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 7:4 mean?

Explanation

Acts 7:4 is part of Stephen's defense speech before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious council.

In this verse, Stephen recounts a piece of the history of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites.

He refers to two significant migrations in Abraham's life: first from Ur of the Chaldeans (in present-day Iraq) to Haran (or Charran), which is located in present-day Turkey, and then from Haran to Canaan, the land promised to him by God, which corresponds to the modern regions of Israel and Palestine.

The literal interpretation is clear: Stephen is highlighting the fact that God's plan was in motion even before Abraham's father, Terah, died; it was God who called Abraham to move from his homeland to a new land that his descendants would inherit.

This verse also indicates the fulfillment of God's promises and the nomadic obedience of Abraham.

Top Rated Acts Books

Historical Context

Acts was written by Luke, who is also traditionally believed to have authored the Gospel of Luke.

The book of Acts provides an account of the early Christian Church's history and the spread of the Gospel following Jesus Christ's resurrection and ascension.

This particular verse is from a speech made by Stephen, a Christian deacon, who is recounting the history of the Jewish people to defend himself against accusations of blasphemy.

This speech occurs during a time of persecution of the Christian church in Jerusalem, within the first century AD.

Stephen's mention of the Chaldeans and Haran connects to the Genesis account, as these are historical places that connect to the narrative of Abraham's journey, anchoring the Christian story in Jewish history.

Theological Insights

The theological significance of Acts 7:4 includes:

Divine Calling: God's sovereignty is emphasized by the fact that He directed Abraham's movements.
Obedience of Faith: Abraham is presented as an example of faith, responding to God's call without question, an ideal for Christian believers to emulate.
Promise and Fulfillment: The verse underlines the theme of promise and fulfillment, which is recurrent in Christian theology, where God's promises are seen as being fulfilled in history.
Dispensation: For Christian theology, Stephen's speech serves to show the continuity of God's plan from the Old Testament to the New Testament, leading up to the coming of Jesus Christ.

Practical Applications

In a practical sense, Acts 7:4 serves as an inspiration for believers to:

Trust in God's guiding presence in life transitions and significant decisions.
Be willing to leave behind the familiar and step into the unknown in faithful obedience.
Recognize God's hand in history and find comfort in the belief that He is in control of the larger narrative.

Cross-References

Hebrews 11:8: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."
Genesis 12:1-5: "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee ..."
Genesis 11:31: "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there."

Language Study

The key words/phrases to investigate in Ancient Greek (the original language of the book of Acts) include:

"Chaldaeans" (Χαλδαίων, Chaldaiōn): Refers to the people of Chaldea, an ancient region located in the southern part of Babylonia.
"Dwelt" (ἐκάθισεν, ekathisen): Can imply settling or residing, indicating a significant residency in Haran before moving.
"Removed" (μετῴκισεν, metōkisen): Means to change residence or relocate, emphasizing the act of God initiating Abraham's move to Canaan.
"Land" (γῆν, gēn): Often used to denote a country or region in a broad sense but here specifically referring to the land of Canaan.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Comparing this verse to other ancient texts and cultural narratives:

Ancient Near Eastern Texts: Migration stories were common in ancient Near Eastern literature, where gods often directed the paths of heroes.
Judaism: Abraham's calling and migration are also foundational to Jewish religious identity, as he is regarded as the first patriarch and father of the Israelite nation.
Islam: Abraham (Ibrahim in Islamic tradition) is also viewed as a significant prophet who responded to God's call, with similar migration narratives seen in the Quran.

Scientific Perspectives

From a scientific perspective, studies in archaeology and anthropology could offer insights into the historical accuracy of the migrations of ancient peoples like the Hebrews.

However, the theological claim in Acts 7:4 - that God directed Abraham's journey - is outside the purview of empirical science and is a matter of religious belief.

Commentaries

Commentaries on Acts 7:4 suggest:

The early Christian understanding of salvation history is reflected in Stephen's speech; he interprets Jewish history in light of Christ's coming.
Some scholars see Stephen's reference to God moving Abraham after his father's death as a theological point rather than a strict chronological one since it diverges slightly from the Genesis account.
Stephen's recount of Abraham's journey is often noted for its emphasis on God's active role in guiding Abraham, which serves as an archetype for divine-human interaction in Christian thought.

Acts 7

Acts 7

What does Acts 7:4 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 7:4 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?