Acts 7:52

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 King James Version (NKJV)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,

Context of Acts 7:52

50Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’ 51“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 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. 53You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” 54The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.

Acts 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 8:7“Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.
• 1 Kings 19:10Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
• 2 Chronicles 24:19Yet the Lord sent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen.
• 2 Chronicles 36:16But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.
• Nehemiah 9:26“But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They turned their backs on your Law, they killed your prophets who warned them to return to you, and they committed terrible blasphemies.
• Jeremiah 2:30“I have punished your children, but they did not respond to my discipline. You yourselves have killed your prophets as a lion kills its prey.
• Jeremiah 20:2So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s Temple.
• Jeremiah 26:15But if you kill me, rest assured that you will be killing an innocent man! The responsibility for such a deed will lie on you, on this city, and on every person living in it. For it is absolutely true that the Lord sent me to speak every word you have heard.”
• Matthew 5:12Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
• Matthew 21:35But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
• Matthew 23:31“But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
• Luke 11:47What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.
• Luke 13:33Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must proceed on my way. For it wouldn’t do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem!
• 1 Thessalonians 2:15For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity
• Acts 3:18But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things.
• 1 Peter 1:11They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.

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

• Court
• Government
• Jesus Continued
• Persecution
• Readings, Select
• Reproof

In the dictionaries

• Charge
• Resist
• Saying
• Stone
• Thrust
• Wisdom
• Acts of the Apostles
• Betrayers
• Doctrine
• Gnosticism

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