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 7:51 mean?

Explanation

Acts 7:51 is a direct and forceful admonition delivered by Stephen, one of the first deacons and the first Christian martyr, in the book of Acts.

Stephen is addressing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, accusing them of stubbornness and lack of spiritual perception.

He calls them "stiffnecked," a term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe the Israelites who resisted God's commands.

"Uncircumcised in heart and ears" refers figuratively to their failure to obey God fully and surrender their hearts to Him.

The term "uncircumcised" was a serious insult because physical circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and the Israelites.

To be uncircumcised in heart and ears is to be impure and unresponsive to God's will.

Stephen accuses them of resisting the Holy Spirit, suggesting they are continuing the disobedience exhibited by their ancestors despite witnessing the works of the Holy Spirit through Jesus and the apostles.

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Historical Context

This verse is set during a period of early church history when the early Christian community was growing in Jerusalem and facing increased opposition from Jewish religious authorities.

Acts 7 records Stephen's lengthy speech to the Council, where he defends Christianity by outlining the history of Israel and illustrating how the Jewish people had repeatedly rejected God's messengers.

Here, Stephen is on trial for accusations of speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.

His bold preaching, which culminated in this accusation against the Sanhedrin, ultimately led to his martyrdom by stoning.

Theological Insights

Theologically, this verse emphasizes the continuity of Israel's resistance to God's revelation and the implications of that resistance in the era of the Holy Spirit.

From a Christian perspective, resisting the Holy Spirit is tantamount to resisting God Himself since the Holy Spirit is considered the third person of the Trinity.

In this verse, there is a stark contrast between the Spirit-filled believer, exemplified by Stephen, and those who are resisting God's work.

Views may differ among denominations on the nature of "resisting the Holy Spirit." Some may see it as a continual state of disbelief, while others may consider it a single defiant act against a clear revelation from God.

Practical Applications

The admonition serves as a warning to believers to remain open to the Holy Spirit's guidance and not to harden their hearts, as was the case with the Jewish leaders. It calls individuals to self-reflection, encouraging a receptive attitude towards spiritual instruction and conviction.

Additionally, this verse can inspire Christians to be courageous in their witness, as Stephen was, and to speak truth to power, even in the face of opposition or persecution.

Cross-References

Exodus 32:9: "And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people."
2 Chronicles 30:8: "Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you."
Jeremiah 6:10: "To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it."
Hebrews 3:7-8: "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness)"

Language Study

"Stiffnecked": This word translates from the Greek "sklērotrachēlos" (σκληροτράχηλος), which metaphorically means stubborn or obstinate, referring to someone who is unyielding and refuses to be guided.
"Uncircumcised": The word "akrobustia" (ἀκροβυστία) refers to the state of being uncircumcised.

In a figurative sense, it denotes a lack of spiritual purification and insensitivity to God's teachings or commands.

"Heart" and "ears": These terms can be understood figuratively as the center of intellect and emotion ("heart") and the ability to hear and comprehend ("ears").
"Resist": "Antipipto" (ἀντιπίπτω) in Greek means to fall against or oppose, denoting active opposition or resistance.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

In the broader context of ancient Near Eastern cultures, circumcision was not unique to the ancient Hebrews but had varying religious and cultural significances among different peoples.

The spiritualized concept of "circumcision of the heart" differentiates biblical theology from surrounding cultures, emphasizing internal purity and obedience over purely external rites.

Scientific Perspectives

While the concepts within this verse are primarily theological and spiritual, modern psychology examines similar phenomena through the lens of cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias, which can lead individuals to resist information that contradicts their preexisting beliefs.

This resistance can have parallels to the "stiffnecked" and "uncircumcised in heart and ears" descriptors in a cognitive and emotional sense, despite the original context being spiritual.

Commentaries

Scholars and theologians often highlight in their commentaries the prophetic boldness of Stephen as he confronts the Sanhedrin with a history of resistance to divine initiatives.

Matthew Henry's Commentary emphasizes the guilt of resisting the Holy Ghost and the grace offered through the Spirit's influence.

John Calvin's Commentary suggests that this reproach laid upon the Jews for hardness of heart is also a timeless warning to all readers not to quench the Spirit.

These commentaries bring out the confrontational yet deeply spiritual nature of Acts 7:51 and its enduring relevance for the reader.

Acts 7

Acts 7

What does Acts 7:51 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 7:51 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?