New King James Version
Acts 7:52
52Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
Acts 7:52 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
- New International Version (NIV)Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—
- English Standard Version (ESV)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,
- New Living Translation (NLT)Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.
Context of Acts 7:52
50Has My hand not made all these things?’ 51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” 54When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
Read all of Acts 7Acts 7:52 word by word
τίνα τῶν προφητῶν οὐκ ἐδίωξαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν; καὶ ἀπέκτειναν τοὺς προκαταγγείλαντας περὶ τῆς ἐλεύσεως τοῦ δικαίου, οὗ νῦν ὑμεῖς προδόται καὶ φονεῖς ἐγένεσθε·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Whichτίςtis · which?G5101
- of the prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
- haveδιώκωdiōkō · to pursueG1377
- notοὐou · noG3756
- yourσύsu · youG4771
- fathersπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- they have slainἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
- shewed beforeπροκαταγγέλλωprokataggellō · to foretellG4293
- ofπερίperi · aboutG4012
- the comingἔλευσιςeleusis · comingG1660
- of the Just Oneδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
- of whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- have beenγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
- the betrayersπροδότηςprodotēs · traitorG4273
- murderersφονεύςphoneus · murdererG5406
Cross-references for Acts 7:52
- 1 Samuel 8:7And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
- 1 Kings 19:10So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
- 2 Chronicles 24:19Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.
- 2 Chronicles 36:16But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
- Nehemiah 9:26“Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations.
- Jeremiah 2:30“In vain I have chastened your children; They received no correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.
- Jeremiah 20:2Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.
- Jeremiah 26:15But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”
- Matthew 5:12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
- Matthew 21:35And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
- Matthew 23:31“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
- Luke 11:47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
- Luke 13:33Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:15who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men,
- Acts 3:18But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
- 1 Peter 1:11searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
Commentaries on Acts 7:52
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 52Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? - Ye have not only resisted the Holy Ghost, but ye have persecuted all those who have spoken to you in his name, and by his influence: thus ye prove your opposition to the Spirit himself, by your opposition to every thing that proceeds from him. They have slain them, etc. - Isaiah, who showed before of the coming of Christ, the Jews report, was sawn asunder at the command of Manasseh. The coming of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 52Which of the prophets - The interrogative form here is a strong mode of saying that they had persecuted “all” the prophets. It was “the characteristic of the nation” to persecute the messengers of God. This is not to be taken as literally and universally true; but it was a general truth; it was the national characteristic. See the notes on Matthew 21:33-40; Matthew 23:29-35. And they have slain them - That is, they have slain the prophets, whose main…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 51-53Verses 51-53 Stephen was going on, it seems, to show that the temple and the temple service must come to an end, and it would be the glory of both to give way to the worship of the Father in spirit and in truth; but he perceived they would not bear it. Therefore he broke off, and by the Spirit of wisdom, courage, and power, sharply rebuked his persecutors. When plain arguments and truths provoke the opposers of the gospel, they should be shown their guilt…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. 51-5351-53. Ye stiffnecked ... ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, &c.--It has been thought that symptoms of impatience and irritation in the audience induced Stephen to cut short his historical sketch. But as little farther light could have been thrown upon Israel's obstinacy from subsequent periods of the national history on the testimony of their own Scriptures, we should view this as the summing up, the brief import of the whole Israelitish…Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 7:52
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries