Acts 7:42

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

40saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt--we do not know what happened to him.’ 41At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? 43You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’ 44“Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.

Acts 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

• But Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• turnedστρέφωstrephō · to turnG4762
• and deliveredπαραδίδωμιparadidōmi · to deliverG3860
• serveλατρεύωlatreuō · to ministerG3000
• hostστρατιάstratia · armyG4756
• of heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• as it is writtenγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• in the bookβίβλοςbiblos · bookG976
• of the prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
• It was not to Me that you offeredπροσφέρωprospherō · to bring toG4374
• victimsσφάγιονsphagion · sacrificial victimG4968
• and sacrificesθυσίαthusia · sacrificeG2378
• yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094
• in the wildernessἔρημοςerēmos · desertedG2048
• was it, O houseοἶκοςoikos · house: homeG3624
• of Israelἡσσάομαιhēttaō · be lesserG2274

Cross-references for Acts 7:42

• Psalms 81:11“But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me.
• Isaiah 66:4So I will choose their punishments And will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.”
• Ezekiel 14:7For anyone of the house of Israel or of the immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, I the Lord will be brought to answer him in My own person.
• Ezekiel 20:25I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live;
• Hosea 4:17Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone.
• Romans 1:24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:10and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
• Deuteronomy 4:19And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
• Deuteronomy 17:3and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded,
• 2 Kings 17:16They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
• 2 Kings 21:3For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
• Job 31:26If I have looked at the sun when it shone Or the moon going in splendor,
• Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly host and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
• Ezekiel 8:16Then He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.
• Amos 5:25“Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel?
• Isaiah 43:23You have not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, Nor wearied you with incense.

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

• Apostasy
• Court
• Government
• Idolatry
• Quotations and Allusions
• Readings, Select
• Stars

In the dictionaries

• God
• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Host of heaven
• Amos
• Beast
• Charge
• Resist

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