Acts 7

a Gen. 12. 1.

glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

Men, brethren, and fathers.] The words should rather be rendered “Brethren and fathers,” for the literal meaning of the Greek is, “Ye men who are my brethren and fathers.” He calls the scribes and elders “fathers,” and the common people “brethren.” Bp. Pearce.

the eighth day; d and Isaac begat Jacob; and e Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

g Gen. 61. 27. l Gen. 44. 4. l Gen. 49. 33. — in Charran.] Called Haran in Gen. xi. 31.

—against the church] By “the church” is meant the society of Christians. Bp. Mann.

—and they were all scattered abroad] A mysterious providence can easily confound the rage and malice of man; can bring strength out of weakness, and good out of evil. For this persecution, although it dispersed almost the whole body of the Christians, yet, contrary to the hope and design of its authors, not only spared the lives of the Apostles, but likewise became, in the hand of God, the means of propagating the Gospel, by sending forth members of the church into different regions, who taught, preached, and worked miracles. Dr. Stack.

Out of the darkness of persecution the Lord bringeth forth the light and propagation of the Gospel; providing at once for the safety of some by their flight, and for the calling home of many others by their dispersion. Dr. Lightfoot. The rage of persecution dispersed the new believers, and rendered Jerusalem incapable of affording safety or protection to those who made publick profession of Christ. This dispersed the disciples indeed, but at the same time it dispersed the Gospel too, and opened a passage for the word of truth, wider and readier than could have been found, had its proselytes remained quietly in one place. These holy fugitives, when persecuted in one city, took refuge in another, carried their zeal for truth into every city, and so powerfully recommended the cause for which they suffered, that the force of this doctrine, wheresoever they arrived, made their own way, even through prejudice and persecution. Thus were the enemies of our religion eventually its greatest friends and promoters. And, by the same overruling Providence, which was formerly observed to disappoint the malice of the devil, and bring good out of the evil of wicked men, his instruments, the success of Christianity was such as could scarcely have taken place by any natural cause, without the assistance of that malice and cruelty which were employed to suppress it. Dean Stanhope.

Acts 7:5

5. And he gave him none inheritance] The small parcels of land which Abraham and Jacob enjoyed in Canaan, were purchased by them, and are therefore reckoned no part of God’s gift. Bp. Pearce.

Acts 7:6

6. — entreat them evil four hundred years.] They were not evil entreated four hundred years, but they were for so long a time sojourners in a strange land; first in Canaan, and afterwards in Egypt. The children of Israel were in Egypt only two hundred and fifteen years; but from the time when Isaac was born, (in whom the promise began to take place which God made to Abraham, Gen. xv. 13,) to the time when the Israelites left Egypt, are computed four hundred and five years: which for the sake of a round number are called here, and in Gen. xv. 13, four hundred years. In Exod. xii. 40, and Gal. iii. 17, mention is made of four hundred and thirty years; but then the reckoning begins not at the birth of Isaac, but at the time when Abraham first went down into Egypt, namely, twenty-five years before the birth of Isaac; and this sum added to four hundred and five makes up the four hundred and thirty years. Bp. Pearce.

Acts 7:14

14. — threescore and fifteen souls.] The Hebrew text at Gen. xiv. 27, Dent. x. 22, mentions the number to be seventy; but the Greek translation gives the number in both these texts seventy-five; which number is made up either by including five sons of Ephraim and Manasseh born in Egypt, (from 1 Chron. vii,) or by including the wives of the Patriarchs who accompanied them. St. Stephen seems to take the number “threescore and fifteen” from the Greek copies. Dr. Whitby, Bp. Pearce.

Acts 7:16

16. — that Abraham bought] It is related at Gen. xxxiii. 19, and Josh. xxiv. 32, that Jacob bought the

Stephen’s apology. Stephen’s apology. Amos DOMINI 31. money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

Acts 7:22

22. — in words] His words were weighty and forcible, though not eloquent or gracefully delivered. See Exod. iv. 10.

— and in deeds.] Alluding to the miracles wrought by him. Abp. Newcome.

Acts 7:23

23. — to visit his brethren] With a view of assisting them against the Egyptians; the effect of which was, his “refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” as it is said that he did in Heb. xi. 24. Bp. Pearce.

Acts 7:33

33. — Put off thy shoes] This is a customary token of reverence in Eastern countries. The custom was probably derived from the Patriarchs; it continued to be observed by the priests in the service of the Tabernacle, though

made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

Acts 7:34

34. I have seen, I have seen] That is, I have surely seen, as in Exod. iii. 7. Bp. Pearce.

Acts 7:35

35, 36. This Moses whom they refused, &c.] St. Stephen seems here to intimate to the Sanhedrian, before whom he was pleading, that, in the same manner as their ancestors refused Moses, their temporal deliverer appointed by God, so the Jews at present had refused or denied Jesus to be their King and Messiah, whom God had sent to be their deliverer in a spiritual sense. Dr. Wells.

Acts 7:37

37. This is that Moses, which said &c.] Being charged with speaking against the law, chap. vi. 13, St. Stephen draws his discourse chiefly from the books of Moses,

Amos DOMINI 31. Stephen’s apology. Stephen’s apology. AND DOMINI 33. nel. u Exod. 19. 3. prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren,

Acts 7:38

38. This is he, that was &c.] This Moses was the mediator between the angel of God and the Israelites; for he received from the former the laws which he gave to the latter. See Gal. iii. 19. Bp. Pearce. — in the church] In the congregation. — the angel] The Angel of the Covenant, the representative of Jehovah. Abp. Newcome. — who received the lively oracles] The law of Moses is here styled “the lively oracles,” not because it was able to “give life,” for that St. Paul expressly denies, Gal. iii. 21, calling this law “the ministration of death and condemnation,” 2 Cor. iii. 6, 9; but because they were oracles proceeding not from dumb idols, but from the living God, and promising a prosperous and happy life in Canaan, to all that obeyed them, Lev. xviii. 5. Dr. Whitby.

Acts 7:41

41. — rejoiced in the works of their own hands.] They feasted and danced before the idol which they had made, instead of confining their religious joy to Jehovah their God. Abp. Newcome.

Acts 7:43

43. Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, &c.] The Israelites are said, in Numb. xxv. 2, to have worshipped the gods of the Moabites, (Ps. cvi. 36—38:) and, since Moloch and Remphan were probably idols of the Canaanites, some of the Israelites are here said to have carried their idols along with them in the wilderness; and they carried them in small covers or cases, here called tabernacles. Remphan seems to have been Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon. AND DOMINI 33.

Acts 7:44

44. — the tabernacle of witness] The tabernacle of testimony, the tabernacle with the ark of the testimony in it. Dr. Hammond. 44—50. St. Stephen had been charged with speaking against the temple, chap. vi. 13. He therefore mentions with reverence the tabernacle and temple; but, at the same time, corrects the too high regard of his countrymen for that sacred place. Abp. Newcome. He argues that the service enjoined by the law of Moses could not be essential to true religion; for the Jews had it not in their power to observe it for the space of four hundred years; and, that it was not intended to be unchangeable, appears from the circumstance of the tabernacle, though appointed with the utmost solemnity, being laid aside, and the temple built in its stead, near five hundred years after: nor was the temple, magnificent as it was, of any regard in the eight of God; for He is Lord of heaven and earth, and will accept the devotions of His faithful servants, whether offered up at Jerusalem, or in any other place, John iv. 21, 24. Bp. Mann.

Acts 7:45

45. — with Jesus] Joshua is here, and at Heb. iv. 8, called Jesus, each name signifying Saviour. Bp. Mann.

Acts 7:51

51. Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised] Ye stubborn generation, boasting of your carnal circumcision, as Abraham’s children, but “uncircumcised in heart and ears,” in spirit and obedience, ye do always, from the earliest times to the present, struggle against the Holy Spirit, following the example of your fathers. Dr. Hales. Stephen’s apology. He is stoned. Anno DOMINI 33.

Acts 7:52

52. Which of the prophets have not &c.] He tells them, that they acted in the same spirit with their fathers. Your fathers, he says, illtreated those Prophets that foretold and described the blessed times of the Messiah: but you, by a more desperate degree of wickedness, have betrayed and murdered the very Messiah Himself. Pyle.

Acts 7:53

53.—by the disposition of angels.] It is frequently said that the Jews received their law by the ministry of angels, as in Gal. iii. 19; Heb. ii. 2. Bp. Pearce.

Acts 7:54

54.—and they gnashed on him with their teeth.] They expressed themselves against him with all the signs of rage and bitterness. Pyle.

Acts 7:55

55.—looked up stedfastly] St. Stephen, knowing what this fury of theirs would end in, lifted up his eyes and heart to heaven, where his only hope and confidence were placed; and God, for his present support, vouchsafed him a sight of the glorious appearance of the Divine Majesty, and Jesus, in the highest splendour and greatness, ready to receive him. Pyle.

Nothing but a resemblance of St. Stephen’s virtues can entitle us to St. Stephen’s consolations. To enjoy the reviving prospects of a glorious eternity, it is necessary we should with him “look up stedfastly to heaven,” that our affections and hopes, our whole heart, our whole treasure, should be there. And to sleep as he did, when this long night shall close our eyes, we must, as he did, commit our spirits into the hands of the Lord Jesus; be perfectly content to leave the world at any time, in any manner He sees fittest for us; devote ourselves entirely to His service, and be solicitous for nothing, but that “whether we live, we may live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we may die unto the Lord,” Rom. xiv. 8. Dean Stanhope.

Acts 7:56

56.—the Son of man] He alludes to Dan. vii. 13. Our Lord frequently calls Himself “the Son of man,” but it is rarely that we find Him so called by others. Dr. Lightfoot. See note at Matt. viii. 20.

Acts 7:57

57.—stopped their ears.] So as not to hear a word more in his defence. Dr. Hales.

Acts 7:58

58. And cast him out of the city.] Probably, because no man was to be put to death within the city: so Jesus was taken out of the city to be crucified. See 1 Kings xxi. 13. Bp. Pearce.

—and stoned him.] This stoning of St. Stephen was an irregular tumultuous act, not done in consequence of a sentence of the Sanhedrim; and does not prove that the Jews at that time had the power of life and death. Bp. Tomline.

St. Stephen being set in the forefront of the battle, the first of that noble army who resisted unto blood in defence of Jesus and His truth, it was of mighty consequence what issue that encounter met: of mighty consequence, not only to the champion himself, but to the

cause in which he was engaged, and to many millions of souls who were to engage in it after him. The religion, which undertook so boldly to renounce the world, and “brought life and immortality to light,” was then in its infancy; and an instance of those regions of immortality opening themselves to one who had so stedfastly fixed his eyes upon them, and in the strength of that vision triumphed over death and malice in their ghastliest form, proved the force, as well as certainty, of those hopes and that faith inspired by the Gospel. Dean Stanhope.

—laid down their clothes] That they might execute their bloody purpose with the greater readiness. According to the law, (Deut. xvii. 7,) the witnesses were the persons who were to cast the first stone. Beausole.

—at a young man’s feet.] Compare chap. xxii. 20. Keeping the raiment seems to have been the customary office of one who had been active in convicting the person stoned. Abp. Newcome.

—whose name was Saul.] Afterwards called Paul, the great Christian Apostle.

Acts 7:59

59.—calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, &c.] The word “God” is not in the original Greek. Thus, as many think, the rendering should be, “Calling upon (the Lord Jesus) and saying, Lord Jesus,” &c. Pyle, Dr. Hales. This is so express an act of worship addressed to Christ by St. Stephen, that it can neither be denied nor evaded by any, but such bigots in infidelity as stopped their ears and stoned St. Stephen. Dr. Hales.

Our blessed Saviour, when expiring on the cross, cried out, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit;” and He had just before prayed for His murderers in these words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In like manner, St. Stephen, the first martyr, at the moment of his being stoned to death, prayed to Christ, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;” and for his murderers He added, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” These prayers of Christ, addressed to His Father, and of St. Stephen, addressed to Christ, are in substance the same, and are recorded by the same Evangelist, St. Luke. It seems very evident, says Bp. Burnet, that, if Christ was not the true God, and equal to the Father, then this first martyr died in two acts which seem not only idolatrous, but also blasphemous, since he worshipped Christ in the same acts in which Christ had worshipped the Father. But, to remove all doubt concerning the lawfulness of St. Stephen’s worship of Christ, and to give decisive authority to his example, St. Luke tells us that St. Stephen “was full of the Holy Ghost.” Bp. Tomline.

Here we find St. Stephen, “full of the Holy Ghost,” calling religiously upon Christ, now in heaven, to receive

A great persecution at Jerusalem. Anno DOMINI 33.

Acts 7:60

60.—lay not this sin to their charge.] Thus copying the example of his Master. The miraculous conversion of St. Paul was a proof of the efficacy of St. Stephen’s dying prayers, and of that gracious favour with which God was pleased to hear him. Nelson.

—he fell asleep.] So soft a pillow is death to a good man, so willingly, so quietly does he leave the world, as a weary labourer goes to bed at night. What storms or tempests soever may follow him while he lives, his sun, in spite of all the malice and cruelty of his enemies, sets serene and calm. “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace,” Pa. xxxvii. 37. Dr. Cave.

The example of St. Stephen instructs us, that a firm belief and persuasion of another life is the great support of every good man under the sufferings of this; that, when malice and cruelty combine to deter men from the profession of the truth, by inflicting the most barbarous torments, the good providence of God often makes them ineffectual, by assisting His faithful servants with an extraordinary communication of His grace; that we should be ever ready to forgive the injuries we receive from others; and, if we would distinguish ourselves as the disciples of Jesus, we must love our enemies, bless them that curse us, and pray for them that despitely use and persecute us; a perfection of charity peculiar to the Gospel institution, which St. Stephen in the noblest manner displayed in his last moments. Nelson.

Chap. VIII. ver. 1. And Saul was consenting &c.] By guarding the clothes of those who stoned St. Stephen, chap. vii. 58. Bp. Pearce. Respecting Saul’s conduct, see notes at chap. ix. 1.

—there was a great persecution] It seems probable that this persecution was caused by the Sanhedrim, who were indignant at St. Stephen’s speech; indeed Saul confesses that he received from them his authority to treat the Christians thus, chap. xxii. 5; xxvi. 12. Dr. Whitby.

AND Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.