1Stephen, called upon to answer the charge against him, relateth how God called Abraham, and gave him and his seed the land of Canaan by promise; 9how Joseph was sold by his brethren, and Jacob with his family went down into Egypt; 17how, when they were oppressed by the Egyptians, Moses was born, and sent to deliver Israel out of Egypt; 37that this same Moses witnessed of Christ, received the law, and experienced the disobedience and idolatry of their forefathers; 44who had the tabernacle of witness, till Solomon built the temple; 51he reproacheth his hearers with imitating their fathers' rebellion against God, and persecution of his prophets, by having themselves murdered Christ, and transgressed the law they had received. 54Stung with the reproach, they stone him, looking up with faith unto God, and calling upon Jesus to receive his soul, and forgive his persecutors.
1THEN said the high priest, Are 1these things so?
1 Namely, whereof you are accused.
2And he said, Men, 2brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto 3our father Abraham, when he was in 4Mesopotamia, 5before he dwelt in 6Charran,
2 So he calls them, because they were of one generation with him; calling those, who were of like age among them, brethren, and those who were older or in any office, fathers.
3 That is, from whom we, Jews, are descended, and of whom we always boast, John 8:39.
4 Such is called in Greek, the country that lies in the middle between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, in the Hebrew called Aram Naharaim; that is, Syria between the rivers, Gen. 24:10, unto which is also reckoned the land of Babylon, whereof Chaldea was a part, Gen. 11:31. See also Plinius, lib. 6, cap. 9; 26.
5 Namely, while he yet dwelt in Ur, a city of Chaldea, Gen. 11:31 and 15:7.
6 This was a city of Mesopotamia, beyond the river Euphrates, Gen. 11:31; 28:10; 29:4; Joshua 24:2, otherwise called Charrhae, where in former times the Roman General M. Crassus was beaten by the Parthians.
3And said unto him, Geta thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come 7into the land which I shall shew thee.
a Gen. 12:1.
7 This was the land of Canaan, which God named not unto him at first, the better to prove his faith and obedience, and to make it apparent; Gen. 12:1
4Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
5And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, 8not so much as to set his foot on: 9yetb he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his 10seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
8 That is, not so much of his own that he could set his foot thereon, see Deut. 2:5. Afterwards he bought therein a field with a cave, and such not to dwell there, but to bury his dead therein, Gen. 23:9.
9 That is, although He had promised him. Or, but he promised.
b Gen. 12:7; 13:15.
10 That is, posterity.
6And God spake on this wise, Thatc his seed should 11sojourn 12in a strange land; and that 13they should bring them into 14bondage, and entreat them evil 15fourd hundred years.
c Gen. 15:13.
11 Gr. paroikos; that is, a dweller in, or dweller by, who dwells not in his own but another’s house or land.
12 Namely, the land of Egypt.
13 Namely, the Egyptians.
14 By this bondage is also understood all their banishment and pilgrimage, and not only the hard servitude to which the Israelites were first subject in Egypt after the death of Joseph, Exod. 1:6, 10, 11; for, this did not last four hundred years.
15 These must be reckoned from the time that Abraham, according to this promise, received seed, and Isaac was born unto him, or when Isaac was weaned, Gen. 21:2, 8. But as concerning the four hundred and thirty years whereof is spoken in Exod. 12:40 and Gal. 3:17, see the annotations thereof at the same places, Gen. 12:1, between which time and the weaning of Isaac are thirty years. See Gen. 15:13, to which place Stephen here alludes.
d Gen. 15:16; Exod. 12:40; Gal. 3:17.
716And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I 17judge, said God: and aftere that shall they come forth, andf serve me in this place.
16 Or, but.
17 That is, punish according to My righteous judgment, 1 Cor. 11:31; Heb. 13:4, which also came to pass especially when Pharaoh, with his entire host, was drowned in the Red Sea.
e Gen. 15:16.
f Exod. 3:12.
8And he gave 18him 19the covenant ofg circumcision: 20and so Abraham begath Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begati Jacob; and Jacob begat thej twelve patriarchs.
18 Namely, Abraham.
19 That is, the circumcision, which was a sign and a seal of the covenant. See Gen. 17:10 and Rom. 4:11.
g Gen. 17:10.
20 Or, and he.
h Gen. 21:2.
i Gen. 25:24.
j Gen. 29:32; 30:5; 35:23.
9And the patriarchs, movedk with envy, soldl Joseph into Egypt: but God 21was with him,
k Gen. 37:4.
l Gen. 37:28; Psalm 105:17.
21 Namely, by His special favor, grace and blessing.
10And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him 22favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he madem him 23governor over Egypt and all his house.
22 That is, pleasantness, that Pharaoh was favorable to him.
m Gen. 41:40.
23 Gr. leader.
11Nown there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found 24no sustenance.
n Gen. 41:54; Psalm 105:16.
24 Namely, for themselves and for their cattle. Or, nothing to satisfy them.
12Buto when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out 25our fathers first.
o Gen. 42:1.
25 That is, his sons, from whom we have descended.
13Andp at the second 26time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
p Gen. 45:4.
26 That is, return into Egypt.
14Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his 27kindred, 28threescore and fifteen souls.
27 Or, family.
28 In the Hebrew text, Gen. 46:27; Exod. 1:5 and Deut. 10:22, mention is made but of seventy souls, but in the Greek translation, Gen. 46:27 and Exod. 1:5, of seventy-five, which translation some think Luke here followed. See the like in Luke 3:36. Others think that Stephen, besides the seventy, may have reckoned the four wives of Jacob, and the two sons of Judah, who died in Canaan, without accounting Jacob himself also.
15Soq Jacob went down into Egypt, and died,r he, and our fathers,
q Gen. 46:5.
r Gen. 49:33.
16Ands29were carried over 30into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre thatt31Abraham bought for 32a sum of money of the sons of Emmor 33the father of Sychem.
s Gen. 50:13; Exod. 13:19; Joshua 24:32.
29 That is, their bones.
30 This was a city in the land of Samaria, Gen. 33:19, otherwise also called Sychar, John 4:5, at which the bones of Joseph were buried, in that piece of land which Jacob bought of the children of Hamor, the father of Sichem, Joshua 24:32, and it is credible that some of the other forefathers’ bones were brought there also.
t Gen. 23:16.
31 Gen. 33:19 and Joshua 24:32 it is expressly said that Jacob bought a piece of land of the children of Hamor, the father of Sichem; wherefore some think that the word Jacob must be repeated again out of the previous verse, and that the word Abraham stood not in the text at one time. Yet, others think that the word Abraham may well be retained in the text, seeing Abraham also bought a cave at Hebron of Ephron the son of Zohar for the burial of his dead, Gen. 23:16, in which Jacob wanted to be buried also, Gen. 49:29, 30, and to which it seems also that the bones of some other forefathers were brought over from Sichem. And these translate the text here thus besides that, that is, besides the grave that of the sons of Hamor, the father of Sichem; namely, was bought by Jacob, Gen. 33:19.
32 Gr. for a piece of silver.
33 See Gen. 33:19.
17But when 34the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grewu and multiplied in Egypt,
34 Namely, made to Abraham that his posterity would be delivered out of the strange land, and of bondage, verse 7; or, of the multiplying of his seed, Gen. 22:16, 17.
u Exod. 1:7; Psalm 105:24.
18Till another king arose, 35which knew not Joseph.
35 Namely, how much good he had done to Egypt, and therefore was not favorable to the Hebrews.
19The same 36dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not 37live.
36 That is oppressed them with devices; keeping them under by hard labor, and making his own profit; and killing their male children that they would multiply no more. See Exod. 1:10.
37 Or, not propagate.
20Inv which time Moses was born, and was 38exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:
v Exod. 2:2; 6:19; Num. 26:59; 1 Chron. 23:13; Heb. 11:23.
38 Gr. fair to God, that is, divinely, or exceeding, Exod. 2:2; as such Nineveh is called a city great to God, that is, exceeding great. God had given him that great beauty, thereby to move Pharaoh’s daughter to preserve him alive, and to take him for her son, Exod. 2:10.
21And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him 39for her own son.
39 That is, having taken or adopted him for a son, Heb. 11:24.
22And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
23And whenw he was 40full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit 41his brethren the children of Israel.
w Exod. 2:11.
40 Namely, which he had lived in the court of Pharaoh.
41 That is, who were of his people and generation.
24Andx seeing 42one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
x Exod. 2:11.
42 Namely, an Israelite.
25For he supposed his brethren would have 43understood how that God 44by his hand would 45deliver them: but they 46understood not.
43 Namely, by this his deed.
44 That is, by his ministry. Hebraism.
45 Gr. salvation, namely, out of the slavery of Egypt.
46 Namely, out of carelessness or obstinacy, which fault was always among this people. See verse 35.
26Andy the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and 47would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
y Exod. 2:13.
47 Namely, by earnest persuasions
27But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Whoz made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
z verse 35; Exod. 2:14; Mat. 21:23; Acts 4:7.
28Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
29Then fled Moses 48at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.
48 Gr. in that word, that is, as soon as it was spoken; because he understood thereby that his deed was not hidden as he had thought.
30Andaa when 49forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina 50an angel of the Lord 51in a flame of fire in a bush.
aa Exod. 3:2.
49 Namely, which he had spent after his escape out of Egypt into Midian so that he was now eighty years old. See verse 23.
50 Namely, the eternal Son of God, the Lord Himself, as one sees in the two following verses, and Exod. 3:4, 5 and 23:21; 1 Cor. 10:9.
51 Or, in a flaming fire.
31When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near 52to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
52 Or, to take notice of.
32Saying, Iabam the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and 53durst not 54behold.
ab Exod. 3:6; Mat. 22:23; Heb. 11:16.
53 Or, to venture.
54 Namely, the Angel.
33Then said the Lord to him, Putac off 55thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is 56holy ground.
ac Joshua 5:15.
55 The Greek word signifies soles, which are bound unto the feet with bands.
56 Namely, because of the Divine manifestation which happened there.
34I have 57seen, I have seen the afflictionad of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am 58come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
57 Gr. seeing have seen. Hebraism. That is, seen very well, and diligently observed it, how My people are mistreated in Egypt.
ad maltreatment
58 Namely, from heaven, which must be understood being spoken after the manner of men, that God was now ready to deliver His people, and to punish their enemies. For, otherwise God fills heaven and earth, Jer. 23:24.
35This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer 59by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
59 That is, by the disposing. Hebraism.
36Heae brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, andaf in the wilderness forty years.
ae Exodus 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 13; 14.
af Exod. 16:1; Deut. 1:3.
37¶This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, 60A prophet shall theag Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; himah shall ye hear.
60 Namely, the Christ or Messiah. Here Stephen shows that he does not teach against Moses while he preached Jesus Christ, seeing Moses himself prophesied of Him.
ag Deut. 18:15, 18; John 1:46; Acts 3:22.
ah Mat. 17:5.
38Thisai is he, that was in the 61church in the wilderness withaj62the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the 63lively 64oracles to give unto us:
ai Exod. 19:3.
61 Or, congregation. This is the assembly of the people which is described in Exodus 19, and in some chapters following.
aj Gal. 3:19.
62 Namely, the Son of God, verse 30.
63 That is, pointing the way unto life.
64 That is, utterances or instructions of God, whereby He declared His will.
39To whom our fathers would not obey, 65but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again 66into Egypt,
65 Namely, Moses, and God propounding His living words unto them by Moses.
66 Namely, being desirous again after that land, or after the superstitions of Egypt.
40Saying unto Aaron, Makeak us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
ak Exod. 32:1.
41And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice 67unto the idol, and 68rejoiced in the 69works of their own hands.
67 Or, to the image, wherewith they committed idolatry, namely, to the calf.
68 Namely, with eating, drinking and playing, Exod. 32:6; 1 Cor. 10:7.
69 That is, in the golden calf that they had made themselves with their own hands, Thus idols are often called to show their nothingness, and the folly of idolaters, Psalm 115:4.
42Then God 70turned, and 71gave them up to worship 72the host of heaven; as it is written 73in the book of the prophets, 74Oal ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
70 That is, was wroth with them, whereas He had been favorable to them before, and did them good. Or, turned away from them.
71 Namely, as a righteous Judge to their lusts and into an erroneous sense, Rom. 1:24, 28.
72 That is, the sun, moon and other stars. See Deut. 17:3; 2 Kings 17:16; Isa. 40:26; Jer. 19:13.
73 Namely, of the minor prophets, which were put together in one book. This is written in the prophet Amos, Amos 5:25.
74 By this question He means that they did not offer unto Him as they ought, nor with an upright heart; Amos 5:21.
al Amos 5:25.
43Yea,am ye 75took up the tabernacle 76of Moloch, and 77the star of your god 78Remphan, 79figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond 80Babylon.
am Amos 5:26, 27.
75 Namely, on your shoulders, to carry it.
76 This Moloch was an idol of the Ammonites, Lev. 18:21:1 Kings 11:7; Jer. 32:35, and this name comes from the Hebrew word melech, that is king, as also Milcom; 1 Kings 11:5.
77 See hereof Amos 5:26, and the like in Jer. 7:18 and 44:25.
78 In the Hebrew Text it is Chijun, whereby some understand the idol Hercules, because the Egyptians, whose idolatry the Israelites much followed, called the same Chon; others the idol Saturn, which by the Egyptians was also called Rephan, which word, yet changed into Raiphan, is put in the Greek translation for Chijun, which is here followed by Luke, forasmuch as the same agrees with the Hebrew text in the root. But in the Greek translation, which Stephen follows, there stands Raiphan, which afterwards was changed into Remphan. The Hebrews call a giant repha, from which some think this word originated, and that the idol Hercules, which used to be worshipped in the shape of a giant, is signified thereby.
79 Gr. expressions.
80 In the Hebrew it is Damascus, as also in the Greek translation. But Stephen respected more the sense than the words, seeing history teaches that they were carried over not only beyond Damascus, but also beyond Babylon into Persia and Media. See 2 Kings 17:6, and Josephus, Antiq. lib. 9, cap. 14.
44Our fathers had the tabernacle 81of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it accordingan to the fashion that he had seen.
81 So called because the tables of the law, which is called the testimony of the Lord, were kept therein, and from there God gave testimony and answer concerning His will, Exod. 25:22; 2 Kings 11:12; 2 Chron. 23:11, and was otherwise called of answer, or, of the assembly, because the people, when they were to gather together, received there the answer to come together. See Exod. 40:2, compared with Exod. 33:7.
an Exod. 25:40; Heb. 8:5.
45Whichao also our fathers that 82came after brought in with 83Jesus 84into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave outap85before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
ao Joshua 3:14.
82 Namely, as from hand to hand from their ancestors.
83 That is Joshua, the son of Nun, whereby we see that the names Joshua and Jesus are all one name. See also Heb. 4:8.
84 Or, into the land that the Gentiles possessed, or, when they took in the possession of the Gentiles.
ap drove.
85 That is, from before them; or, so that they could not endure the face of our fathers, Exod. 23:28; Joshua 24:12; Psalm 44:3.
46Whoaq found 86favour before God, and desiredar87to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
aq 1 Sam. 16:1; Psalm 89:20; Acts 13:22.
86 See Luke 1:30.
ar 2 Sam. 7:2; 1 Chron. 17:1; Psalm 132:5.
87 That is, to get or to build.
47Butas Solomon built him 88an house.
as 1 Kings 6:1; 1 Chron. 17:12.
88 That is, a firm and settled building, a temple, that He might no longer dwell in a tent or tabernacle, but in a firm house, Psalm 132:3, 4, 5.
48Howbeitat the most High 89dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
at 1 Kings 8:27; Acts 17:24.
89 Namely, as if He was included therein or bound thereto, as the Jews imagined, Jer. 7:4.
49Heavenauis my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
au 2 Chron. 6:33; Isa. 66:1; Mat. 5:34; 23:22.
50Hathav not my hand made all these things?
av Gen. 1:4.
51¶Yeaw stiffnecked and 90uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always 91resist the Holy Ghost: 92as your fathers did, so do ye.
aw Neh. 9:16, 17; Jer. 6:10.
90 That is, although you are outwardly circumcised according to the flesh, yet, notwithstanding, you have not the inward circumcision of the heart, made without hands, Deut. 10:16 and 30:6; Jer. 4:4, without which the outward does not profit, Rom. 2:28.
91 Gr. ye always fall against the Holy Ghost, namely, Who convinces you by His Word that the doctrine of Christ is the true saving doctrine, and yet you do always resist it.
92 See Psalm 78:8.
52Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming 93of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the 94betrayers and 95murderers:
93 Namely, of Jesus Christ. See Isa. 53:11; Acts 3:14; 1 John 2:1.
94 Namely, by Judas.
95 Namely, by the Roman soldiers, having condemned Him to death, whereas He was innocent.
53Whoax have received the law 96by the dispositionay of angels, and have 97not kept it.
ax Exod. 19:3; 24:3; John 7:19; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2.
96 Or, ordinances, that is, ministrations and service. See Gal. 3:19.
ay ordinance, appointment.
97 Or, not observed.
54¶When they heard these things, they were 98cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
98 Gr. they were sawn through their hearts. Namely, for spite and wrath. See Acts 5:33.
55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw 99the glory of God, and Jesus 100standing 101on the right hand of God,
99 That is, the glorious God; or, a Divine glory, Luke 2:9; namely, as far as the same can be seen with human eyes.
100 That is, being, 1 Peter 3:22; otherwise He is also said to sit at the right hand of God, Mark 16:19.
101 Thereby is understood the highest glory and power.
56And said, Behold, I see the heavens 102opened, and 103the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
102 See the like in Mat. 3:16.
103 That is, Jesus Christ.
57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58104Andaz cast him out of the city, and stoned him: andba the 105witnesses laid down their 106clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was 107Saul.
104 Because they would therein follow the law, Lev. 24:14.
az 1 Kings 21:13; Luke 4:29.
ba Acts 22:20.
105 Who, according to the law, were to begin the stoning, Deut. 17:7.
106 That is, their upper garments or cloaks, that they might the better be able to cast stones.
107 Whose conversion is described in the 9th chapter following.
59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lordbb Jesus, receive my 108spirit.
bb Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46.
108 That is, soul. See the like in Luke 23:46.
60And he kneeled down, and cried 109with a loud voice, Lord,bc110lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, 111he fell asleep.
109 See the like in Mat. 27:50.
bc Mat. 5:44; Luke 23:34; 1 Cor. 4:12.
110 Gr. put not this sin to them, that is, do not keep it standing or remaining, to punish them for it according to desert. See the like in Luke 23:34.
111 That is, he died; for the death of the faithful is called a sleep because of the blessed resurrection from the dead whereby they shall be raised up again as out of a sleep unto everlasting life. See Mat. 9:24; John 11:11; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 20; 1 Thes. 4:13.