Acts 7:52 - Printer Friendly

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,

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—

NASB: Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, and you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him;

CSB: Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.

NLT: 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.

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:

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,

Stephen is bringing his argument home. His accusers claim to defend the Mosaic law, but they don't even have the hearts to understand it. They actively resist the leading of the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51), just as their forefathers did throughout the Old Testament. Now, Stephen declares the biggest irony of all. These same forefathers, whose legacy they claim to honor, persecuted the prophets God sent them to turn their hearts back to Him. Jezebel killed many prophets (1 Kings 19:10). God sent more, warning of the Babylonian captivity, and the people mocked them (2 Chronicles 36:15–16). Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees—Jewish religious leaders—of continuing that legacy (Luke 11:47–48), a legacy Stephen's audience continues as well.

The ironic part is that those prophets often spoke about the Messiah. It's thought that the prophet described as "sawn in two" (Hebrews 11:37) was Isaiah, one of the most prolific writers about the coming Messiah. If Stephen's audience had studied and accepted the prophets with hearts bent toward God and focused on understanding, they would have recognized that Jesus is the Messiah (Luke 24:26–27; John 5:39–40). Instead, they functionally "killed" the prophets by disregarding their words. Not only that, they had actually conspired to have Jesus crucified; they "betrayed and murdered" the Messiah, the Righteous One.

Verses 51 through 53 feel rather abrupt, compared to Stephen's prior words. It's possible that Stephen senses the crowd is getting agitated and he must cut his speech short. It's also possible he realizes he is about to become one of those whom the "sons" will persecute and kill.

Acts 7:51–53 reminds accusers of Stephen, the Jewish Christian deacon, that the Jews have a tradition of killing the prophets God sends to them. Stephen has been accused of blasphemy against Moses, the Mosaic law, and the temple (Acts 6:8–15). He's already established that the Jews didn't need the temple or the Law to worship God. Stephen's final jab is that this neglect is in character with a people who claimed to live under a Law they could not keep.

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.