Acts 7:2 - Printer Friendly

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,

NIV: 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.

NASB: And Stephen said, 'Listen to me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

CSB: "Brothers and fathers," he replied, "listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

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.

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,

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,

Stephen is giving his defense before the Sanhedrin (Acts 6:12). He starts by addressing the crowd which includes "fathers," or the priests, scribes, and elders of the court, and "brothers," or the other Jews in the audience—particularly the Hellenist Jews who have accused him (Acts 6:8–15). In this section, he shows how God's favor is not confined by geography.

Israelite leaders recited their history to teach or remind the people of God's faithfulness throughout the ages (Joshua 24:1–13; Nehemiah 9:6–15). In this case, Stephen uses the historical account to confirm his own Jewish faith and to prove a point: the Jewish forefather, Abraham, experienced God's glory far from Judea and hundreds of years before the temple was built.

Where Stephen mentions Mesopotamia, Genesis 11:31 says Abraham started in "Ur of the Chaldeans." Ur was a city-state on the Euphrates near the Persian Gulf. The Chaldeans are a people group that in Abraham's time settled along the two rivers from the Persian Gulf up to modern-day Mosul. Nebuchadnezzar was a Chaldean. Mesopotamia is the geographic area along the Euphrates and the Tigris, extending from the Persian Gulf, northwest to modern-day Turkey, and down along the coast of the Mediterranean. Mesopotamia is also known as the Fertile Crescent.

Abraham left Ur with his wife Sarah, his father Terah, and his nephew Lot. Lot was the son of Terah's late son Haran who was also Sarah's brother. They traveled up the Euphrates to the northern-most point where they stopped at the city of Haran. After Terah died, God called Abraham to continue his journey to Canaan (Genesis 11:27–12:1).

Acts 7:1–8 is the beginning of Stephen's defense before the Sanhedrin. Jews from outside Judea have accused Stephen, a follower of Jesus, of speaking against Moses, the Law, and the temple (Acts 6:8–15). Stephen uses the history of Israel to show how hypocritical the charges are. In Abraham's story, alone, Stephen shows how God is sovereign over His people outside Israel and outside the Mosaic law. God called Abraham hundreds of miles from Jerusalem in Mesopotamia and made a covenant with him hundreds of years before the Israelites received the Law. This story is told in full in Genesis 11:27—30:24.

Stephen is a Greek-speaking Jewish Christian and one of the first deacons in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1–7). He's also a skilled apologist and has been debating Jews from outside Judea about the proper place of the Mosaic law and the temple (Acts 6:8–15). His opponents cannot counter his arguments so they resort to lies. They tell the Sanhedrin that Stephen wants to destroy the temple and repeal the Mosaic law. Stephen counters that his accusers don't respect Moses or the Law, and the temple isn't necessary to worship God. This enrages the mob, and Stephen is stoned, becoming the first Christian martyr.

Chapter 7 is one of the pivot points of the book of Acts. Until recently, the early church has seen favor from the people and indifference from the Sanhedrin. Now, the Sanhedrin has beaten the apostles and ordered them not to preach about Jesus (Acts 5:40), and the people are starting to realize how different Christianity is. In Jerusalem, a Hellenist Jewish Jesus-follower named Stephen has been in a debate with other foreign Jews who finally accuse him of wishing to destroy the temple, like Jesus (Acts 6:8–15). This is Stephen's defense, which leads to his death and the introduction of Paul.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.