Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The accusers don't just claim Stephen said blasphemous things; they claim they heard him say them. This subtle shift highlights their tactic: they're twisting his actual teachings, not inventing lies out of thin air, making their false witness harder to dismiss at first glance. It reveals a calculated effort to distort truth by twisting Stephen's words into something they weren't intended to be.
Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Faced with Stephen's compelling wisdom and the growing number of believers, his opponents couldn't win a fair argument. Instead, they resorted to a desperate and dishonest tactic: hiring false witnesses to accuse Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God, a charge designed to provoke a furious reaction from the Jewish authorities. This accusation stems from Stephen's apparent teachings that the Mosaic Law and the Temple system were temporary and would ultimately be superseded by Christ.
Have you ever seen your honest words twisted into something ugly and hateful?
This verse shows a dangerous tactic: the perversion of truth. Stephen's accusers didn't just lie; they took his actual teachings and framed them as blasphemy. They claimed he spoke against Moses and God, but what he likely did was explain how the old covenant, represented by Moses and the Temple, was pointing toward Jesus and a new covenant.
The Accusation:
The Reality:
Stephen, like Jesus, was likely teaching that the ceremonial laws and the Temple system were temporary, pointing to Christ. To the religious leaders, changing or fulfilling these ancient traditions felt like an attack. They twisted Stephen's message from 'fulfillment' to 'destruction' and 'blasphemy,' a common tactic when people can't refute the truth, so they distort it.
What happens when people deliberately hire others to lie?
The word 'suborned' in this verse is key. It means they secretly arranged for men to lie or give false testimony. This wasn't about honest disagreement; it was a calculated scheme.
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The Method:
This was a desperate move by those who couldn't defeat Stephen's arguments with truth. It's a chilling reminder that throughout history, people have used deception and manufactured evidence to silence voices they disagree with, especially when those voices carry divine authority.
Understand the original words
blasphēmos · Greek Adjective/Noun
Speech that insults, dishonors, or defames God or what is holy, claiming divine authority or attributes that do not belong to the speaker or claiming against God's character. In the Old Testament, it was a capital offense punishable by stoning.
Mosheh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The great prophet, lawgiver, and mediator of the Old Covenant through whom God delivered the Torah to Israel. He is often used as the representative figure for the entire body of the Law and the Jewish national identity.
The charge of blasphemy against Moses and God was a severe accusation in Jewish society, designed to provoke outrage and undermine Stephen's credibility by associating his teachings with disrespect for their most sacred figures and laws. This false witness was a tactic mirroring accusations made against Jesus himself.
c. 30-33 AD
Jesus Crucified and Resurrected
The central events of Christian faith, establishing Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, and initiating the spread of the Gospel.
c. 33 AD
Pentecost and the Early Church
The Holy Spirit empowers the apostles, leading to rapid growth of the church and the spread of Christian teachings in Jerusalem.
c. 33-36 AD— this verse
Stephen's Ministry and Accusation
Stephen, one of the seven deacons, powerfully proclaims the Gospel, leading to his arrest and false accusation of blasphemy.
c. 36 AD
Stephen's Martyrdom
Stephen is stoned to death, becoming the first Christian martyr, which spurs a wider persecution and dispersal of believers.
c. 36-40 AD
Saul's Persecution of Christians
Saul (later Paul) actively persecutes the early church, leading to the imprisonment and death of many believers.
c. 40-60 AD
Apostolic Missions Expand
The apostles, including Paul, undertake missionary journeys, spreading Christianity to Gentile populations throughout the Roman Empire.
This passage shows Jesus being accused of blasphemy for claiming God as His Father, equating Himself with God, which parallels how Stephen was accused of blaspheming God and Moses by speaking against their authority.
Matthew 26:60-61Here, false witnesses were brought against Jesus, claiming He said He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. This mirrors the tactic used against Stephen, where distorted or false claims were used to accuse him of blasphemy.
Deuteronomy 18:15Moses himself prophesied about a coming prophet whom the people should listen to. Stephen's message, which pointed to Jesus, was interpreted as a rejection of Moses' authority, echoing the accusation in Acts 6:11.
1 Samuel 12:24Samuel instructs the people to 'serve the Lord faithfully with all your heart' and to remember the great things God has done for them. Stephen's teachings, which challenged the people's reliance on the law and temple, were twisted into a charge of disrespecting God's established order through Moses.
Romans 10:3This verse describes how some in Paul's time were trying to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to God's righteousness in Christ. Stephen's emphasis on Jesus likely threatened those who were deeply entrenched in the Mosaic law, leading to accusations of blasphemy against the established religious authority.
barnesActs 6:11: "Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God."
Then they suborned men - To suborn in law means to procure a person to take such a false oath as constitutes perjury (Webster). It has substantially this sense here. It means that they induced them to declare what was false, or to bring a false accusation against him. This was done, not by declaring a palpable and open falsehood, but by "perverting" his doctrines, and by st…
calvinActs 6:11-15: "Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God."
- Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard this man speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. 12. And they moved the people, and the elders, and the scribes. And invading him, they took him and brought him into the council. 13. And they brought forth false witnesses) which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and t…
The accusers don't just claim Stephen said blasphemous things; they claim they heard him say them. This subtle shift highlights their tactic: they're twisting his actual teachings, not inventing lies out of thin air, making their false witness harder to dismiss at first glance. It reveals a calculated effort to distort truth by twisting Stephen's words into something they weren't intended to be.
Faced with Stephen's compelling wisdom and the growing number of believers, his opponents couldn't win a fair argument. Instead, they resorted to a desperate and dishonest tactic: hiring false witnesses to accuse Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God, a charge designed to provoke a furious reaction from the Jewish authorities. This accusation stems from Stephen's apparent teachings that the Mosaic Law and the Temple system were temporary and would ultimately be superseded by Christ.
Faced with Stephen's compelling wisdom and the growing number of believers, his opponents couldn't win a fair argument. Instead, they resorted to a desperate and dishonest tactic: hiring false witnesses to accuse Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God, a charge designed to provoke a furious reaction from the Jewish authorities. This accusation stems from Stephen's apparent teachings that the Mosaic Law and the Temple system were temporary and would ultimately be superseded by Christ.
"Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”" — The accusers don't just claim Stephen said blasphemous things; they claim they heard him say them. This subtle shift highlights their tactic: they're twisting his actual teachings, not inventing…
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Last reviewed October 2026