Acts 7:42

But God turned, and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

World English Bible
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WEBBE

But God turned away and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

BSB

But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

KJV

Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

ASV

But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

BBE

But God was turned from them and let them give worship to the stars of heaven, as it says in the book of the prophets, Did you make offerings to me of sheep and oxen for forty years in the waste land, O house of Israel?

Original Greek

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ἔστρεψεν estrepsen Turned away G4762 δὲ de however G1161 ὁ ho (the) G3588 θεὸς theos God G2316 καὶ kai and G2532 παρέδωκεν paredōken delivered G3860 αὐτοὺς autous them G846 λατρεύειν latreuein to worship G3000 τῇ tēa the G3588 στρατιᾷ stratia host G4756 τοῦ tou (the) G3588 οὐρανοῦ ouranou of heaven G3772 καθὼς kathōs even as G2531 γέγραπται gegraptai it has been written G1125 ἐν en in [the] G1722 βίβλῳ biblō book G976 τῶν tōn of the G3588 προφητῶν prophētōn prophets G4396 μὴ mē Not G3361 σφάγια sphagia slain beasts G4968 καὶ kai and G2532 θυσίας thusias sacrifices G2378 προσηνέγκατέ prosēnegkate did you offer G4374 μοι moi to Me G3165 ἔτη etē years G2094 τεσσεράκοντα tesserakonta forty G5062 ἐν en in G1722 τῇ tēa the G3588 ἐρήμῳ erēmō wilderness G2048 οἶκος oikos O house G3624 Ἰσραήλ; Israēl of Israel G2474

The early church

"Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the Prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?" The expression, "gave them up," means, He suffered. Even when there was a Tabernacle, yet there were no sacrifices. "Did ye offer unto Me slain beasts and sacrifices?" There was "the tabernacle of witness," and yet it profited them nothing, but they were consumed. But neither before, nor afterwards, did the miracles profit them aught.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts
"As it is written in the Book of the Prophets"-and observe, he does not cite the text without a purpose, but shows by it that there is no need of sacrifices; saying: "Did ye offer slain beasts and sacrifice to Me?"-He lays an emphasis on this word (to Me?). "Ye cannot say that it was from sacrificing to Me, that ye proceeded to sacrifice to them:-"by the space of forty years:" and this too, "in the wilderness," where He had most signally shown Himself their Protector.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 42–50

Stephen upbraids the Jews with the idolatry of their fathers, to which God gave them up as a punishment for their early forsaking him. It was no dishonour, but an honour to God, that the tabernacle gave way to the temple; so it is now, that the earthly temple gives way to the spiritual one; and so it will be when, at last, the spiritual shall give way to the eternal one. The whole world is God's temple, in which he is every where present, and fills it with his glory; what occasion has he then for a temple to manifest himself in? And these things show his eternal power and Godhead. But as heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool, so none of our services can profit Him who made all things. Next to the human nature of Christ, the broken and spiritual heart is his most valued temple.

Read Matthew Henry on Acts 7 →

Parallel passages

1

The same words or events elsewhere, including Old Testament passages quoted in the New.

Amos 5:25

Cross-references

23

Topics

Quotations And AllusionsIdolatryStars

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