Teks -- Acts 7:2 (NET)

7:2 So he replied, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Act 7:2 - Brethren and fathers

Brethren and fathers ( andres adelphoi kai pateres ).

The spectators (brethren) and members of the Sanhedrin (fathers) as Paul in Act 22:1.

Robertson: Act 7:2 - Hearken

Hearken ( akousate ).

First aorist (ingressive) active imperative, Give me your attention now.

Robertson: Act 7:2 - The God of glory

The God of glory ( Ho theos tēs doxēs ).

The God characterized by glory (genitive case, genus or kind) as seen in the Shekinah, the visible radiance of God. Jesus is also called "the Glory"=the Shekinah in Jam 2:1. Cf. Exo 25:22; Exo 40:34; Lev 9:6; Heb 9:5. By these words Stephen refutes the charge of blasphemy against God in Act 6:11.

Robertson: Act 7:2 - Appeared

Appeared ( ōphthē ).

First aorist passive indicative of horaō . See Luk 23:43. Before there was temple or tabernacle and away over in Mesopotamia (Ur of the Chaldees, Gen 11:31), even before (prin ē with the infinitive) he dwelt in Haran (Charran , or Carrae not far from Edessa, where Crassus met death after his defeat by the Parthians b.c. 53).

Vincent: Act 7:2 - Brethren

Brethren

Addressing the audience generally.

Vincent: Act 7:2 - Fathers

Fathers

Addressing the members of the Sanhedrim.

Vincent: Act 7:2 - Of glory

Of glory

Outward, visible glory, as in the shekinah and the pillar of fire.

Vincent: Act 7:2 - Appeared

Appeared ( ὤφθη )

See on Luk 22:43.

Wesley: Act 7:2 - And he said

St. Stephen had been accused of blasphemy against Moses, and even against God; and of speaking against the temple and the law, threatening that Jesus would destroy the one, and change the other. In answer to this accusation, rehearsing as it were the articles of his historical creed, he speaks of God with high reverence, and a grateful sense of a long series of Acts of goodness to the Israelites, and of Moses with great respect, on account of his important and honourable employments under God: of the temple with regard, as being built to the honour of God; yet not with such superstition as the Jews; putting them in mind, that no temple could comprehend God. And he was going on, no doubt, when he was interrupted by their clamour, to speak to the last point, the destruction of the temple, and the change of the law by Christ. Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken - The sum of his discourse is this: I acknowledge the glory of God revealed to the fathers, Act 7:2, the calling of Moses, Act 7:34 &c; the dignity of the law, Act 7:8, Act 7:38, Act 7:44; the holiness of this place, Act 7:7, Act 7:45, Act 7:47. And indeed the law is more ancient than the temple; the promise more ancient than the law. For God showed himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their children freely, Act 7:2, &c; Act 7:9, &c; Act 7:17, &c; Act 7:32, Act 7:34-35 and they showed faith and obedience to God, Act 7:4, Act 7:20, &c; Act 7:23 particularly by their regard for the law, Act 7:8 and the promised land, Act 7:16. Meantime, God never confined his presence to this one place or to the observers of the law. For he hath been acceptably worshipped before the law was given, or the temple built, and out of this land, Act 7:2, Act 7:9, Act 7:33, Act 7:44. And that our fathers and their posterity were not tied down to this land, their various sojournings, Act 7:4, &c; Act 7:14, Act 7:29, Act 7:44 and exile, Act 7:43, show. But you and your fathers have always been evil, Act 7:9 have withstood Moses, Act 7:25, &c; Act 7:39, &c; have despised the land, Act 7:39, forsaken God, Act 7:40, &c, superstitiously honoured the temple, Act 7:48, resisted God and his Spirit, Act 7:50, killed the prophets and the Messiah himself, Act 7:51, and kept not the law for which ye contend, Act 7:53. Therefore God is not bound to you; much less to you alone. And truly this solemn testimony of Stephen is most worthy of his character, as a man full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith and power: in which, though he does not advance so many regular propositions, contradictory to those of his adversaries, yet he closely and nervously answers them all. Nor can we doubt but he would, from these premises, have drawn inferences touching the destruction of the temple, the abrogation of the Mosaic law, the punishment of that rebellious people; and above all, touching Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, had not his discourse been interrupted by the clamours of the multitude, stopping their ears, and rushing upon him. Men, brethren, and fathers - All who are here present, whether ye are my equals in years, or of more advanced age. The word which in this and in many other places is rendered men is a mere expletive.

Wesley: Act 7:2 - The God of glory

The glorious God, appeared to Abraham before he dwelt in Haran - Therefore Abraham knew God, long before he was in this land. Gen 12:1.

JFB: Act 7:2-5 - The God of glory

A magnificent appellation, fitted at the very outset to rivet the devout attention of his audience; denoting not that visible glory which attended many of the divine manifestations, but the glory of those manifestations themselves, of which this was regarded by every Jew as the fundamental one. It is the glory of absolutely free grace.

JFB: Act 7:2-5 - appeared unto our father Abraham before he dwelt in Charran, and said, &c.

Though this first call is not expressly recorded in Genesis, it is clearly implied in Gen 15:7 and Neh 9:7; and the Jewish writers speak the same language.

Clarke: Act 7:2 - Men, brethren, and fathers

Men, brethren, and fathers - Rather, brethren and fathers, for ανδρες should not be translated separately from αδελφοι . Literally it is men-brethren, a very usual form in Greek; for every person knows that ανδρες Αθηναιοι and ανδρες Περσαι should not be translated men-Athenians and men-Persians, but simply Athenians and Persians. See Act 17:22. So, in Luk 2:15, ανθρωποι ποιμενες should be translated shepherds, not men-shepherds. And ανθρωπος βασιλευς Mat 18:23, should not be translated man-king, but king, simply. By translating as we do, men, brethren, and fathers, and putting a comma after men, we make Stephen address three classes, when in fact there were but two: the elders and scribes, whom he addressed as fathers; and the common people, whom he calls brethren. See Bp. Pearce, and see Act 8:27

Clarke: Act 7:2 - The God of glory appeared, etc.

The God of glory appeared, etc. - As Stephen was now vindicating himself from the false charges brought against him, he shows that he had uttered no blasphemy, either against God, Moses, or the temple; but states that his accusers, and the Jews in general, were guilty of the faults with which they charged him: that they had from the beginning rejected and despised Moses, and had always violated his laws. He proceeds to state that there is no blasphemy in saying that the temple shall be destroyed: they had been without a temple till the days of David; nor does God ever confine himself to temples built by hands, seeing he fills both heaven and earth; that Jesus is the prophet of whom Moses spoke, and whom they had persecuted, condemned, and at last put to death; that they were wicked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears, and always resisted the Holy Ghost as their fathers did. This is the substance of St. Stephen’ s defense as far as he was permitted to make it: a defense which they could not confute; containing charges which they most glaringly illustrated and confirmed, by adding the murder of this faithful disciple to that of his all-glorious Master

Clarke: Act 7:2 - Was in Mesopotamia

Was in Mesopotamia - In that part of it where Ur of the Chaldees was situated, near to Babel, and among the rivers, (Tigris and Euphrates), which gave the name of Mesopotamia to the country. See the note on Gen 11:31

Clarke: Act 7:2 - Before he dwelt in Charran

Before he dwelt in Charran - This is called Haran in our translation of Gen 11:31; this place also belonged to Mesopotamia, as well as Ur, but is placed west of it on the maps. It seems most probable that Abraham had two calls, one in Ur, and the other in Haran. He left Ur at the first call, and came to Haran; he left Haran at the second call, and came into the promised land. See these things more particularly stated in the notes on Gen 12:1 (note).

Calvin: Act 7:2 - Men, brethren, and fathers // The God of glory // When he was in Mesopotamia

2.Men, brethren, and fathers Although Stephen saw that those which sat in the council were, for the most part, the sworn enemies of Christ, yet because the ordinary government of the people did belong to them, and they had the oversight of the Church, which God had not as yet cast off, therefore, he is not afraid, for modesty’s sake, to call them fathers. Neither doth he flatteringly purchase favor hereby; but he giveth this honor to the order and government appointed by God, until such time as the authority should be taken from them, the order being altered. Nevertheless, the reverence of the place which they had doth not hinder him nor stop his mouth; but that he doth freely dissent from them, whereby it appeareth how ridiculous the Papists are who will have us so tied unto bare and vain invented titles, that they may enforce us to subscribe unto their decrees, though they be never so wicked.

The God of glory By this beginning, he declareth that he doth not disagree or dissent from the fathers in true religion which they followed; for all religion, the worship of God, the doctrine of the law, all prophecies, did depend upon that covenant which God made with Abraham; therefore, when Stephen confessed that God appeared to Abraham, he embraceth the law and the prophets, which flow from that first revelation as from a fountain; moreover, he calleth him the God of glory, that he may distinguish him from the false and reigned gods, who alone is worthy of glory.

When he was in Mesopotamia It is well known that that is called by this name which lieth between the river Tigris and Euphrates; and he saith before, he dwelt in Charran, because Abraham, being warned by an oracle, fled ³⁷¹ from Chaldea to Charran, which is a city of Mesopotamia, famous by reason of the slaughter of Crassus and the Roman army; although Pliny saith that it was a city of Arabia; and it is no marvel that Chaldea is in this place comprehended under the name of Mesopotamia, because, although that region, which is enclosed with Tigris and Euphrates, [Mesopotamia,] be properly the country between two rivers, yet those which set down any description of countries ³⁷² do call both Assyria and Chaldea by this name.

The sum is this, that Abraham being commanded by God, did forsake his country, and so he was prevented with the mere goodness of God when as he sought that which was offered him at home of the [its] own accord. Read the last chapter of Joshua; but it seemeth that Moses’ narration doth somewhat disagree with this, for after that, about the end of the 11th chapter of Genesis, he had declared, that Abraham doth [did] go into another country to dwell, having left his house, he addeth, in the beginning of the 12th, that God spake unto Abraham. This is easily answered, for Moses reciteth not in this latter place what happened after the departure of Abraham; but lest any man should think that Abraham wandered into other countries, having unadvisedly forsaken his own house, (as light and indiscreet men ³⁷³ used to do sometimes,) he showeth the cause of his departure, to wit, because he was commanded by God to flit into another place. And thus much do the words of the oracle import. For, if he had been a stranger in another country, God could not have commanded him to depart out of his native soil, forsaking his kinsmen and father’s house. Therefore, we see that this place agreeth wondrous well with the words of Moses. For after that Moses hath said that Abraham went to Charran, to the end he may show that this journey was taken in hand, not through any lightness of man, but at the commandment of God, he addeth that afterwards which he had before omitted, which manner of speaking is much used of the Hebrews.

Defender: Act 7:2 - hearken

Stephen had been accused of blasphemy against the temple and the law, but even though the false witnesses had distorted his message, Stephen did not attempt to defend himself. Instead he probably presented the same type of message to the council as he had been preaching in the synagogue, stressing that the principles of God's plan for Israel had been established long before the temple system, and that the Abrahamic Covenant centered in the promised Messiah, as did the preaching of the prophets. But Israel had rejected God's Word at every stage, had killed the prophets, corrupted the law and finally murdered the Messiah when he came. Stephen's message was powerful and true, but could only anger the council further.

Defender: Act 7:2 - God of glory

This title - "the God of glory" - occurs only one other time in the Bible, in Psa 29:3 : "The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters." In context, this psalm records David's retrospective vision of the great Flood (see notes on Psa 29:1-11). Stephen's use of this name at the beginning of his apologetics exhortation to these rulers of Israel was probably to remind them that the same Creator God who judged the whole world in the days of Noah had called Abram, not just to found an elect nation but to use that nation to bring the promised seed who would bless all nations."

TSK: Act 7:2 - Men // The God // appeared // when // Charran

Men : Act 22:1, Act 23:7

The God : Psa 24:7, Psa 24:10, Psa 29:3; Isa 6:3; Mat 6:13; Luk 2:14; Joh 1:14, Joh 12:41; 2Co 4:4-6; Tit 2:13 *Gr: Heb 1:3; Rev 4:11, Rev 5:12, Rev 5:13

appeared : Gen 12:1; Neh 9:7; Isa 51:2

when : Jos 24:2

Charran : Gen 11:31, Gen 12:5, Gen 29:4, Haran

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Act 7:2 - Brethren // Fathers // The God of glory // Mesopotamia // Charran

Brethren to take away any prejudice they might have conceived against him, and to recommend, not his person as much as his doctrine to them, he calls them brethren;

1. As hoping in the same promises with them;

2. Observing the same law;

3. Worshipping the same God.

Fathers a word of respect; especially the elder amongst them, or his judges: thus the Roman senators were called fathers; and magistrates ought to be reverenced as the fathers of their country.

The God of glory who is also called, Psa 24:7 , the King of glory; from whom all glory descends to angels or men. By this, and what follows, St. Stephen would show that he honoured the true God, and thought respectfully of the law, the temple, and the patriarchs, whom he was accused to contemn and disgrace. He names Abraham, because he was accounted the first father and patriarch of the Jews, and had the first clear promise that the Messiah should come of his seed.

Mesopotamia is sometimes taken strictly for that country which lies between the two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, from whence it had its name; sometimes more largely, including Chaldea; and so it is taken here.

Charran a city of the Parthians, in the borders of Mesopotamia, towards the land of Canaan.

Gill: Act 7:2 - And he said // men, brethren, and fathers, hearken // the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham // before he dwelt in Charan

And he said,.... Stephen replied, in answer to the high priest's question, and addressed himself to the whole sanhedrim, saying:

men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; to the following oration and defence; he calls them men, brethren, by an usual Hebraism, that is, "brethren"; and that, because they were of the same nation; for it was common with the Jews to call those of their own country and religion, brethren; and he calls them "fathers", because of their age and dignity, being the great council of the nation, and chosen out of the senior and wiser part of the people:

the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham; he calls God "the God of glory", because he is glorious in himself, in all his persons, perfections, and works, and is to be glorified by his people; and his glory is to be sought by all his creatures, and to be the end of all their actions; and the rather he makes use of this epithet of him, to remove the calumny against him, that he had spoke blasphemous things against God; and because God appeared in a glorious manner to Abraham, either in a vision, or by an angel, or in some glorious form, or another; and it is observable, that when the Jews speak of Abraham's deliverance out of the fiery furnace, for so they interpret Ur of the Chaldees, they give to God much such a title; they say ^r.

""the King of glory" stretched out his right hand, and delivered him out of the fiery furnace, according to Gen 15:7.''

Stephen uses a like epithet; and he calls Abraham "our father", he being a Jew, and according to the common usage of the nation: and this appearance of God to Abraham was "when he was in Mesopotamia"; a country that lay between the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates, from whence it had its name; and is the same with Aram Naharaim, the Scriptures speak of; See Gill on Act 2:9. Of this appearance of God to Abraham, mentioned by Stephen, the Scriptures are silent; but the Jewish writers seem to hint at it, when they say ^s,

"thus said the holy blessed God to Abraham, as thou hast enlightened for me Mesopotamia and its companions, come and give light before me in the land of Israel.''

And again, mentioning those words in Isa 41:8 "the seed of Abraham my friend, whom I have taken from the ends of the earth"; add by way of explanation, from Mesopotamia and its companions ^t: and this was

before he dwelt in Charan; or Haran; see Gen 11:31 where the Septuagint call it "Charan", as here; and by Herodish ^u it is called καρραι, where Antoninus was killed; and by Pliny ^w, "Carra"; and by Ptolomy ^x, "Carroe"; it was famous for the slaughter of M. Crassus, by the Parthians ^y. R. Benjamin gives this account of it in his time ^z;

"in two days I came to ancient Haran, and in it were about twenty Jews, and there was as it were a synagogue of Ezra; but in the place where was the house of Abraham our father, there was no building upon it; but the Ishmaelites (or Mahometans) honour that place, and come thither to pray.''

Stephanus ^a says it was a city of Mesopotamia, so called from "Carra", a river in Syria.