Acts 6:13

and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.

BSB

where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.

KJV

And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

ASV

and set up false witnesses, who said, This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and the law:

BBE

And they got false witnesses who said, This man is for ever saying things against this holy place and against the law:

Original Greek

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ἔστησάν estēsan They set G2476 τε te also G5037 μάρτυρας marturas witnesses G3144 ψευδεῖς pseudeis false G5571 λέγοντας legontas saying G3004 ὁ ho (the) G3588 ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos man G444 οὗτος houtos This G3778 οὐ ou not G3756 παύεται pauetai does stop G3973 λαλῶν lalōn speaking G2980 ῥήματα rhēmata declarations G4487 βλάσφημα blasphēma blasphemous G989 κατὰ kata against G2596 τοῦ tou the G3588 τόπου topou place G5117 τοῦ tou (the) G3588 ἁγίου hagiou holy G40 τούτου toutou this G3778 καὶ kai and G2532 τοῦ tou the G3588 νόμου nomou law G3551

The early church

They say not, "he speaketh," but, "he ceaseth not to speak. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, and set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law." "Ceaseth not," say they, as if he made this his business. "For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us." "Jesus," they say, "the Nazarene," as a term of reproach, "shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs." This is also what they said about Christ. "Thou that destroyest this Temple." For great was their veneration for the Temple (as indeed they had chosen to leave their own country in order to be near it) and for the name of Moses. The charge is twofold. If He "shall change the customs," He will also introduce others instead: observe how the charge is a bitter one, and fraught with perils.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts
"We have heard him," they say, "speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God": and again, "This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law," and with an addition, "the customs which Moses delivered to us"; Moses, not God. Upon the supposition of a design to overturn their manner of life, they accused him of impiety also.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 8–15

When they could not answer Stephen's arguments as a disputant, they prosecuted him as a criminal, and brought false witnesses against him. And it is next to a miracle of providence, that no greater number of religious persons have been murdered in the world, by the way of perjury and pretence of law, when so many thousands hate them, who make no conscience of false oaths. Wisdom and holiness make a man's face to shine, yet will not secure men from being treated badly. What shall we say of man, a rational being, yet attempting to uphold a religious system by false witness and murder! And this has been done in numberless instances. But the blame rests not so much upon the understanding, as upon the heart of a fallen creature, which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Yet the servant of the Lord, possessing a clear conscience, cheerful hope, and Divine consolations, may smile in the midst of danger and death.

Read Matthew Henry on Acts 6 →

Cross-references

9

Topics

ChurchBlasphemyAccusation, FalseFalse TeachersWitnessIndictmentsPerjury

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.