Acts 7:6

"He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child."

Key Reflection

In Acts 7:6, Stephen emphasizes the covenantal promises made by God to Abraham. God declared that He would give Abraham no physical inheritance in Canaan during his lifetime—essentially saying that Abraham could not set foot on the land as an heir. Yet, God promised to eventually give it to Abraham and his descendants as their eternal possession. This reflects a divine assurance of future fulfillment, highlighting the temporal limitation of human understanding and the eternal nature of God's promises, setting the stage for the eventual realization of these promises through the lineage of Abraham, including Jesus Christ.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 6. And God spake on this wise. In this manner, Ge 15:13,14. His seed. His posterity; his descendants. Should sojourn. This means that they should have a temporary residence there. The word is used in opposition to a fixed, permanent home, and is applied to travellers or foreigners. In a strange land. In the Hebrew, (Ge 15:13,) "Shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs." The land of Canaan and the land of Egypt were to them strange lands, though the obvious reference here is to the latter. Should bring them into bondage. Or, should make them slaves, Ex 1:11. And entreat them evil. Should oppress or afflict them. Four hundred years.

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