Bible Verse Lookup
Acts 7:45
Chapter 7
45
Our ancestors received it and brought it under Joshua’s command into the lands of the pagans they conquered and whom God had expelled before them. They kept it until the days of David,
Our ancestors received it and brought it under Joshua’s command into the lands of the pagans they conquered and whom God had expelled before them. They kept it until the days of David,
Commentaries
Stephen’s Speech.
When the high priest questions him, Stephen responds with a speech. It is the longest and most detailed speech found in the book of Acts. Stephen does not directly answer the charges against him but instead offers a critical interpretation of the “Sacred History of Israel.” Tracing a history of persecution against God’s messengers, he reaches the climax—the Righteous One announced, “whom they have now delivered up and murdered” (52). The speaker turns against his accusers, and his prophetic words are powerful. He calls them stubborn, uncircumcised in heart, resistant to the Spirit, just like their ancestors. In recounting the persecution and Stephen’s subsequent speech, Luke is reflecting on what was happening in his own time—that is, 50 or more years after Stephen’s martyrdom. The Jews were persecuting Christians from city to city. They had officially condemned Christianity.