Stephen emphasizes that the Tabernacle wasn't just brought into the promised land, but was present while the Israelites were actively taking possession of it from the nations God drove out. This highlights the Tabernacle as a symbol of God's ongoing presence and favor throughout that challenging conquest, not just an artifact they received later.
Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Stephen continues his historical account, explaining that after Moses, Joshua and the next generation brought the Tabernacle into the Promised Land, displacing the Canaanite nations God drove out before them. This arrangement, with the Tabernacle as God's dwelling place among His people, lasted through the time of Joshua and into the reign of King David.
Stephen highlights a crucial transition: not everyone who left Egypt saw the Promised Land. This points to God's faithfulness across generations.
A New Generation's Task
Stephen emphasizes that it was the fathers that came after who brought the Tabernacle into the land. This isn't just a historical detail; it's about divine succession. The generation that left Egypt under Moses faced judgment and died in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22-24). It was their children, the generation led by Joshua (Jesus in Greek), who would inherit the promise and carry the Tabernacle into the Promised Land.
This speaks volumes about God's unwavering covenant. Even when one generation falters, God's plan continues through the next. The Tabernacle, as the dwelling place of God's presence, was passed on, symbolizing God's enduring faithfulness to His people.
The name 'Joshua' echoes a deeper meaning, pointing to God's saving power in bringing His people home.
The Name 'Jesus'
Stephen uses the Greek form of the name 'Joshua,' which is 'Jesus.' This is a significant connection. Joshua's primary role was to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, dispossessing the nations that God drove out. He was, in a very real sense, a savior of the people to that land.
By using this name, Stephen subtly (and perhaps boldly, given his audience) links the historical Joshua to Jesus Christ. Just as Joshua brought Israel into a physical inheritance, Jesus brings His followers into a spiritual inheritance, dispossessing the enemies of our souls and leading us into God's kingdom.
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The Tabernacle wasn't just in a place; it represented God's active presence during Israel's conquest.
In the Midst of the Conquest
Stephen describes the Tabernacle being brought 'into the possession of the Gentiles.' This doesn't just mean they arrived in the land. The original language and context suggest the Tabernacle was present during the ongoing process of taking possession – the dispossessing of the nations. It was in the midst of this divine conquest, with God driving out the inhabitants, that the Tabernacle stood.
This highlights that God's presence wasn't static; it was actively involved in His people's journey and in fulfilling His promises. The Tabernacle was a sign that God was with them, conquering with them, and establishing them in the land He had promised.
Understand the original words
exōthēsen · Greek Verb
The act of driving out or displacing inhabitants from a land. In the context of Israel, it is the act of claiming the Promised Land under God’s authorization as judgment upon the wicked nations.
charin · Greek Noun
Divine grace, graciousness, or acceptance granted by God to an individual. It implies God's benevolent choice to look upon a person with kindness.
Theō Iakōb · Hebrew/Greek Proper Noun Phrase
Refers to God in His role as the God of the covenant, specifically referencing the patriarch Jacob/Israel. It emphasizes God's personal connection to the history and promises made to the ancestors of Israel.
skēnōma · Greek Noun
A residence or home; in the OT/NT, often used to refer to the Temple or Tabernacle as the place where God's presence dwells among His people.
Stephen highlights the Tabernacle's journey with Joshua into the promised land, emphasizing its presence through generations until David's era, to argue against the idea that God is confined to Solomon's Temple.
c. 1400 BC— this verse
Israelites Enter Canaan Under Joshua
Following 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites, led by Joshua, cross the Jordan River and begin conquering the land promised to Abraham. This marks the fulfillment of God's promise to drive out the nations before them.
c. 1400-1000 BC
Tabernacle's Journey Through the Land
The Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary of God's presence, is set up in various locations in Canaan, including Shiloh, as the Israelites settle and continue their struggles with remaining inhabitants.
c. 1040 BC
Ark Captured; Tabernacle's Significance Shifts
The Ark of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines, a significant disruption. While the Tabernacle continues, its central role is diminished, and the people begin desiring a permanent dwelling for God.
c. 1004 BC
David Prepares to Build the Temple
King David desires to build a permanent Temple for God but is forbidden by God, who instead promises that David's son will build it.
c. 966 BC
Solomon Builds the First Temple
David's son, Solomon, builds the magnificent First Temple in Jerusalem, establishing a central place of worship and sacrifice for the nation.
This passage describes the Israelites, led by Joshua (whose name is the Greek equivalent of Jesus), crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land, mirroring the 'bringing in' of the Tabernacle into the possession of the nations God drove out.
2 Samuel 6:1-19This passage details King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant (symbolizing God's presence, much like the Tabernacle) to Jerusalem, marking a significant shift in the place of worship and an extension of the period mentioned in Acts 7:45.
1 Kings 8:1-11Solomon fulfilling David's desire, builds the Temple and brings the Ark into its place, showing the continuation and eventual centralization of Israel's worship from the Tabernacle era into a permanent structure.
Deuteronomy 12:1-14This chapter outlines God's instructions for Israel to worship Him in a central place after they possess the land, anticipating the eventual establishment of the Temple and highlighting the divine guidance behind the movement of the Tabernacle.
ellicottActs 7:45: "Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;"
(45) Brought in with Jesus. —This is, of course, as in Hebrews 4:8 , the “Joshua” of the Old Testament. It would, perhaps, have been better, as a general rule, to have reproduced the Hebrew rather than the Greek form of Old Testament names in the English version of the New. On the other hand, there is, in this i…
calvinActs 7:44-50: "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen."
- Our fathers had the testimony of witness in the wilderness, like as he had appointed, speaking to Moses, that he should make it according to the form which he had seen: 45. Which tabernacle our fathers which succeeded brought with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, which God drove out before the face…
Stephen emphasizes that the Tabernacle wasn't just brought into the promised land, but was present while the Israelites were actively taking possession of it from the nations God drove out. This highlights the Tabernacle as a symbol of God's ongoing presence and favor throughout that challenging conquest, not just an artifact they received later.
Stephen continues his historical account, explaining that after Moses, Joshua and the next generation brought the Tabernacle into the Promised Land, displacing the Canaanite nations God drove out before them. This arrangement, with the Tabernacle as God's dwelling place among His people, lasted through the time of Joshua and into the reign of King David.
Stephen continues his historical account, explaining that after Moses, Joshua and the next generation brought the Tabernacle into the Promised Land, displacing the Canaanite nations God drove out before them. This arrangement, with the Tabernacle as God's dwelling place among His people, lasted through the time of Joshua and into the reign of King David.
"Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God o…" — Stephen emphasizes that the Tabernacle wasn't just brought into the promised land, but was present while the Israelites were actively taking possession of it from the nations God drove out. This…
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Last reviewed October 2026
