UTN uW Translation Notes:

Acts 7 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

This chapter presents Stephen’s defense against the charges that false witnesses had made against him, as Luke describes in 6:13–14. Those witnesses had said, “This man does not stop speaking words against the holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” In response, Stephen shows that he respects the law, but he then shows how the Israelites have not kept the law. He next shows that he respects the temple, but he then explains that God does not live in temples made by people. Luke presents Stephen’s speech within the narrative setting of his trial by the Sanhedrin.- (v. 1) The high priest asks Stephen to answer the charges against him- (vv. 2–19) Stephen tells the story of the Israelites up to the time of Moses- (vv. 20–37) Stephen explains how Moses gave the law- (vv. 38–43) Stephen shows that the Israelites did not keep the law that Moses gave- (vv. 44–47) Stephen tells how the tabernacle and temple were built- (vv. 48–50) Stephen explains that God does not live in temples that people build- (vv. 51–54) Stephen makes his own charges against the Sanhedrin members- (vv. 55–60) The Sanhedrin members, enraged, execute Stephen by stoningSome translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 7:42–43 and 49–50.A note to 7:36–38 suggests making each of these verses a separate paragraph or using formatting in some other way to highlight the repeated phrases that Stephen uses to describe Moses.It appears that 8:1 is part of the narrative of this chapter.

Special Concepts in this Chapter

“Stephen said”

Stephen told the history of Israel very briefly. He paid special attention to the times that the Israelites had rejected the people God had chosen to lead them. At the end of the story, he said that the Jewish leaders he was talking to had rejected Jesus just as the evil Israelites had always rejected the leaders God had appointed for them.

“Full of the Holy Spirit”

The Holy Spirit completely controlled Stephen so that he said only and all of what God wanted him to say.

Foreshadowing

When an author speaks of something that is not important at that time but will be important later in the story, this is called foreshadowing. Luke mentions Saul in 7:58, even though he is not an important person in this part of the story. This is because Saul, also known as Paul, is an important person in the rest of the Book of Acts.

Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter

Implied information

Stephen was talking to Jews who knew the law of Moses well, so he did not explain things that his hearers already knew. But you may need to explain some of these things so that your readers will be able to understand what Stephen was saying. For example, you may need to make explicit that when Joseph’s brothers “sold him into Egypt” (Acts 7:9), Joseph was going to be a slave in Egypt. (See: figs-explicit)

Metonymy

Stephen spoke of Joseph ruling “over Egypt” and over all of Pharaoh’s household. By this he meant that Joseph ruled over the people of Egypt and of the people and possessions in Pharaoh’s household. (See: figs-metonymy)

Important Textual issues in this Chapter

“a dwelling for the house of Jacob” (7:46)

In 7:46, some ancient manuscripts read “a dwelling for the house of Jacob.” ULT follows that reading. Other ancient manuscripts read “a dwelling for the God of Jacob.” If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it has. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of ULT. (See: translate-textvariants)

Other Possible Translation Difficulties in this Chapter

Background knowledge

The Jewish leaders to whom Stephen spoke already knew much about the events he was describing. They knew what Moses had written in the book of Genesis. If the book of Genesis has not been translated into your language, it may be difficult for your readers to follow what Stephen said. It may be helpful to provide some background information, either in the text or in notes.

Reference of “our” and “you”

Throughout this chapter, Stephen uses the word “our” to refer to himself and to his listeners. When he means only them, he says “you,” and “you” is plural.