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 told Aaron: Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him. 41They even made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and were celebrating what their hands had made. God turned away and gave them up to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: House of Israel, did you bring me offerings and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness? 43You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship. So I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. 44“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern 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 did not listen to my voice; Israel did not obey me.
• Isaiah 66:4So I will choose their punishment, and I will bring on them what they dread because I called and no one answered; I spoke and they did not listen; they did what was evil in my sight and chose what I did not delight in.
• Ezekiel 14:7For when anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside in Israel separates himself from me, setting up idols in his heart and putting his sinful stumbling block in front of himself, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of me, I, the Lord, will answer him myself.
• Ezekiel 20:25I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances they could not live by.
• Hosea 4:17Ephraim is attached to idols; leave him alone!
• Romans 1:24Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:10and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved.
• Deuteronomy 4:19When you look to the heavens and see the sun, moon, and stars — all the stars in the sky — do not be led astray to bow in worship to them and serve them. The Lord your God has provided them for all people everywhere under heaven.
• Deuteronomy 17:3and has gone to serve other gods by bowing in worship to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky — which I have forbidden —
• 2 Kings 17:16They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God. They made cast images for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served Baal.
• 2 Kings 21:3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done; he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served them.
• Job 31:26if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining or at the moon moving in splendor,
• Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become impure like that place Topheth — all the houses on whose rooftops they have burned incense to all the stars in the sky and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”
• Ezekiel 8:16So he brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house, and there were about twenty-five men at the entrance of the Lord’s temple, between the portico and the altar, with their backs to the Lord’s temple and their faces turned to the east. They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.
• Amos 5:25“House of Israel, was it sacrifices and grain offerings that you presented to me during the forty years in the wilderness?
• Isaiah 43:23You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings or wearied you with 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