Acts 7:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him

NIV: "Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

NASB: The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,

CSB: "The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him

NLT: These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him

KJV: And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

NKJV: “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him

Stephen is a "Hellenist," someone who is highly influenced by Greek culture. It's likely he was at the synagogue of the Freedmen (Acts 6:9) because he is not from Judea and he can reach Greek-speaking Jews there with the good news about Jesus. Even for Jews who lived throughout the Roman Empire, Judea, Jerusalem, and the temple are very important. They are the center of their identity as Jews. Stephen probably found Christ because he made the voyage to Jerusalem to worship at the temple.

So, Stephen understands his accusers' veneration of the temple. He values the temple, and he still identifies as a Jew. He would never blaspheme the temple, as his accusers have claimed. But he more fully understands that following God is more about faith than place. And of all the patriarchs, it was Joseph who exemplified faith in God despite situation or location.

The "patriarchs," here, aren't Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, rather this refers to Jacob's sons. Specifically, those sons born before Joseph, so not including Benjamin or Joseph's two sons whom Jacob adopted: Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph's older brothers, jealous of Jacob's regard toward him, sold him to slave traders and told Jacob a wild animal had killed him. The slavers sold him to a nobleman in Egypt. Despite Joseph's time in slavery and then prison in Egypt, God was with him. God blessed Joseph with training, wisdom, and positions of power and responsibility. While Jacob mourned, Joseph's brothers had no idea God would use their sin to rescue them and the surrounding nations from famine. This part of their story is in Genesis 37.

Acts 7:9–16 describes one of the church's first deacons, Stephen, during his trial before the Sanhedrin. A crowd of Jews has accused him of speaking against Moses, the Mosaic law, and the temple (Acts 6:8–15). Stephen uses his defense to show how Abraham's descendants have been God's people since long before the Law or the temple. In Acts 7:1–8, he gave a summary of how God called Abraham far from the land his people would later inherit. Stephen continues showing how God cared for His people without a place, adding that they didn't respect His prophets, starting with Joseph. Joseph's story is in Genesis 37—Exodus 1.

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.