And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that God's promise to Abraham didn't bypass hardship, but explicitly included suffering. It's not just about a future inheritance, but also about a foretold period of oppression, showing that faith is often tested through trials that seem to contradict God's promises.
And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Stephen is recounting Abraham's story, emphasizing God's promises despite Abraham's childlessness and lack of land. This verse reveals God's foresight, foretelling that Abraham's descendants would endure hardship and slavery in a foreign land for a significant period before their eventual liberation. This sets the stage for God's judgment on their oppressors and their return to worship Him.
Did you know God's promises sometimes include hardship? Stephen reminds us that even a painful future was part of the divine plan.
Stephen is recounting God's promise to Abraham, found in Genesis 15. What's striking here is that God didn't just promise Abraham land and descendants; He also foretold a period of suffering: 'his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.'
This isn't a contradiction, but a testament to God's sovereignty. He sovereignly ordained this period of affliction for Abraham's descendants. It wasn't an oversight, but a planned stage in their journey. This period would test their faith, refine them, and prepare them for the fulfillment of His greater promises. Even in the midst of enslavement and mistreatment, God's hand was actively guiding them.
Is it 400 years or 430? Stephen uses a specific number, but Scripture seems to offer variations. What's going on?
You might notice a chronological puzzle here. The verse mentions 'four hundred years,' but other passages, like Exodus 12:40 and Galatians 3:17, speak of 430 years. How do we reconcile this?
Ancient texts, including Scripture, often used 'round numbers' rather than precise figures for historical periods. The 400 years Stephen cites, and which is found in Genesis 15, likely refers to the entire period of sojourning and affliction, starting from God's initial promise to Abraham until the Exodus. The 430 years might be a more precise calculation, possibly including the time from Abraham's initial migration to Canaan.
What's important is that for Stephen and his audience, the exact number wasn't the primary point. The core message was that God had foretold this significant period of hardship and eventual deliverance, demonstrating His faithfulness over time.
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Understand the original words
sperma · Greek Noun
A group of descendants or posterity; in a theological context, it refers to the seed or lineage through which God's promises are fulfilled.
paroikos · Greek Noun/Adjective
One who resides temporarily in a foreign land without the rights of full citizenship, often characterized by vulnerability and dependence on God's protection.
douloo · Greek Verb
To compel someone to labor against their will, often involving oppression and subjugation; biblically, it frequently describes Israel's state in Egypt.
kakoucheo · Greek Verb
To cause distress, suffering, or hardship; in the Old Testament, this term specifically refers to the mistreatment of the Israelites by the Egyptians.
Stephen highlights God's foreknowledge and faithfulness, reminding his audience that the enslavement in Egypt, though a period of great suffering, was not an oversight but a divinely ordained stage in His plan, foretold to Abraham centuries earlier.
c. 2000 BC
God's Covenant with Abraham
God establishes a foundational covenant with Abraham, promising him descendants and a land. This marks the beginning of the lineage Stephen is tracing.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham's Descendants Begin Sojourning
Abraham's family, including Isaac and Jacob, live as foreigners in Canaan, not yet possessing the land promised by God.
c. 1876 BC
Jacob and Family Move to Egypt
Jacob and his entire family migrate to Egypt, settling in the land of Goshen. This sets the stage for their later enslavement.
c. 1576 BC - 1476 BC— this verse
Israelites Enslaved in Egypt
Generations after settling in Egypt, the Israelites become a large population and are then enslaved and oppressed by a new Pharaoh who feared their numbers.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
Under Moses' leadership, the Israelites are dramatically delivered from Egyptian bondage after 400-430 years of sojourning and affliction.
This passage is the direct source for Stephen's quote, establishing the prophecy of Israel's sojourn, enslavement, and affliction in a foreign land.
Exodus 12:40This verse provides a more detailed chronological account, stating the Israelites' dwelling in Egypt lasted 430 years, which helps contextualize Stephen's use of the round number 'four hundred years'.
Galatians 3:17Paul echoes the timeframe from Abraham to the Law, using the 430-year figure, which highlights the different ways this prophecy's fulfillment was reckoned and understood.
Psalm 105:17-18This Psalm recounts the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and the subsequent affliction of his people, mirroring the events prophesied in Acts 7:6.
ellicottActs 7:6: "And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years."
(6) And that they should bring them into bondage . . . —Here again there is another apparent discrepancy of detail. Taking the common computation, the interval between the covenant with Abraham and that with Moses was 430 years ( Galatians 3:17 ), of which only 215 are reckoned as spent in Egypt. The Israelites were indee…
calvinActs 7:5-8: "And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child."
- And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not the breadth of a foot; and promised that he would give it to him to possess, and to his seed after him, when as he had no son. 6. And God spake after this manner, Thy seed shall sojourn in a strange land; and they shall bring it into bo…
The verse highlights that God's promise to Abraham didn't bypass hardship, but explicitly included suffering. It's not just about a future inheritance, but also about a foretold period of oppression, showing that faith is often tested through trials that seem to contradict God's promises.
Stephen is recounting Abraham's story, emphasizing God's promises despite Abraham's childlessness and lack of land. This verse reveals God's foresight, foretelling that Abraham's descendants would endure hardship and slavery in a foreign land for a significant period before their eventual liberation. This sets the stage for God's judgment on their oppressors and their return to worship Him.
Stephen is recounting Abraham's story, emphasizing God's promises despite Abraham's childlessness and lack of land. This verse reveals God's foresight, foretelling that Abraham's descendants would endure hardship and slavery in a foreign land for a significant period before their eventual liberation. This sets the stage for God's judgment on their oppressors and their return to worship Him.
"And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years." — The verse highlights that God's promise to Abraham didn't bypass hardship, but explicitly included suffering. It's not just about a future inheritance, but also about a foretold period of oppression,…
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Last reviewed October 2026