Acts 7:53
you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Acts 7:53
you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
{ "references": [ { "reference": "Galatians 3:19", "connection": "This passage directly echoes Stephen's statement about the law being given through angels, reinforcing the divine authority and intermediary role involved in its delivery." }, { "reference": "Hebrews 2:2", "connection": "This verse speaks of the word spoken through angels being steadfast, highlighting the seriousness and immutability of the law Stephen is referencing." }, { "reference": "Romans 2:25-29", "connection": "Paul's discussion on circumcision of the flesh versus circumcision of the heart parallels Stephen's accusation that the people outwardly received the law but inwardly failed to keep its spirit." }, { "reference": "Deuteronomy 33:2", "connection": "This Old Testament passage is a foundational reference for the Jewish belief that angels attended God at Sinai when the law was given, providing the backdrop for Stephen's charge." }, { "reference": "John 7:19", "connection": "Jesus himself confronted the religious leaders with their failure to keep the law, which resonates with Stephen's accusation that they received the law but did not obey it." } ] }
Stephen is in the midst of a powerful speech, recounting Israel's history to his accusers. He has shown how they consistently rejected God's messengers and now, in their anger, they are accusing him of blasphemy. He directly confronts them, declaring they are stubborn rebels like their ancestors who always resisted the Holy Spirit and persecuted the prophets. Stephen’s accusation here highlights that they received the Law with great divine pomp, mediated by angels, yet they failed to obey it, thus revealing their deep hypocrisy and rebellion.
Stephen reminds his accusers that the Law wasn't just a set of rules. It was delivered with incredible divine glory.
Stephen charges the Jewish leaders with failing to keep the Law they received. But he doesn't just mention the Law; he highlights how it was given.
A Glorious Revelation
The text says they received the law "by the disposition of angels." This points to a profound truth: when God gave the Law at Mount Sinai, it wasn't a quiet, private affair. It was accompanied by angelic hosts, a spectacular display of divine power and presence. Think of it like a king announcing a new decree with his entire royal guard present – it signifies immense authority and importance.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Acts 7:53 is available in the Sola app.
More Than Rules
This grand presentation wasn't just for show. It was meant to underscore the Law's divine origin and the absolute seriousness with which it should be regarded. The involvement of angels, according to Jewish tradition and mentioned by Paul in Galatians, emphasized that this was God's direct word, mediated through heavenly beings. It was a covenant sealed in awe and majesty.
It's one thing to break a rule; it's another to break a covenant delivered with angelic attendance.
Stephen's accusation isn't just about disobedience; it's about a fundamental betrayal.
Receiving and Not Keeping
The core of Stephen's charge is the stark contrast: "you received... and have not kept it." This wasn't merely a failure to follow instructions. The Law, given with such divine pomp and angelic escort, represented a covenant between God and His people. To receive it was to enter into an agreement, a sacred trust.
The Weight of Disregard
By failing to keep the Law, especially after its glorious reception, the people weren't just being naughty. They were violating a solemn covenant. This elevated their sin from simple error to a profound act of unfaithfulness. Stephen is saying their actions demonstrated a deep-seated resistance not just to the Law itself, but to the God who gave it and the heavenly messengers who attended its delivery.
Understand the original words
nomos · Greek Noun
The divine instructions given to Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai. It served as a tutor to lead humanity to the realization of their need for a Savior, though it could not grant the power to obey perfectly.
Stephen's accusation highlights the profound tragedy of the Jewish people receiving a Law divinely delivered with angelic grandeur, only to repeatedly fail in its observance and ultimately reject the very Messiah it pointed towards.
c. 1446 BC
Giving of the Law at Sinai
God gives the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Law to Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai, a foundational event in Jewish history and identity. This event is understood by tradition to have involved angelic attendance and ministration.
c. 1000 BC - 500 BC
Prophetic Era
Throughout centuries, prophets are sent by God to call Israel back to covenant faithfulness, often facing persecution and death for their message.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy Solomon's Temple, and exile much of the population, a catastrophic event seen as a consequence of Israel's disobedience.
c. 538 BC - 167 BC
Post-Exilic Period
Jews return from exile and rebuild the Temple, but continue to struggle with faithfulness to the Law, leading to periods of religious revival and decline.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Ministry and Crucifixion
Jesus, whom Stephen identifies as the Righteous One the prophets foretold, begins his ministry and is ultimately crucified by Jewish authorities and Roman forces.
c. 33 AD— this verse
Stephen's Stoning
Stephen, a deacon in the early church, preaches a powerful sermon recounting Israel's history of disobedience and accuses his listeners of rejecting God's Law and killing the Messiah, leading to his martyrdom.
This passage describes the Israelites' fear and their request for Moses to be their mediator when God spoke the law directly to them, highlighting their need for intermediaries, much like Stephen's point about angels.
Galatians 3:19Paul echoes Stephen's point, stating the law was 'ordained by angels through an intermediary,' reinforcing the idea that the law was given with divine authority and angelic presence.
Hebrews 2:2This verse supports the notion that the 'message spoken through angels' proved to be reliable, underscoring the significance and divine backing of the law given at Sinai.
Jeremiah 7:21-26Jeremiah rebuked Israel for not listening to God's commands, even while performing outward religious duties, paralleling Stephen's accusation that they received the law but did not keep it.
Romans 2:13Paul states that it is not hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but doers, a concept that directly relates to Stephen's condemnation of those who received the law but failed to obey its commands.
calvinActs 7:51-53: "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."
- You stiff-necked, and of an uncircumcised heart and ears, ye have always resisted the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye. 52. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain those which foretold of the coming of the Just; of whom you are now made the betrayers and murderers: 53. Who have received the law in the dispositions…
vincentActs 7:53: "Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it."
Who (οἵτινες)Stronger than the simple relative who, and emphasizing their sin by contrast with their privileges: inasmuch as ye were those who received, etc.By the disposition of angels (εἰς διαταγὰς ἀγγέλων)Lit., unto ordinances of angels. Εἰς means with reference to. Disposition (διαταγή) is used by A. V. in the sense of arrangement, as we say a general disposed his trooPsalms The word occurs on…
{ "references": [ { "reference": "Galatians 3:19", "connection": "This passage directly echoes Stephen's statement about the law being given through angels, reinforcing the divine authority and intermediary role involved in its delivery." }, { "reference": "Hebrews 2:2", "connection": "This verse speaks of the word spoken through angels being steadfast, highlighting the seriousness and immutability of the law Stephen is referencing." }, { "reference": "Romans 2:25-29", "connection": "Paul's discussion on circumcision of the flesh versus circumcision of the heart parallels Stephen's accusation that the people outwardly received the law but inwardly failed to keep its spirit." }, { "reference": "Deuteronomy 33:2", "connection": "This Old Testament passage is a foundational reference for the Jewish belief that angels attended God at Sinai when the law was given, providing the backdrop for Stephen's charge." }, { "reference": "John 7:19", "connection": "Jesus himself confronted the religious leaders with their failure to keep the law, which resonates with Stephen's accusation that they received the law but did not obey it." } ] }
Stephen is in the midst of a powerful speech, recounting Israel's history to his accusers. He has shown how they consistently rejected God's messengers and now, in their anger, they are accusing him of blasphemy. He directly confronts them, declaring they are stubborn rebels like their ancestors who always resisted the Holy Spirit and persecuted the prophets. Stephen’s accusation here highlights that they received the Law with great divine pomp, mediated by angels, yet they failed to obey it, thus revealing their deep hypocrisy and rebellion.
Stephen is in the midst of a powerful speech, recounting Israel's history to his accusers. He has shown how they consistently rejected God's messengers and now, in their anger, they are accusing him of blasphemy. He directly confronts them, declaring they are stubborn rebels like their ancestors who always resisted the Holy Spirit and persecuted the prophets. Stephen’s accusation here highlights that they received the Law with great divine pomp, mediated by angels, yet they failed to obey it, thus revealing their deep hypocrisy and rebellion.
"you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”" — { "references": [ { "reference": "Galatians 3:19", "connection": "This passage directly echoes Stephen's statement about the law being given through angels, reinforcing the divine a…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.