Acts 7:38 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.

NASB: This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness together with the angel who spoke to him at length on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to you.

CSB: He is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us.

NLT: Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.

KJV: This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

NKJV: “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,

Jews from outside Judea have accused Stephen of disrespecting Moses and the Law. Stephen is explaining exactly what he thinks about Moses: he was sent by God as a ruler and redeemer, given authority by God, performed wonders and signs in Egypt and for forty years in the wilderness acted as a liaison between the Israelites and God, and received the Law from God that made the descendants of Jacob into a nation (Acts 7:35–37).

Shortly after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they camped around Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). Moses climbed the mountain and spent forty days with God, receiving the Law that would take Moses' name. "Congregation" means a group with a common identity, in this case the Israelites. The "wilderness" is the Sinai Peninsula.

When the Israelites first came to Mount Sinai, Moses and Aaron climbed the mountain while the people stood around the base. Although the people had consecrated themselves, they could not touch the mountain. But they witnessed "thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled" (Exodus 19:16). These "fathers" of Stephen's audience insisted that they would listen to Moses, but they did not want to hear from God directly (Exodus 20:18–19).

Exodus doesn't mention an angel on Mount Sinai, but it does say that God spoke to Moses directly. In the Old Testament, when "the angel of the LORD" is mentioned in the text, scholars think the "angel" is actually Jesus before He received His human body. It's possible this is what Stephen means.

An "oracle" is a spoken revelation. "Living" means that they offer life. The Mosaic law was words that brought physical and spiritual life to the Israelites, if they followed it. Today, Jesus is the living Word that brings us life (John 1:1–5).

Stephen is going over Moses' history because Jews have accused him of disrespecting Moses, the Law, and "this place," or the temple (Acts 6:11–14). Here, he proves that the Israelites received their national independence, the Law, and God's presence in the wilderness, far in time and place from the temple and Jerusalem. God does not need the temple to meet His people, and the Israelites of Moses' time didn't follow the law, anyway (Acts 7:39–41, 49–50).

Acts 7:35–38 reminds a Jewish audience of Moses' credentials. These words are spoken by Stephen, a Jewish follower of Jesus and leader in the church in Jerusalem. Devout Jews are accusing Stephen of blaspheming against Moses and the Mosaic law (Acts 6:11–14). Stephen is showing that his accusers' forefathers directly rebelled against Moses and many other prophets who came after him. Here, he reminds them how Moses was in direct contact with God, and how he prophesied about Jesus.

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.