Then said the high priest The Ethiopic version adds, “to him”; that is, to Stephen; for to him he addressed himself: or he “asked him”, as the Syriac version renders it; he put the following question to him: are these things so? is it true what they say, that thou hast spoken blasphemous words…

And he said Stephen replied, in answer to the high priest’s question, and addressed himself to the whole sanhedrim, saying: men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; to the following oration and defence; he calls them men, brethren, by an usual Hebraism, that is, “brethren”; and that, because they were…

And said unto him Not the words in for they were said in Haran, these in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt there, and besides, these are different from them; no mention is here made of getting out from his father’s house, as there; because his father’s house sent along with him, or rather he with them…

Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans The same with Mesopotamia; so Pliny says [[1]], that “because of Babylon the head of the Chaldean nation—-the other part of Mesopotamia and Assyria is called Babylonia.” And he places Babylon in Mesopotamia; it was out of Ur, in the land of the…

And he gave him none inheritance in it To be personally enjoyed by him; and which was a great trial to Abraham’s faith, to be brought out of his country, and into another land, and which was promised to him and his; and yet, as not the whole, so not a single part of it was given him to possess: no,…

And God spake on this wise The Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions read, “and God spake to him”, and so does one of Beza’s copies; and the Ethiopic version reads it both ways, God “said thus to Abraham”, as in .

And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage At the end of the four hundred years, and which was the Egyptian nation: I will judge, said God; that is, condemn and punish them, as he did, by inflicting the ten plagues upon them: and after that they shall come forth; out of the land of Egypt, and…

And he gave him the covenant of circumcision Or the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign or token, . Stephen speaks here in the language of the Jews, who are wont to speak of circumcision after this manner; hence in the Jewish liturgy, there is a collect, (לברית מילה) , “for the covenant of…

And the patriarchs, moved with envy See the sons of Jacob and brethren of Joseph were filled with envy, and enraged at him, because of the evil report of them he brought to his father; and because he had a greater share in his father’s love than they had; and because of his dreams, which signified…

And delivered him out of all his afflictions From the evil designs of his mistress, and from all the miseries of a prison: and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so Justin in the place above cited says, that Joseph was very dear to the king; but not through his…

Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt, and Canaan This dearth, or famine, is said to be in all lands, though only Egypt and Canaan are mentioned here, because the history is concerned with no other.

But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt Not then growing, or gathering in there, or that was of that year’s produce; for the famine was strong in the land of Egypt, as well as in Canaan; but was what had been laid up, and preserved in the seven years of plenty, by the order and care of…

And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren That is, when the brethren of Joseph went a second time down to Egypt for corn, Joseph made himself known unto them, .

Then sent Joseph Gifts and presents to his father, and wagons, to fetch down him and his family into Egypt, (Gen. 45:21, Gen. 45:23) . and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls; which seems to disagree with the account of Moses, who says, that “all the…

So Jacob went down into Egypt At the invitation of his son Joseph: and died, he, and our fathers; both Jacob and his twelve sons died in Egypt, though we have no account of the death of any of them, but Jacob and Joseph, particularly; only in general, that Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all…

And were carried over into Sichem The Syriac version reads in the singular number, “and he was translated into Sichem, and laid” as if this was said of Jacob only, whereas he is not spoken of at all, only the fathers, the twelve patriarchs; for Jacob, though he was carried out of Egypt, he was not…

But when the time of the promise drew nigh That is, the time of the four hundred years; when God promised to deliver the seed of Abraham out of their affliction and servitude, and bring them into the land of Canaan to inherit it: which God had sworn to Abraham; in (Gen. 15:13, Gen.

Till another king arose In, or over Egypt, as the Alexandrian copy, and others, and the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read; in it is a new king; the Jewish writers are divided about him, whether he was a different king from the former; or only so called, because he made new edicts…

The same dealt subtilly with our kindred See he took crafty, and yet cruel methods, to diminish the children of Israel, and to humble them; weakening their strength by labour, that they might not be able to beget children; ordering the Hebrew midwives to kill all the males that were born; and…

In which time Moses was born The word Moses, is differently written in the New Testament; sometimes Moses, as here, sometimes Mo-yses, as in (Acts 7:35, Acts 7:37) sometimes Mo-yseus, as in (Acts 15:1, Acts 15:5, Acts 15:21) and sometimes Moseus, as in .

And when he was cast out Into the river, or by the river, as some copies read; the Syriac version adds, by his own people; by his father and mother and sister; who might be all concerned in it, and were privy to it; and which was done after this manner; his mother perceiving she could keep him no…

And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, &c,] Which was reckoned very considerable: Philo the Jew says [[4]] that he learned arithmetic, geometry, and every branch of music, the hieroglyphics, the Assyrian language, and the Chaldean knowledge of the heavens, and the mathematics;…

And when he was full forty years old This Stephen had from tradition, and not from Scripture, which is silent about the age of Moses at this time, and only says, “it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown”, but that he was at this time at such an age, is the general sense of the Jews.

And seeing one of them suffer wrong Beza’s Cambridge copy, and one of Stephens’s, and one in the Bodleian library add, “of his own kindred”: and so he is said to be “one of his brethren”; which Aben Ezra explains, (ממשפחתו) , “of his family”, one of the tribe of Levi; and so another Jewish writer…

For he supposed his brethren would have understood him, &c.] From his being an Hebrew in such high life; from his wonderful birth, and miraculous preservation in his infancy, and education in Pharaoh’s court; and from the promise of God that he would visit them and save them: how that God by his…

And the next day he showed himself to them, as they strove, &c.] To two men of the Hebrews, who were quarrelling and contending with one another: these are said by the Jews [[21]] to be Dathan and Abiram; who were disputing and litigating the point, and were very warm, and at high words.

But he that did his neighbour wrong Who seems to be the same person whom Moses had defended the day before; and, according to the Jews, must be Dathan [[0]]: the same thrust him away; from them, when he went to part them, and persuade them to be good friends: saying, who made thee a ruler and a…

Wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? ] That is, is it thy will? dost thou design to kill me? or, as in “intendest” thou to kill me? In the Hebrew text it is, “wilt thou kill me, dost thou say?” that is, as Aben Ezra rightly interprets it, dost thou say so “in thine heart?” which…

Then fled Moses at this saying For hereby the thing was known to Pharaoh, being presently carried to court, who sought to kill him for it, The Jews have a very fabulous story, that Moses was taken up upon it, and put in prison, and delivered into the hands of an executioner to be put to death; but…

And when forty years were expired “Forty other years” the Arabic version reads; for so long the Jews [[6]] say Moses kept Jethro’s flock, and so many years he lived in Midian; and so the Syriac version, “when then he had filled up forty years”; which agrees exactly with the account of the Jewish…

When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight To see a bush on fire was no extraordinary thing; but to see a bush on fire, and yet not consumed by it, which was the case here, was wonderful indeed: and that an angel of the Lord, or the Lord himself, should appear in it, made it still more amazing;…

Saying, I am the God of thy fathers Who made a covenant with them, promised the land of Canaan to them, and to their posterity, and to bring the children of Israel out of their servitude and bondage, and into the possession of the promised land: the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God…

Then said the Lord to him To Moses, who through curiosity had made too near an approach: put off thy shoes from thy feet; in token of humility, obedience, and reverence: for the place where thou standest is holy ground; not really, but relatively, on account of the divine presence in it, and only…

I have seen, I have see the affliction of my people, &c] The repetition of the phrase denotes the certainty of it, the exquisite and exact knowledge the Lord took of the affliction of his people, and how much his heart was affected with it: which is in Egypt; from whence Moses had fled and had left…

This Moses, whom they refused That is, the Israelites; the Ethiopic version reads, “his kinsmen denied”; those of his own nation, and even of his family: “saying, who made thee a ruler and a judge?” as Dathan, or whoever said the words in .

He brought them out Of Egypt, and delivered them from all their oppressions in it: after that he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt; by turning his rod into a serpent, and by his rod swallowing up the rods of the Egyptians, and by the ten plagues, which were inflicted on Pharaoh, and…

This is that Moses which said unto the children of Israel, &c.] What is recorded in . a prophet (See Gill on Acts 3:22).

This is he that was in the church in the wilderness Which must be understood of the children of Israel, who were the then church of God, whom he had chosen and separated from the rest of the world, to be a peculiar people to himself, to whom were given the word and ordinances, the service of God,…

To whom our fathers would not obey But often murmured against him, and were disobedient to him, and to the oracles he delivered to them, and so to God, whose oracles they were: but thrust him from them; as one of the two Hebrews did, when he interposed to make up the difference between them; and…

Saying unto Aaron, make us gods to go before us This is a proof of their disobedience to the law of Moses, and of their rejection of him, and of the inclination of their hearts to the idolatry of the Egyptians; which shows the gross stupidity, as well as ingratitude of this people, to think that…

And they made a calf in those days Whilst Moses was in the mount; this was done in imitation of the Egyptian idol Apis or Serapis, which was an ox or a bullock; and it was made of the golden earnings of the people, which were melted down, and cast into the form of a calf, and graved by Aaron with a…

Then God turned Away from them, withdrew his presence, and his favours from them: and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; not angels, but the sun, moon, and stars; for since they liked not to retain the knowledge and worship of the true God, who made the heavens, and the earth, God in…

Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch Sometimes called Molech, and sometimes Milcorn; it was the god of the Ammonites, and the same with Baal: the one signifies king, and the other lord; and was, no doubt, the same with the Apis or Serapis of the Egyptians, and the calf of the Israelites.

Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, &c.] The Ethiopic version adds, “of Sinai”; there it was that the tabernacle was first ordered to be built, and there it was built, and set up; which was a sort of a portable temple, in which Jehovah took up his residence, and which was…

Which also our fathers that came after Who came after those that died in the wilderness, and never saw nor entered into the land of Canaan; the children of that generation whose carcasses fell in the wilderness, who sprung from them, came up in their room, and succeeded them: brought in with Jesus…

Who found favour before God That is, David, who had an interest in the free favour and love of God, was chosen of God, a man after his own heart, and raised up to do his will; and who had the grace of God implanted in him, and was acceptable, and well pleasing to God through Christ; the same is…

But Solomon built him an house. ] Though David was so set upon it, and made such large provisions for it, he was not to be the man that should build it, he having been greatly concerned in wars, and in the effusion of blood; but Solomon his son, who enjoyed much peace, was the person designed for…

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands Such an one as Solomon’s was; he did indeed dwell in his temple, but he was not confined to it, nor included in it, or circumscribed by it; and so much Solomon himself suggests, when he expresses his wonder at his dwelling on earth,…

Heaven is my throne There is the seat of the divine Majesty; there his glory is most conspicuous; there he keeps his court, that is his palace; and there are his attendants, the angels; and from thence are the administrations of his regal power and government, over the whole world: and earth is my…

Hath not my hand made all these things? The heaven, and the earth, and all that is in them; the Arabic version renders it, “all these creatures”; and therefore what can be made for God? or what house built for him? in Isaiah the words are read without an interrogation, and affirm that his hand had…

Ye stiffnecked Or “hard necked”, the same with (קשה עורף) , which is a character frequently given of this people, (Ex. 33:3, Ex. 33:5) and elsewhere, and is expressive of their obstinacy, stubbornness and refractoriness; who would not submit their necks to the yoke of God’s law, and be obedient to…

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? &c.] Either by reviling and speaking all manner of evil of them, (Matt. 5:11, Matt. 5:12) or by killing them, (Matt. 23:31, Matt.

Who have received the law, by the disposition of angels, &c.] Who attended the angel that spake to Moses on Mount Sinai, who is the head of all principality and power, and whom he might make use of in giving the law to Moses: hence the law is said to be ordained by angels, in the hand of a…

When they heard these things How that Abraham, the father of them, was called before he was circumcised, or the law was given to Moses, or the temple was built, which they were so bigoted to, and charged with speaking blasphemously of; and how that Joseph and Moses were very ill treated by the…

But he being full of the Holy Ghost That is, Stephen, as Beza’s ancient copy, and some others express it; and so the Ethiopic version; the Syriac version reads, “full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost”, as in and so some copies; being under the influences of the Spirit of God, and filled with his…

And said, behold, I see the heavens opened As they were at the baptism of Christ, (See Gill on Matt. 3:16): and the son of man standing at the right hand of God; he calls Jesus “the son of man”; a name by which he often called himself in his state of humiliation; and that though he was now…

Then they cried out with a loud voice These were not the sanhedrim, but the common people; the Ethiopic version reads, “the Jews cried out”; which, they did, in a very clamorous way, either through rage and madness, or in a show of zeal against blasphemy; and cried out, either to God to avenge the…

And cast him out of the city Of Jerusalem; for the place of stoning was without the city. The process, when regular, according to the sentence of the court, was after this manner [[14]]; “judgment being finished, (or the trial over,) they brought him out (the person condemned) to stone him; the…

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God As he was praying, and putting up the following petition; and saying, Lord Jesus receive my Spirit; from whence we learn, that the spirit or soul of man sleeps not, nor dies with the body, but remains after death; that Jesus Christ is a fit person to commit…

And he kneeled down It seems as if he stood before while they were stoning him, and while he was commending his soul to Christ, but now he kneeled down; prayer may be performed either kneeling or standing: and cried with a loud voice; not only to show that he was in good spirits, and not afraid to…