Acts 7:56

Acts 7:56 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
• New International Version (NIV)“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
• New King James Version (NKJV)and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Context of Acts 7:56

54The group of Jewish leaders listened to Stephen. What he said made them very angry. They bit their teeth together because they were so angry. 55But the Holy Spirit filled Stephen. He looked up to heaven and he saw the bright light of God's glory. He also saw Jesus, who was standing at the right side of God. Stephen said, ‘Look! I can see into heaven itself. It is open! I can see the Son of Man and he is standing at the right side of God!’ 57When the Jewish leaders heard this, they put their hands over their ears. Then they shouted very loudly at Stephen and they all ran towards him. 58They took hold of Stephen and they pulled him out of the city. They removed their coats. They gave them to a young man to keep them safe. This young man was called Saul. Then they began to throw stones at Stephen to kill him.

Acts 7:56 word by word

καὶ εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς διηνοιγμένους καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα τοῦ θεοῦ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Beholdὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• I seeθεωρέωtheōreō · to see/experienceG2334
• the heavensὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the heavensοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• openedἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• standingἵστημιhistēmi · to standG2476
• onἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the right handδεξιόςdexios · rightG1188
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for Acts 7:56

• Acts 10:11In a vision, he saw heaven open above him. Then he saw something like a large piece of cloth. Somebody held it at each of its four corners and let it come down to the ground.
• Ezekiel 1:1It was the 30th year. God spoke to me on the fifth day of the fourth month. I was among the prisoners from Judah at the side of the Kebar river. At that time the skies opened and I saw visions from God.
• Matthew 3:16When John baptized him, Jesus came up out of the water. At that moment, the skies opened. Jesus saw God's Spirit coming down. He came down like a dove and he stayed on Jesus.
• Mark 1:10While Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the skies open. The Holy Spirit came down like a dove and he stayed on Jesus.
• Luke 3:21While John was still baptizing all the people, he also baptized Jesus. While Jesus was praying, the sky opened.
• Revelation 4:1After this, I looked. There in front of me was an open door in heaven. I heard the same voice that I had heard before. It spoke like the sound of a trumpet. It said to me, ‘Come up here. I will show you the things that must happen after this.’
• Revelation 11:19Then the door of the temple in heaven became open. Inside it, I saw God's Covenant Box. There was a great storm with bright lightning and the loud noise of thunder. There was an earthquake and strong rain with stones of ice fell from the sky.
• Revelation 19:11I saw that heaven was now open. I saw a white horse there! The name of the man who was riding the horse was this: ‘A faithful, honest person’. He is always right when he judges people and when he goes to punish them in war.
• Daniel 7:13I continued to watch in my vision at night and this is what I saw: I saw someone who seemed like a son of man. He was coming towards me, with the clouds of the sky around him. He came near to the God who has ruled for ever. People took him to stand in front of God.
• Matthew 16:27I tell you all this because I, the Son of Man, will come back to this earth with God's angels. When I come, I will have the powerful beauty of my Father. I will see what each person has done on earth. Then I will pay them what is right.
• Matthew 25:31Jesus said, ‘I, the Son of Man, will return one day. Then people will see that I am great and powerful. All God's angels will come with me. I will sit on my great seat as king.
• Matthew 26:64‘You have said it,’ Jesus replied. ‘And I tell all of you, soon you will see the Son of Man. He will be sitting in the most important place at the right side of the Most Powerful God. You will also see him coming to earth. He will be riding on the clouds in the sky.’
• John 5:22More than that, the Father does not judge anyone. He has given authority to the Son, so that the Son will judge all people.

Commentaries on Acts 7:56

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 56I see the heavens opened - A figurative expression, denoting that he was permitted to see “into” heaven, or to see what was there, as if the firmament was divided, and the eye was permitted to penetrate the eternal world. Compare Ezekiel 1:1.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 54-60Verses 54-60 Nothing is so comfortable to dying saints, or so encouraging to suffering saints, as to see Jesus at the right hand of God: blessed be God, by faith we may see him there. Stephen offered up two short prayers in his dying moments. Our Lord Jesus is God, to whom we are to seek, and in whom we are to trust and comfort ourselves, living and dying. And if this has been our care while we live, it will be our comfort when we die. Here is a prayer…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 55-56standing at the right hand of God: Usually, the Bible describes Jesus as seated in heaven at God’s right side (2:33–34; 5:31; Luke 20:42; 22:69; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3, 13; 10:12). One possible explanation has been proposed by some church fathers that Jesus was welcoming Stephen to heaven with honor as the first New Testament martyr. Stephen was loyal in confessing his Lord on earth. Now his Lord honored his promise to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 54-5654-56. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, &c.--If they could have answered him, how different would have been their temper of mind!Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 7:56

• Anger
• Court
• Government
• Heaven
• Homicide
• Prophets
• Readings, Select
• Revenge
• Stephen
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Son of man
• Charge
• Resist
• Saying
• Stone
• Thrust
• Wisdom
• Acts of the Apostles

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