38a| Angel| Acts 7:53;| Gal. 3:19;| Heb. 2:2
Acts 7:38b| Mount| Exo. 19:19-20
Acts 7:38c| oracles| Rom. 3:2
Acts 7:39a| turned| Exo. 14:12;| 16:3;| Num. 11:5;| 14:3-4
Acts 7:40a| Make| Exo. 32:1, 23
Acts 7:411a| calf| Exo. 32:4-5, 35
| Or, young bull.
Acts 7:42a| delivered| Psa. 81:12;| Ezek. 20:39;| Rom. 1:24
Acts 7:421| serve
| I.e., star worship.
Acts 7:422b| host| Deut. 4:19;| 2|Kings 23:5;| Jer. 19:13;| Zeph. 1:5
| I.e., heavenly bodies.
Acts 7:423| book
| Probably referring to the twelve books of the minor prophets, from Hosea through Malachi, counting them as one book.
Acts 7:42c| Did| Amos 5:25-27
Acts 7:42d| forty| Acts 7:36
Acts 7:431| tabernacle
| I.e., the portable tent-temple of the god, to be carried in procession (Vincent).
Acts 7:43a| Moloch| 1|Kings 11:7
Acts 7:432| Rompha
| The Coptic name for Saturn.
Acts 7:44a| Tabernacle| Exo. 38:21
Acts 7:44b| Testimony| cf. Rev. 15:5
Acts 7:44c| pattern| Exo. 25:9, 40
Acts 7:45a| Joshua| Josh. 3:14;| 18:1
Acts 7:45b| possession| Neh. 9:23
Acts 7:45c| drove| Josh. 3:10;| 23:9;| 24:18
Acts 7:45d| David| Psa. 89:20;| Acts 13:22
Acts 7:46a| habitation| Psa. 132:5
Acts 7:46b| God| Gen. 49:24
Acts 7:47a| built| 1|Kings 6:1;| 8:13;| 2|Chron. 3:1
Acts 7:481| Most
| Stephen called God “the God of glory” (v. 2) and “the Most High” to vindicate himself before his opposers, who had accused him of blaspheming God (6:11).
Acts 7:482| not
| Implying that God would abandon the material temple of the Old Testament and initiate a new dispensation, that His people might worship Him in the spirit (John 4:24), in which is God’s spiritual habitation, the church (Eph. 2:22).
Acts 7:48a| dwell| 2|Chron. 6:18;| Acts 17:24
Acts 7:491| What
| This quotation from Isa. 66:1-2 indicates that the Lord was seeking a spiritual habitation in man’s spirit. This is proved by the unquoted part of Isa. 66:2 that says, “But to this kind of man will I look, to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit.”
Acts 7:51a| stiff-necked| Exo. 32:9;| 33:3;| Deut. 10:16;| Isa. 48:4
Acts 7:51b| hearts| Lev. 26:41;| Jer. 9:26;| Ezek. 44:9
Acts 7:51c| ears| Jer. 6:10
Acts 7:511| oppose
| A very strong expression.
Acts 7:512| Spirit
| Since Stephen was full of the Spirit (v. 55) and was one with the Lord the Spirit (1|Cor. 6:17), to oppose him was to oppose the Holy Spirit. Hence, the Lord indicated to Saul, one of Stephen’s persecutors (v. 58; 8:1), that he was persecuting Him (9:4).
Acts 7:52a| prophets| Neh. 9:26;| Matt. 5:12
Acts 7:52b| righteous| Acts 3:14;| 22:14;| 1|John 2:1
Acts 7:53a| law| Deut. 33:2;| John 7:19
Acts 7:531| ordinances
| The Greek word is a noun; the verb form of the same word is used in Gal. 3:19 and is rendered ordained there. The law of God was ordained through angels and became ordinances of angels.
Acts 7:53b| angels| Acts 7:38
Acts 7:54a| heard| Acts 5:33
Acts 7:541| exasperated
| See note 331 in ch. 5.
Acts 7:54b| gnashed| Psa. 35:16;| 37:12;| Job 16:9
Acts 7:551| full
| See note 31 in ch. 6.
Acts 7:552a| glory| Acts 7:2;| Exo. 24:16;| John 12:41
| A great vindication and encouragement to the persecuted one.
Acts 7:553| standing
| The Lord in ascension is usually referred to as sitting at the right hand of God (Matt. 26:64; Heb. 1:3, 13). But Stephen saw Him standing there. This indicates that the Lord was greatly concerned for His persecuted one.
Acts 7:55b| right| Psa. 110:1;| Mark 16:19
Acts 7:561| heavens
| The earth rejected Stephen and was closed to him, but the heavens opened up to him, indicating that the heavens were with him and for him.
Acts 7:56a| opened| Ezek. 1:1;| Matt. 3:16;| John 1:51;| Acts 10:11;| Rev. 4:1
Acts 7:56b| Son| Matt. 26:64;| Dan. 7:13
Acts 7:58a| outside| 1|Kings 21:13;| Luke 4:29;| Heb. 13:12
Acts 7:58b| stoned| Matt. 23:37;| Heb. 11:37
Acts 7:58c| witnesses| Acts 6:13;| Deut. 17:7
Acts 7:581d| Saul| Acts 8:3;| 9:1
| Saul, who later became an apostle (13:9), helped the persecutors in their slaying of Stephen.
Acts 7:591| called
| See note 211 in ch. 2.
Acts 7:59a| spirit| Psa. 31:5;| Luke 23:46
Acts 7:60a| kneeling| Luke 22:41;| Acts 9:40;| 20:36
Acts 7:601| not
| Stephen prayed for his persecutors in the same way that his Lord, whom he loved and lived, had prayed for His (Luke 23:34).
Acts 7:60b| asleep| Dan. 12:2;| Matt. 27:52;| 1|Thes. 4:14-15;| 1|Cor. 15:51