Acts 7:59

Acts 7:59 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
• New International Version (NIV)While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Context of Acts 7:59

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. While the men were throwing stones at him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, please receive my spirit as I die.’ 60Then he fell down on his knees. He shouted, ‘Lord, please forgive these men. Do not punish them because they are doing this to me.’ After Stephen had said this, he died.

Acts 7:59 word by word

καὶ ἐλιθοβόλουν τὸν Στέφανον ἐπικαλούμενον καὶ λέγοντα· κύριε Ἰησοῦ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• they stonedλιθοβολέωlithoboleō · to stoneG3036
• Stephenὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• StephenΣτέφανοςStephanos · StephenG4736
• calling uponἐπικαλέωepikaleomai · to call (on)/nameG1941
• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• receiveδέχομαιdechomai · to receiveG1209
• myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151

Cross-references for Acts 7:59

• Acts 2:21The Lord will save everyone who asks him to help them.” ’
• Acts 9:14Now he has come here to Damascus, and he has brought letters with him from the leaders of the priests. They have given him authority, so that he will take hold of everyone who believes in you. He will tie them and put them in prison.’
• Acts 22:16So now you do not need to wait any longer. Stand up and I will baptize you. Believe in the Lord Jesus so that God will forgive you for your sins.”
• Joel 2:32Everyone who asks the Lord for help will be safe. They will be safe if they believe in his name. The Lord will save the people on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. He has promised this to those people whom he has asked to come to him.
• Romans 10:12It says ‘everyone’. There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. There is the same Lord for all of them. He helps everyone who asks him with many good things.
• 1 Corinthians 1:2I am sending this letter to you, the people of God's church in Corinth. God has made you clean because you belong to Christ Jesus. He has chosen you to be his special people. So you join together with all people everywhere who worship our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is their Lord, as he is our Lord.
• Psalms 31:5I put my life into your hands. I know that you will save me, Lord, because you are a God that I can trust.
• Luke 23:46Then Jesus shouted loudly, ‘Father, I give my spirit to you.’ After he shouted this, he died.

Commentaries on Acts 7:59

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God - The word God is not found in any MS. or version, nor in any of the primitive fathers except Chrysostom. It is not genuine, and should not be inserted here: the whole sentence literally reads thus: And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Here is a most manifest proof that prayer is offered to Jesus Christ; and that in the most solemn circumstances in which it could be offered…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 59Calling upon God - The word God is not in the original, and should not have been in the translation. It is in none of the ancient mss. or versions. It should have been rendered, “They stoned Stephen, invoking, or calling upon, and saying, Lord Jesus,” etc. That is, he was engaged “in prayer” to the Lord Jesus. The word is used to express “prayer” in the following, among other places: 2 Corinthians 1:23, “I call God to witness”; 1 Peter 1:17, “And if ye…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. 59-60Stephen’s prayer, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," is very similar to the prayer Jesus prayed when he was on the cross (Luke 23:34). Jesus taught his followers the importance of forgiveness and prayer (Matthew 6:14–15; Mark 11:25; see Luke 11:4; 17:3–4; Luke 11:5–10; 18:1–8; see also Acts 1:12–15; 4:23–31; 12:5; James 5:16–18). The Lord gave a positive answer to Stephen’s prayer as it relates to Saul (Acts 9:1–43).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 59-6059-60. calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, &c.--An unhappy supplement of our translators is the word "God" here; as if, while addressing the Son, he was really calling upon the Father. The sense is perfectly clear without any supplement at all--"calling upon [invoking] and saying, Lord Jesus"; Christ being the Person directly invoked and addressed by name (compare Ac 9:14). Even Grotius, De Wette, Meyer, &c., admit this, adding several other examples…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 7:59

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Death
• Government
• Homicide
• Intolerance, Religious
• Jesus Continued
• Man
• Martyrdom
• Resignation
• Revenge
• Stephen
• Stoning

In the dictionaries

• God
• Jesus
• Stephen
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Call
• Charge
• Gate
• Resist
• Saying

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