Acts 7:2

Acts 7:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Stephen said: "Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
• New Living Translation (NLT)This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.

Context of Acts 7:2

1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?” To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. 3‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ 4“So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.

Acts 7:2 word by word

ὁ δὲ ἔφη· ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες, ἀκούσατε. ὁ θεὸς τῆς δόξης ὤφθη τῷ πατρὶ ἡμῶν Ἀβραὰμ ὄντι ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ πρὶν ἢ κατοικῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐν Χαρράν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ἤē · orG2228
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andδέde · thenG1161
• he saidφημίphēmi · to assertG5346
• Menἀνήρanēr · manG435
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• fathersπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
• hearkenἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• The Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• of gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
• appearedὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
• when he wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• MesopotamiaΜεσοποταμίαMesopotamia · MesopotamiaG3318
• beforeπρίνprin · beforeG4250
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• dweltκατοικέωkatoikeō · to dwellG2730
• CharranΧαρράνCharrhan · HaranG5488

Cross-references for Acts 7:2

• Acts 22:1“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”
• Acts 23:7When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
• Psalms 24:7Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
• Psalms 29:3The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
• Isaiah 6:3And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
• Matthew 6:13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’
• Luke 2:14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
• John 1:14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• John 12:41Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
• 2 Corinthians 4:4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• Hebrews 1:3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
• Revelation 4:11“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
• Revelation 5:12In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
• Genesis 12:1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
• Nehemiah 9:7“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham.
• Isaiah 51:2look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.

Commentaries on Acts 7:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Men, brethren, and fathers - Rather, brethren and fathers, for should not be translated separately from . Literally it is men-brethren, a very usual form in Greek; for every person knows that and should not be translated men-Athenians and men-Persians, but simply Athenians and Persians. See Acts 17:22. So, in Luke 2:15, should be translated shepherds, not men-shepherds. And Matthew 18:23, should not be translated man-king, but king, simply. By translating…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Men, brethren, and fathers - These were the usual titles by which the Sanhedrin was addressed. In all this Stephen was perfectly respectful, and showed that he was disposed to render due honor to the institutions of the nation. The God of glory - This is a Hebrew form of expression denoting “the glorious God.” It properly denotes His “majesty, or splendor, or magnificence”; and the word “glory” is often applied to the splendid appearances in which God has…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. 1-60In this long defense Stephen takes a much wider range, and goes less directly into the point raised by his accusers, than we should have expected. His object seems to have been to show (1) that so far from disparaging, he deeply reverenced, and was intimately conversant with, the whole history of the ancient economy; and (2) that in resisting the erection of the Gospel kingdom they were but treading in their fathers' footsteps, the whole history of their…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 7:2

• Abraham
• Court
• Government
• Mesopotamia
• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• God
• Mesopotamia
• Abraham, Abram
• Mesopotamia, Aram Naharaim
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Charge
• Charran
• Glory
• Haran

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