Acts 7:6

Acts 7:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
• New International Version (NIV)God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.

Context of Acts 7:6

4So Abraham left his country where the Chaldean people lived. He went to Haran and he stayed there. While he was there, his father died. Then God said to him, “Leave this place.” God then sent him to live in Canaan. This is where we are living now. 5At that time, God did not give Abraham any part of Canaan for his own family. He did not give Abraham even a very small piece of ground. But God made a promise to Abraham. He said, “This land will become your own country. It will also be your descendants' country.” When God said this to him, Abraham did not yet have any children. This is what God said to him: “Your descendants will live in a foreign country for 400 years. The people in that country will cause your descendants to be their slaves. They will be very cruel to them. 7But I will punish those people who cause your descendants to work as slaves for them. After I have done that, your descendants will leave that country. They will come to this place and worship me here.” That is what God said to Abraham. 8Then God made an covenant with Abraham that his descendants would be his special people. God said, “You must circumcise all your baby boys.” Later, Abraham became the father of Isaac. Abraham circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old. Then Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob himself had 12 sons. These sons became the 12 ancestors of the families of Israel.

Acts 7:6 word by word

ἐλάλησεν δὲ οὕτως ὁ θεός, ὅτι ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ πάροικον ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτὸ καὶ κακώσουσιν ἔτη τετρακόσια.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• spakeλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• on this wiseοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• seedσπέρμαsperma · seed: offspringG4690
• shouldεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• sojournπάροικοςparoikos · foreignerG3941
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• a strangeἀλλότριοςallotrios · another’sG245
• landγῆgē · earth: countryG1093
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• that they should bringδουλόωdouloō · to enslaveG1402
• entreatκακόωkakoō · to harmG2559
• four hundredτετρακόσιοιtetrakosioi tetrakosia · four hundredG5071
• yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094

Cross-references for Acts 7:6

• Genesis 15:13Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Be sure of this: Your descendants will live in a foreign country. They will be strangers there. People will do bad things to them and they will become slaves. This will continue for 400 years.
• Exodus 12:40The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
• Galatians 3:17What I mean is this: God made an agreement with Abraham. He promised to bless him. Then, 430 years later, God gave his Law to Moses for the Jewish people. But that Law could not take away the authority of God's agreement with Abraham. It could not stop what God had already promised.

Commentaries on Acts 7:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6That his seed should sojourn in a strange land - See Genesis 15:13, Genesis 15:14. Four hundred years - Moses says, Exodus 12:40, that the sojourning of the children of Israel in Egypt - was 430 years. See the note there. St. Paul has the same number, Galatians 3:17; and so has Josephus, Ant. lib. ii. cap. 1, sect. 9; in Bell. lib. v. cap. 9, sect. 4. St. Stephen uses the round number of 400, leaving out the odd tens, a thing very common, not only in the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6And God spake on this wise - In this manner, Genesis 15:13-14. His seed - His posterity; his descendants. Should sojourn - This means that they would have a “temporary residence there.” The word is used in opposition to a fixed, permanent home, and is applied to travelers, or foreigners. In a strange land - In the Hebrew Genesis 15:13, “Shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs.” The land of Canaan and the land of Egypt were strange lands to them…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. 6-86-8. four hundred years--using round numbers, as in Ge 15:13, 16 (see on Ga 3:17).Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 7:6

• Court
• Government
• Israel
• Obedience
• Quotations and Allusions
• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Four Hundred
• Charge
• Exodus
• Resist
• Saying
• Stone
• Thrust
• Wisdom

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