Acts 7:6

Acts 7:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
• New International Version (NIV)God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.

Context of Acts 7:6

4So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live. 5“But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet. God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 7‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’ 8“God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.

Acts 7:6 word by word

ἐλάλησεν δὲ οὕτως ὁ θεός, ὅτι ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ πάροικον ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτὸ καὶ κακώσουσιν ἔτη τετρακόσια.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• spakeλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• on this wiseοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• seedσπέρμαsperma · seed: offspringG4690
• shouldεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• sojournπάροικοςparoikos · foreignerG3941
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• a strangeἀλλότριοςallotrios · another’sG245
• landγῆgē · earth: countryG1093
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• that they should bringδουλόωdouloō · to enslaveG1402
• entreatκακόωkakoō · to harmG2559
• four hundredτετρακόσιοιtetrakosioi tetrakosia · four hundredG5071
• yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094

Cross-references for Acts 7:6

• Genesis 15:13Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.
• Exodus 12:40The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
• Galatians 3:17This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.

Commentaries on Acts 7:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6That his seed should sojourn in a strange land - See Genesis 15:13, Genesis 15:14. Four hundred years - Moses says, Exodus 12:40, that the sojourning of the children of Israel in Egypt - was 430 years. See the note there. St. Paul has the same number, Galatians 3:17; and so has Josephus, Ant. lib. ii. cap. 1, sect. 9; in Bell. lib. v. cap. 9, sect. 4. St. Stephen uses the round number of 400, leaving out the odd tens, a thing very common, not only in the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6And God spake on this wise - In this manner, Genesis 15:13-14. His seed - His posterity; his descendants. Should sojourn - This means that they would have a “temporary residence there.” The word is used in opposition to a fixed, permanent home, and is applied to travelers, or foreigners. In a strange land - In the Hebrew Genesis 15:13, “Shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs.” The land of Canaan and the land of Egypt were strange lands to them…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. 6-86-8. four hundred years--using round numbers, as in Ge 15:13, 16 (see on Ga 3:17).Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 7:6

• Court
• Government
• Israel
• Obedience
• Quotations and Allusions
• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Four Hundred
• Charge
• Exodus
• Resist
• Saying
• Stone
• Thrust
• Wisdom

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