Acts 7:12

"Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food."

Key Reflection

A severe famine swept across both Egypt and Canaan, causing widespread distress. The phrase "our fathers found no food" indicates that this was a personal and communal experience for the ancestors of those being addressed, emphasizing the dire situation they faced due to the lack of sustenance. This context underscores the immediate relevance of the famine to the listeners, highlighting how it affected not just one region but an interconnected network of communities.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 12. Was corn in Egypt. The word corn here rather denotes wheat. See Barnes "Mt 12:1". Our fathers. His ten sons; all his sons except Joseph and Benjamin, Ge 42:2. Stephen here refers only to the history, without entering into details. By this general reference he sufficiently showed that he believed what Moses had spoken, and did not intend to show him disrespect. {k} "But when Jacob heard" Ge 13:1,2 {+} "sent out our fathers first" "The first time" __________________________________________________________________

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