Acts 7:41

Acts 7:41 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
• New International Version (NIV)That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

Context of Acts 7:41

39But our ancestors would not obey Moses. They did not accept him as their leader. They wanted to go back to Egypt. 40So the people said to Aaron, “Please make us some gods that we can carry in front of us. Yes, that man Moses brought us out of Egypt. But now we do not know what has happened to him.” It was then that the people made something that would be an idol for them. They made it from gold with the shape of a young bull. They killed some animals and they burned them as a gift for their idol. The people then had a big meal together because they were very happy. They thought that they had made something that was very good. 42But God turned away from his people. He let them do what they wanted to do. He let them worship the stars in the sky. One of God's prophets wrote about this long ago: “God said, ‘People of Israel, listen! When you were in the wilderness for 40 years, you brought sacrifices and gifts to me. But you did not really worship me when you did that. 43No. You carried with you the idol of the god called Molech. You also carried an idol with the shape of a star, to be like your god, Rephan. These were the idols which you worshipped in the wilderness. So now I will send you away from your own country. You will go to live in places beyond Babylon.’ ”

Acts 7:41 word by word

καὶ ἐμοσχοποίησαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ ἀνήγαγον θυσίαν τῷ εἰδώλῳ καὶ εὐφραίνοντο ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• they made a calfμοσχοποιέωmoschopoieō · to make a calfG3447
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• thoseἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
• daysὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• daysἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• offeredἀνάγωanagō · to leadG321
• sacrificeθυσίαthusia · sacrificeG2378
• unto the idolεἴδωλονeidōlon · idolG1497
• rejoicedεὐφραίνωeuphrainō · to celebrateG2165
• the worksἔργονergon · workG2041
• of their ownαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• handsχείρcheir · handG5495

Cross-references for Acts 7:41

• Exodus 32:2So Aaron said to them, ‘Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters. Then bring the rings to me.’
• Deuteronomy 9:12Then the Lord said to me, ‘Now go down the mountain! The people that you led out of Egypt have done something very bad. They have already refused to obey my commands. They have used gold to make an idol for themselves.’
• Nehemiah 9:18Our ancestors made an image of a young cow to be their god. They said to each other, “This is our god who brought us out of Egypt.” They insulted you in that way, but you still did not turn away from your people.
• Psalms 106:19At Horeb, the Israelites used gold to make a cow, and they worshipped it.
• Isaiah 2:8But their land is also full of useless idols. They worship things that they have made with their own hands.
• Isaiah 44:9All the people who make idols are fools. The images which make them so happy are useless. Those who worship idols cannot see the truth. They do not understand what they are doing, and they will be ashamed.
• Hosea 9:1People of Israel, do not shout with joy, as the people of other nations do at their festivals. You have not been faithful to me, your God. Like a prostitute, you sell yourselves to foreign gods that you worship on the threshing floors.
• Habakkuk 2:18What value does an idol have? What help can it give? Somebody has made it as the image of a false god. It can only tell false messages. Why should its maker trust it for help? He has used wood or metal to make it and it cannot speak!

Commentaries on Acts 7:41

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 41And they made a calf - This was made of the ear-rings and ornaments which they had brought from Egypt, Exodus 32:2-4. Stephen introduces this to remind them how prone the nation had been to reject God, and to walk in the ways of sin.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-41Verses 30-41 Men deceive themselves, if they think God cannot do what he sees to be good any where; he can bring his people into a wilderness, and there speak comfortably to them. He appeared to Moses in a flame of fire, yet the bush was not consumed; which represented the state of Israel in Egypt, where, though they were in the fire of affliction, yet they were not consumed. It may also be looked upon as a type of Christ's taking upon him the nature of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-53Stephen answered the accusations by speaking about his Lord (see Luke 21:12–17). Instead of defending himself, he became a witness in God's legal case against them. This revealed how contrary they were and their lack of loyalty. Stephen gave a history of Israel's past and reminded them of their repeated rejections of those who announced God's messages. Stephen's review of Israel's history has three main parts: The work of the patriarchs. This refers to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 35-4135-41. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge, &c.--Here, again, "the stone which the builders refused is made the head of the corner" (Psa 118:22).Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 7:41

• Apostasy
• Calf
• Court
• Government
• Quotations and Allusions
• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• Charge
• Resist
• Saying
• Stone
• Thrust
• Wisdom
• Acts of the Apostles
• Astrology
• Doctrine
• Fare

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