EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Acts 7:42
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.
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
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.” 41It 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. But 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.’ ” 44When our ancestors were in the wilderness, they carried a special tent with them. It showed that God was there with them and that is where they worshipped him. God showed Moses how he should make that tent. The people made it in the way that God had said.
Read all of Acts 7Acts 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 81:11But my people refused to listen to me. My people, Israel, did not obey me.
- Isaiah 66:4So I will cause great trouble to come to them. It will be the trouble that they are so afraid of. When I called out to them, nobody answered me. When I spoke to them, nobody listened. They did evil things against me. They chose to do things that I would hate.’
- Ezekiel 14:7An Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel may not want to serve me. He may choose to worship idols and do wicked things. If anyone like that goes to a prophet to find out something from me, I will answer him. Yes, I myself, the Lord, will answer him!
- Ezekiel 20:25So I let them obey rules that were not good. They were laws that would not help them to enjoy a good life.
- Hosea 4:17The people of Israel enjoy their idols. Do not go near them!
- Romans 1:24So God let those people do all the bad things that they wanted to do. God let those disgusting things rule their lives. As a result, they did bad things with each other's bodies. They did things that people should be ashamed to do.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10He will do all kinds of bad things that deceive people. The people that he deceives are people that God will destroy. Those people believe false things because they have refused to accept God's true message. If they had loved that true message, God would have saved them.
- Deuteronomy 4:19When you look up at the sky, you see the sun, the moon and the stars. They all shine up in the sky. But do not bend down low to them or worship them. They are there because the Lord your God has made them. He has given them to people everywhere in the world.
- Deuteronomy 17:3He may have started to worship false gods that I have commanded you not to worship. Perhaps he worships the sun, the moon or the stars.
- 2 Kings 17:16They turned away from all the commands of the Lord their God. They used metal to make images of two calves as their idols. They also made an Asherah pole to worship. They worshipped all the stars in the sky and they served Baal.
- 2 Kings 21:3Manasseh built again the altars on the hills that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars for people to worship Baal. He also made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done. He bent down low to worship all the stars in the sky.
- Job 31:26I have looked at the sun when it shines brightly. And I have seen the moon when it is very beautiful.
- Jeremiah 19:13The houses in Jerusalem will be full of dead bodies like Topheth. The palaces of the kings of Judah will be the same. I will do that because people went up on the roofs of their houses to offer sacrifices to the stars. They poured out drink offerings to other gods.” ’
- Ezekiel 8:16Then the Lord took me to the inside yard of his temple. I could see about 25 men who were standing between the altar and the front of the temple. Their backs were turned towards the Lord's temple. Their faces looked towards the east. They were bending down low to worship the sun that was rising in the east!
- Amos 5:25You people of Israel's family, listen to me! I led you through the wilderness for 40 years. During that time, did you worship me with sacrifices and offerings? No!
- Isaiah 43:23You did not bring sheep to me as burnt offerings. You did not make sacrifices to me, to show that you respect me. I did not make it difficult for you, when I asked you to bring offerings to me. When I asked you to burn incense to worship me, that should not have made you tired.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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