Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Acts 7

Act 7:2 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,

Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken

Act 22:1.

God of glory

God (of glory). Psa 29:3.

Charran [See also Act 7:4.]

Or, Haran. Gen 11:31-32.

Act 7:3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

Get thee out of thy country

Gen 12:1; Heb 11:8-10.

Act 7:4 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.

from thence…into this land

Gen 12:5.

he

Or, God.

Act 7:5 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.

none inheritance in it

Heb 11:9-10.

promised that he would give it to him for a possession

Gen 15:7; 17:8; 18:10; Heb 11:11-12.

Act 7:6 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.

seed should sojourn in a strange land

Gen 15:13-14; 47:11-12.

into bondage

Exo 1:8-14; 12:40-41.

Act 7:7 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.

that shall they come forth

Exo 14:29-30.

Act 7:8 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.

covenant of circumcision

Gen 17:9-14.

Act 7:9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

envy

Or, jealousy.

sold Joseph into Egypt

Gen 37:11.

God

Jehovah. Genesis 39:2.

Act 7:11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

a dearth over all the land

Gen 41:54.

Chanaan

Canaan.

Act 7:12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt

Gen 42:1.

Act 7:13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

Joseph was made known to his brethren

Gen 45:4, 16.

Act 7:14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

kindred

Cf. Scofield Genesis 46:26, note. There is no real contradiction. The "house of Jacob" numbered seventy but the "kindred" would include the wives of Jacob's sons.

Act 7:16 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.

into Sychem

unto Shechem.

sepulchre

Scofield Genesis 23:4, note.

the father of Sychem

Or, in Shechem.

Act 7:17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

the time of the promise drew nigh

Act 7:6-7; Exo 2:23-25.

the people grew and multiplied

Exo 1:7-9; Psa 105:24-25.

Act 7:20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

exceeding fair

Or, fair unto God.

Act 7:21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

Pharaoh's daughter took him up

Exo 2:5-10.

Act 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

mighty in words and in deeds

Luk 24:19.

Act 7:23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

when he was full forty years old

Exo 2:11-12.

Act 7:25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

how that God by his hand would deliver them

Luk 24:49; contra, Jhn 2:4.

Act 7:26 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?

as they strove

Exo 2:13.

Act 7:27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

Exo 2:14; Luk 12:14.

Act 7:29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

Then fled Moses

Exo 2:15; Heb 11:27.

Act 7:30 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.

angel [See also Act 7:35, 38, 53.]

Scofield Hebrews 1:4, note.

a flame of fire in a bush

Exo 3:2.

Act 7:32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

God

God. Exo 3:6.

Act 7:33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

Put off thy shoes from thy feet

Exo 3:4-5; Jos 5:15.

Act 7:34 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.

I have seen the affliction of my people

Exo 2:24-25; 3:7.

I will send thee

Psa 105:26.

Act 7:37 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.

A prophet

Deu 18:15, 18-19.

Lord

Jehovah. Deu 18:15.

Act 7:38 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:

church in the wilderness

Israel in the land is never called a church. In the wilderness Israel was a true church (Greek ecclesia = called-out assembly), but in striking contrast with the N.T. ecclesia (Scofield Matthew 16:18, note).

lively

Or, living. Rom 3:1-2; 9:4-5.

Act 7:39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

fathers would not obey

Psa 95:8-11.

Act 7:40 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.

Make us gods to go before us

Exo 32:1.

Act 7:41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

and rejoiced

Exo 32:6, 18; Psa 66:6.

Act 7:42 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?

gave them up to worship the host of heaven

Jdg 2:11-14; Rom 1:24, 28.

O ye house of Israel

Amo 5:25-27.

Act 7:43 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.

Remphan

Or, Rephan.

I will carry you away beyond Babylon

2Ch 36:11-21; Jer 25:9-12.

Act 7:44 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.

tabernacle of witness

Or, tent of testimony.

according to the fashion

Exo 25:40; 26:30; Heb 8:5.

Act 7:45 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;

Jesus

i.e. Joshua.

Gentiles

nations, whom God drave out.

Act 7:46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

desired to find

1Ki 8:17; 1Ch 22:7; Psa 132:4-5.

Act 7:47 But Solomon built him an house.

Solomon built

2Sa 7:1-13; 1Ki 8:20.

Act 7:49 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?

Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool

Isa 66:1-2; cf. 1Ki 8:27; Act 17:24.

Lord

Jehovah. Isa 66:1-2.

Act 7:50 Hath not my hand made all these things?

made all these things

Psa 102:25-27.

Act 7:52 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:

prophets…persecuted

Jer 2:30; Mat 23:34-36; Luk 20:9-15.

Just One

Righteous One.

Act 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

When they heard these things

They had brought false witnesses against Stephen; he bears true witness against them, quoting the testimony of writers they owned to be inspired. He speaks of the persistent rejection of God and His servants by the nation till at last it is brought home to themselves, and arouses the maddened enmity of their hearts. It was the final trial of the nation.

Act 7:55 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,

Holy Ghost

Holy Spirit (N.T.). Act 7:51, 55; 8:15. (Mat 1:18; Act 2:4.)

Act 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

I see the heavens opened

Mat 3:16; Act 9:3; Heb 2:9.

Act 7:59 And they stoned Stephen,calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Omit God. Literally And were stoning Stephen as he was invoking and saying, Lord Jesus, give welcome unto my spirit.

Bible prayers (N.T.). Acts 9.6, 11. (Mat 6:9; Rev 22:20.)

receive my spirit

Luk 23:46; 1Pe 4:19.

Act 7:60 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.

sin

Sin. Scofield Romans 3:23, note.

he fell asleep

Luk 8:52; 2Ti 1:10; 1Th 4:13-18.