Acts 7:5

He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child.

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child.

BSB

He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.

KJV

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.

ASV

and he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when [as yet] he had no child.

BBE

And God gave him no heritage in it, not even enough to put his foot on: but he gave him an undertaking that he would give it to him and to his children after him, though he had no child at that time.

Original Greek

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καὶ kai And G2532 οὐκ ouk not G3756 ἔδωκεν edōken He did give G1325 αὐτῷ autō to him G846 κληρονομίαν klēronomian an inheritance G2817 ἐν en in G1722 αὐτῇ autēa it G846 οὐδὲ oude not even [give] G3761 βῆμα bēma [the] length G968 ποδὸς podos of a foot G4228 καὶ kai but G2532 ἐπηγγείλατο epēngeilato He promised G1861 δοῦναι dounai to give G1325 αὐτῷ autō to him G846 εἰς eis for G1519 κατάσχεσιν kataschesin a possession G2697 αὐτὴν autēn it G846 καὶ kai and G2532 τῷ tō to the G3588 σπέρματι spermati descendants G4690 αὐτοῦ autou of him G846 μετ met᾽ after G3326 αὐτόν auton him G846 οὐκ ouk not G3756 ὄντος ontos there being G1510 αὐτῷ autō to him G846 τέκνου teknou a child G5043

The early church

"And He gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on." And He promised to give it to him." Do you perceive, that he does not merely resume the thread of his discourse? "He gave him not," says he; "and He promised; and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child." Again, what God can do: that out of impossibilities, He doeth all; For here is a man in Persia, so far away, and this man God saith He will make lord of Palestine.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts
"And He promised," it says, "to give it to him, and to his seed after him." Herein is shown the greatness both of God's goodness and of Abraham's faith. For the expression, "when as yet he had no child," does show his obedience and faith. "Promised to give it to him and to his seed." And yet the events showed the contrary: namely, after he came, he had not "so much as to set his foot on," had not a child; which very things were contrary to his faith.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–16

Stephen was charged as a blasphemer of God, and an apostate from the church; therefore he shows that he is a son of Abraham, and values himself on it. The slow steps by which the promise made to Abraham advanced toward performance, plainly show that it had a spiritual meaning, and that the land intended was the heavenly. God owned Joseph in his troubles, and was with him by the power of his Spirit, both on his own mind by giving him comfort, and on those he was concerned with, by giving him favour in their eyes. Stephen reminds the Jews of their mean beginning as a check to priding themselves in the glories of that nation. Likewise of the wickedness of the patriarchs of their tribes, in envying their brother Joseph; and the same spirit was still working in them toward Christ and his ministers. The faith of the patriarchs, in desiring to be buried in the land of Canaan, plainly showed they had regard to the heavenly country. It is well to recur to the first rise of usages, or sentiments, which have been perverted. Would we know the nature and effects of justifying faith, we should study the character of the father of the faithful. His calling shows the power and freeness of Divine grace, and the nature of conversion. Here also we see that outward forms and distinctions are as nothing, compared with separation from the world, and devotedness to God.

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Cross-references

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