Bible Commentaries

Ac 7:1-60.

DEFENSE AND MARTYRDOM OF STEPHEN.

In this long defense Stephen takes a much wider range, and goes less directly into the point raised by his accusers, than we should have expected. His object seems to have been to show (1) that so far from disparaging, he deeply reverenced, and was intimately conversant with, the whole history of the ancient economy; and (2) that in resisting the erection of the Gospel kingdom they were but treading in their fathers' footsteps, the whole history of their nation being little else than one continued misapprehension of God's high designs towards fallen man and rebellion against them.

2-5. The God of glory--A magnificent appellation, fitted at the very outset to rivet the devout attention of his audience; denoting not that visible glory which attended many of the divine manifestations, but the glory of those manifestations themselves, of which this was regarded by every Jew as the fundamental one. It is the glory of absolutely free grace.

appeared unto our father Abraham before he dwelt in Charran, and said, &c.--Though this first call is not expressly recorded in Genesis, it is clearly implied in

Ge 15:7 and Ne 9:7;

and the Jewish writers speak the same language.

4. when his father was dead, he removed into this land--Though Abraham was in Canaan before Terah's death, his settlement in it as the land of promise is here said to be after it, as being in no way dependent on the family movement, but a transaction purely between Jehovah and Abraham himself.

6-8. four hundred years--using round numbers, as in

Ge 15:13, 16

(see on

Ga 3:17).

7. after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place--Here the promise to Abraham

(Ge 15:16),

and that to Moses

(Ex 3:12),

are combined; Stephen's object being merely to give a rapid summary of the leading facts.

8. the covenant of circumcision--that is, the covenant of which circumcision was the token.

and so--that is, according to the terms of this covenant, on which Paul reasons

(Ga 3:1-26).

the twelve patriarchs--so called as the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

9-16. the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him--Here Stephen gives his first example of Israel's opposition to God's purposes, in spite of which and by means of which those purposes were accomplished.

14. threescore and fifteen souls--according to the Septuagint version of

Ge 46:27,

which Stephen follows, including the five children and grandchildren of Joseph's two sons.