Acts 7

Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

Then 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.

And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,

And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abrham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

This 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 by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

Saying unto Aaron, Make 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.

And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

But Solomon built him an house.

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

Hath not my hand made all these things?

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

What does Acts 7:31 mean?

Explanation

Acts 7:31 is part of Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin, recounting the history of Israel and highlighting God's actions toward His people.

In this verse, Stephen refers to an event from the life of Moses, which is originally recorded in Exodus 3:1-4.

When Moses encounters a bush that is burning but is not consumed by the flames, he is curious and approaches it to understand the phenomenon.

Upon approaching, God speaks to him from within the burning bush, calling Moses by name and eventually revealing His plan for Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

The literal meaning of the verse shows Moses witnessing a miraculous event designed to capture his attention.

The deeper significance lies in the fact that the burning bush represents an encounter with the divine.

This event marked the beginning of Moses's calling and was the critical turning point where he received his commission from God.

Top Rated Acts Books

Historical Context

This verse is set during a time when Moses had fled from Egypt to Midian, having killed an Egyptian in defense of a Hebrew slave.

After around 40 years of living as a shepherd, Moses encounters God at Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai.

This event is believed to have occurred around the 15th century BCE.

At the time of Stephen's recounting in Acts, which would have been the 1st century CE, he is addressing Jewish leaders and attempts to draw a parallel between their rejection of Jesus and the Israelites' historical resistance to God's chosen deliverers, like Moses.

Theological Insights

From a theological perspective, this verse carries several insights:

God’s call often comes in unexpected ways, symbolized by the burning bush.
Divine encounters can be mysterious and require a response, as Moses was called to approach and received specific instructions.
The presence of God sanctifies and preserves, implied by the bush burning yet not being consumed.
The event foreshadows the theophany at Mount Sinai where Moses later receives the Ten Commandments, emphasizing God's continued revelation to His people.

This passage is interpreted across various theological traditions as a typology for divine revelation.

Some Christian traditions see the burning bush as a prefiguration of Christ, who also reveals God without being consumed.

Practical Applications

This verse encourages individuals to pay attention to unexpected ways God might be speaking or calling them. It can inspire openness to divine encounters and a readiness to act upon God’s call.

The verse can serve as a reminder that God often chooses ordinary people, like Moses, to fulfill extraordinary purposes.

It is a call to humility and service in the face of divine commission.

Cross-References

Exodus 3:2-4: "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.

And he said, Here am I."

Hebrews 11:24-26: "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."

Language Study

"wondered at the sight": The Greek word for "wondered" (θαυμάζω, thaumazo) indicates amazement or marveling.

It suggests that Moses was not only curious but deeply impressed by what he saw.

"voice of the Lord": In Greek, "voice" (φωνή, phonē) refers to sound and by implication, a language or dialect.

This emphasizes that God communicates with humans in understandable ways, even within miraculous contexts.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

In ancient Near Eastern religions, theophanies, or appearances of deities, were not uncommon.

However, the concept of a god speaking directly to a person was more unique to the monotheistic beliefs of Judaism. Unlike polytheistic religions where divine encounters might involve multiple deities with conflicting desires, the burning bush narrative presents a single, consistent divine will.

Scientific Perspectives

From a modern scientific viewpoint, the phenomenon of a bush burning without being consumed is a curiosity, as it seemingly contradicts the laws of nature.

Some have attempted to explain the event through natural phenomena such as a volcanic activity or a gas plant that can catch fire.

Nonetheless, the biblical account is traditionally viewed as a miracle, serving a specific purpose in salvation history, rather than an event to be explained solely through natural causes.

Commentaries

Various biblical scholars and theologians offer different interpretations of this event:

Classic commentaries, like Matthew Henry's, emphasize the miracle's purpose to show God's power and to mark the place as holy ground.
More contemporary scholarship might place the text in its historical and rhetorical context within Acts, focusing on Stephen's use of the story to make a broader point about Jesus and the history of Israel's relationship with God.
Others, like John Calvin, elaborate on God’s sovereignty and Moses' humble obedience as critical themes of the passage.

Acts 7

Acts 7

What does Acts 7:31 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Acts Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?

What does Acts 7:31 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Acts Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?