Acts 7:42

Acts 7:42 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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?
• New International Version (NIV)But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: “ ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
• English Standard Version (ESV)But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: "'Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: ‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

Context of Acts 7:42

40They said to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 41In those days they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced and celebrated over the works of their hands. But God turned away [from them] and handed them over to serve the host of heaven. As it is written and forever remains written in the book of the prophets, ‘It was not [really] to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? 43You also took along the tabernacle (portable temple) of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship; and I will remove you beyond Babylon [carrying you away into exile].’ 44“Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God directed Moses to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.

Acts 7:42 word by word

ἔστρεψεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς λατρεύειν τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ τῶν προφητῶν· μὴ σφάγια καὶ θυσίας προσηνέγκατέ μοι ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Thenδέde · thenG1161
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• turnedστρέφωstrephō · to turnG4762
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• gaveπαραδίδωμιparadidōmi · to deliverG3860
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• to worshipλατρεύωlatreuō · to ministerG3000
• the hostστρατιάstratia · armyG4756
• of heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• asκαθώςkathōs · as/just asG2531
• it is writtenγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the bookβίβλοςbiblos · bookG976
• of the prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
• houseοἶκοςoikos · house: homeG3624
• of IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474
• ·μήmē · notG3361
• have ye offeredπροσφέρωprospherō · to bring toG4374
• to meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• slain beastsσφάγιονsphagion · sacrificial victimG4968
• sacrificesθυσίαthusia · sacrificeG2378
• fortyτεσσαράκονταtessarakonta · fortyG5062
• yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094
• the wildernessἔρημοςerēmos · desertedG2048

Cross-references for Acts 7:42

• Psalms 81:11“But My people would not listen to My voice, And Israel did not [consent to] obey Me.
• Isaiah 66:4So I will choose their punishments, And will bring the things they dread upon them Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen or obey. But they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.”
• Ezekiel 14:7For anyone of the house of Israel or among the strangers who immigrate to Israel who separates himself from Me, taking his idols into his heart, and puts right before his face the [vile] stumbling block of his wickedness and guilt, and [then] comes to the prophet to ask of Me for himself, I the Lord will answer him Myself.
• Ezekiel 20:25[Therefore] I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live;
• Hosea 4:17Ephraim is joined to idols, So let him alone [to suffer the consequences].
• Romans 1:24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts to [sexual] impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin],
• 2 Thessalonians 2:10and by unlimited seduction to evil and with all the deception of wickedness for those who are perishing, because they did not welcome the love of the truth [of the gospel] so as to be saved [they were spiritually blind, and rejected the truth that would have saved them].
• Deuteronomy 4:19And beware that you do not raise your eyes toward heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and let yourselves be led astray and worship them and serve them, [mere created bodies] which the Lord your God has allotted to [serve and benefit] all the peoples under the whole heaven.
• Deuteronomy 17:3and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, [doing these things] which I have commanded not to do,
• 2 Kings 17:16They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; and they made an Asherah [idol] and worshiped all the [starry] host of heaven and served Baal.
• 2 Kings 21:3For he rebuilt the high places [for the worship of pagan gods] which his father Hezekiah had destroyed; and he set up altars for Baal and made an [image of] Asherah, just as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he worshiped all the [starry] host of heaven and served them.
• Job 31:26If I beheld the sun [as an object of worship] when it shone Or the moon going in its splendor,
• Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth, all the houses on whose rooftops incense has been burned to all the host of heaven (sun, moon, stars), and where drink offerings have been poured out to other gods.” ’ ”
• Ezekiel 8:16So He brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch (vestibule, portico) and the [bronze] altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they were bowing down toward the east and worshiping the sun.
• Amos 5:25“Did you bring Me sacrifices and grain offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? [Certainly not!]
• Isaiah 43:23You have not brought Me your sheep or goats for your burnt offerings, Nor honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, Nor wearied you with [demands for offerings of] incense.

Commentaries on Acts 7:42

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 42Then God turned, and gave them up, etc. - He left them to themselves, and then they deified and worshipped the sun, moon, planets, and principal stars. In the book of the prophets - As this quotation is found in Amos, Amos 5:25, by the book of the prophets is meant the twelve minor prophets, which, in the ancient Jewish division of the sacred writings, formed only one book. Have ye offered to me slain beasts - It is certain that the Israelites did offer…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42Then God turned - That is, turned away from them; abandoned them to their own desires. The host of heaven - The stars, or heavenly bodies. The word “host” means “armies.” It is applied to the heavenly bodies because they are very numerous, and appear to be “marshalled” or arrayed in military order. It is from this that God is called Yahweh “of hosts,” as being the ruler of these well-arranged heavenly bodies. See the notes on Isaiah 1:9. The proof that…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 42-50Verses 42-50 Stephen upbraids the Jews with the idolatry of their fathers, to which God gave them up as a punishment for their early forsaking him. It was no dishonour, but an honour to God, that the tabernacle gave way to the temple; so it is now, that the earthly temple gives way to the spiritual one; and so it will be when, at last, the spiritual shall give way to the eternal one. The whole world is God's temple, in which he is every where present, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 42-43This passage quotes Amos 5:25–27 (Greek version) to show how the people of Israel rebelled against Moses (Acts 7:39–41). Molech was a Canaanite god to whom human sacrifices were offered (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2–5; 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). Rephan, a star god identified with the planet Saturn, was worshiped by the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 42-5042-50. gave them up--judicially. as ... written in the book of the prophets--the twelve minor prophets, reckoned as one: the passage is from Am 5:25. have ye offered to me ... sacrifices?--The answer is, Yes, but as if ye did it not; for "neither did ye offer to Me only, nor always, nor with a perfect and willing heart" [Bengel].Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 7:42

• Apostasy
• Court
• Government
• Idolatry
• Quotations and Allusions
• Readings, Select
• Stars

In the dictionaries

• God
• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Host of heaven
• Amos
• Beast
• Charge
• Resist

Commentaries on Acts 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings