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

57But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 58When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” When he 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 2:21And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
• Acts 9:14and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call on your name!”
• Acts 22:16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’
• Joel 2:32It will so happen that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered. For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who survive, just as the Lord has promised; the remnant will be those whom the Lord will call.
• Romans 10:12For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him.
• 1 Corinthians 1:2to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
• Psalms 31:5Into your hand I entrust my life; you will rescue me, O Lord, the faithful God.
• Luke 23:46Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And after he said this he breathed his last.

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