Acts 7:53

"Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers."

Key Reflection

In Acts 7:53, Stephen is addressing the Jewish council in Jerusalem, challenging their treatment of prophets throughout history. He points out that their ancestors had persecuted and even murdered those who foretold the coming of the Messiah, a role now fulfilled by Jesus himself. By accusing them of being betrayers and murderers, Stephen highlights the irony that they are guilty of the very crimes they committed against past prophets, now directed at Jesus. This accusation would have struck a powerful chord with his original audience, reminding them of their historical complicity in the rejection and murder of divine messengers.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 53. Who have received the law. The law of Moses given on Mount Sinai. By the disposition of angels. There has been much diversity of opinion in regard to this phrase, eiv diatagav aggelwn. The word translated disposition does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. It properly means the constituting or arranging of an army; disposing it into ranks and proper divisions. Hence it has been supposed to mean that the law was given amidst the various ranks of angels, being present to witness its promulgation. Others suppose that the angels were employed as agents or instruments to communicate the law.

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