Stephen’s Defense

¹ And the high priest said, “Is it so concerning these things?”

² So he said, “Men—brothers and fathers—listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he¹ was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

1. *Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as temporal

³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your relatives and come to the land that I will show you.’

⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and¹ settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, he caused him to move to this land in which you now live.

1. *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went out”) has been translated as a finite verb

⁵ And he did not give him an inheritance in it—not even a footstep¹—and he promised to give it² to him for his possession, and to his descendants after him, ⌞although he did not have⌟³⁴ a child.

1. Literally “a step of a foot”
2. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
3. Literally “not being to him”
4. *Here “although” is supplied in the translation as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as concessive

⁶ But God spoke like this: ‘His descendants will be foreigners in a foreign land, and they will enslave them and mistreat them¹ four hundred years,

1. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

⁷ and the nation ⌞that⌟¹ they will serve as slaves, I will judge,’ God said, ‘and after these things they will come out² and will worship me in this place.’³

1. Literally “to which”
2. Verses 6–7 are a quotation from Gen 15:13–14
3. The final phrase is an allusion to Exod 3:12

⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac did so with¹ Jacob, and Jacob did so with² the twelve patriarchs.

1. *Here the words “did so with” are not in the Greek text but are implied; in view of the “covenant of circumcision” mentioned earlier in the verse, it is probable that circumcision and not just fatherhood is involved
2. *Here the words “did so with” are not in the Greek text but are implied; see the note on the same phrase earlier in this verse

⁹ And the patriarchs, because they¹ were jealous of Joseph, sold him² into Egypt. And God was with him,

1. *Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were jealous of”) which is understood as causal
2. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

¹⁰ and rescued him from all his afflictions and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he appointed him ruler over Egypt and all¹ his household.

1. Some manuscripts have “over all”

¹¹ And a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan and great affliction, and our fathers could not find food.

¹² So when¹ Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal

¹³ And on the second visit¹ Joseph was made known to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh.

1. *The word “visit” is not in the Greek text but is implied

¹⁴ So Joseph sent and¹ summoned his father Jacob and all his² relatives, seventy-five persons in all.

1. *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sent”) has been translated as a finite verb
2. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

¹⁵ And Jacob went down to Egypt and died, he and our fathers.

¹⁶ And they were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

¹⁷ “But as the time of the promise that God had made to Abraham was drawing near, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt

¹⁸ until another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.

¹⁹ This man deceitfully took advantage of our¹ people and² mistreated our ancestors, ⌞causing them to abandon their infants⌟³ so that they would not be kept alive.

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
2. *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“deceitfully took advantage of”) has been translated as a finite verb
3. Literally “making their infants be abandoned”

²⁰ At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. ⌞He⌟¹ was brought up for three months in his² father’s house,

1. Literally “who”
2. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

²¹ and when¹ he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and brought him up ⌞as her own son⌟.²

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was abandoned”)
2. Literally “for a son to herself”

²² And Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was powerful in his words and deeds.

²³ “But when ⌞he was forty years old⌟,¹ it entered in his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel.

1. Literally “a period of time of forty years was fulfilled for him”

²⁴ And when he¹ saw one of them being unjustly harmed, he defended him² and ⌞avenged⌟³ the one who had been oppressed by⁴ striking down the Egyptian.

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
2. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
3. Literally “produced vengeance for”
4. *Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“striking down”) which is understood as means

²⁵ And he thought his¹ brothers would understand that God was granting deliverance to them by his hand, but they did not understand.

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

²⁶ And on the following day, he made an appearance to them while they¹ were fighting and was attempting to reconcile² them in peace, saying, ‘Men and brothers, why are you doing wrong to one another?’

1. *Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were fighting”) which is understood as temporal
2. *Here the imperfect verb has been translated as conative (“was attempting to reconcile”)

²⁷ But the one who was doing wrong to his¹ neighbor pushed him aside, saying, ‘Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

²⁸ You do not want to do away with me ⌞the same way⌟¹ you did away with the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’²

1. Literally “in the manner in which”
2. A quotation from Exod 2:14; the negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated by “do you”

²⁹ And at this statement, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

³⁰ “And when¹ forty years had been completed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush.

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had been completed”)

³¹ And when¹ Moses saw it,² he was astonished at the sight, and when³ he approached to look at it,⁴ the voice of the Lord came:

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
2. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
3. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“approached”)
4. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

³² ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob!’¹ So Moses began trembling and² did not dare to look at it.³

1. A quotation from Exod 3:6
2. *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“began”) has been translated as a finite verb
3. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

³³ And the Lord said to him, ‘Untie the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.

³⁴ ⌞I have certainly seen⌟¹ the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’²

1. Literally “seeing I have seen”
2. A quotation from Exod 3:5, 7–8, 10

³⁵ This Moses whom they had repudiated, saying, ‘Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?’¹—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer with ⌞the help⌟² of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

1. A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see v. 27 above)
2. Literally “hand”

³⁶ This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

³⁷ “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’¹

1. A quotation from Deut 18:15

³⁸ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and who with our fathers received living oracles to give to us,

³⁹ to whom our fathers were not willing to become obedient, but rejected him¹ and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,

1. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

⁴⁰ saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go on before us! For this Moses, who led us out from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him!’¹

1. A quotation from Exod 32:1, 23

⁴¹ And they manufactured a calf in those days, and offered up a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing¹ in the works of their hands.

1. *The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began rejoicing”)

⁴² But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘You did not bring offerings and sacrifices to me for forty years in the wilderness, did you,¹ house of Israel?

1. *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated by “did you”

⁴³ And you took along the tabernacle¹ of Moloch and the star of the god² Rephan, the images that you made, to worship them, and I will deport you beyond Babylon!’³

1. Or “tent”
2. Some manuscripts have “of your god”
3. A quotation from Amos 5:25–27

⁴⁴ The tabernacle of the testimony ⌞belonged⌟¹ to our fathers in the wilderness, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him² to make it according to the design that he had seen,

1. Literally “was”
2. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

⁴⁵ and which, after¹ receiving it² in turn, our fathers brought in with Joshua ⌞when they dispossessed the⌟³ nations that God drove out from the presence of our fathers, until the days of David,

1. *Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“receiving”) which is understood as temporal
2. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
3. Literally “in the possession of the”

⁴⁶ who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.¹

1. Some manuscripts have “for the house of Jacob”

⁴⁷ But Solomon built a house for him.

⁴⁸ But the Most High does not live in houses¹ made by human hands, just as the prophet says,

1. Or “temples made by human hands”; either word (“houses” or “temples”) is understood here

⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is my throne and earth is the footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

⁵⁰ Did not my hand make all these things?’¹

1. A quotation from Isa 66:1–2

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in hearts and in your¹ ears! You constantly resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so also do you!