God’s Word Translation
Acts 7:6
6God told Abraham that his descendants would be foreigners living in another country and that the people there would make them slaves and mistreat them for 400 years.
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
4“Then Abraham left the country of Chaldea and lived in the city of Haran. After his father died, God made him move from there to this land where we now live. 5“Yet, God didn’t give Abraham anything in this land to call his own, not even a place to rest his feet. But God promised to give this land to him and to his descendants, even though Abraham didn’t have a child. God told Abraham that his descendants would be foreigners living in another country and that the people there would make them slaves and mistreat them for 400 years. 7God also told him, ‘I will punish the people whom they will serve. After that, they will leave that country and worship me here.’ 8“God gave Abraham circumcision to confirm his promise. So when Abraham’s son Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac did the same to his son Jacob, and Jacob did the same to his twelve sons (the ancestors of our tribes).
Read all of Acts 7Acts 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 15:13God said to Abram, “You can know for sure that your descendants will live in a land that is not their own, where they will be slaves, and they will be oppressed for 400 years.
- Exodus 12:40The Israelites had been living in Egypt for 430 years.
- Galatians 3:17This is what I mean: The laws ⌞given to Moses⌟ 430 years after God had already put his promise ⌞to Abraham⌟ into effect didn’t cancel the promise ⌞to Abraham⌟.
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
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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