Acts 7:49

“‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?”

Acts 7:49 · direct translation from the Greek
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49

Quotation · Isaiah 66:1-2

Go to Isaiah 66:1-2

Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1-2. He ends with a question (“Did not my hand make all these things?”) where the Hebrew makes a statement.

Formula: καθὼς ὁ προφήτης λέγει “as the prophet says” (Acts 7:48)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου ποῖον οἶκον οἰκοδομήσετέ μοι λέγει κύριος ἢ τίς τόπος τῆς καταπαύσεώς μου οὐχὶ ἡ χείρ μου ἐποίησεν ταῦτα πάντα

Hebrew (Masoretic text): כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי אֵי זֶה בַיִת אֲשֶׁר תִּבְנוּ לִי וְאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם מְנוּחָתִי וְאֶת כָּל אֵלֶּה יָדִי עָשָׂתָה וַיִּהְיוּ כָל אֵלֶּה נְאֻם יְהוָה וְאֶל זֶה אַבִּיט אֶל עָנִי וּנְכֵה רוּחַ וְחָרֵד עַל דְּבָרִי

Septuagint (Isaiah 66:1-2 in the Septuagint numbering): Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος, ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου· ποῖον οἶκον οἰκοδομήσετέ μοι; ἢ ποῖος τόπος τῆς καταπαύσεώς μου; πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ἐποίησεν ἡ χείρ μου, καί ἐστιν ἐμὰ πάντα ταῦτα, λέγει Κύριος· καὶ ἐπὶ τίνα ἐπιβλέψω ἀλλ’ ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν ταπεινὸν καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ τρέμοντα τοὺς λόγους μου;

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 15 consecutive words: “Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου ποῖον οἶκον οἰκοδομήσετέ μοι.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Acts 7:49, word by word

‘Heavenοὐρανόςouranos

heaven

God's dwelling, above all that is created.

Where else “ouranos” appears
throneθρόνοςthronos

throne

Throne: the seat of a king or a judge; hence royal power.

Where else “thronos” appears
the earthγῆgē

earth

The whole earth under heaven, where human beings live.

Where else “gē” appears
is a footstoolὑποπόδιονhypopodion

footstool

Footstool, where one rests the feet.

Where else “hypopodion” appears
feetποδῶνpodōn

foot

Foot.

Where else “podōn” appears
What kind ofποῖονpoion

what kind of?

Which? what kind of?

Where else “poion” appears
houseοἶκονoikon

house

The place where one lives; also the temple, God's dwelling.

Where else “oikon” appears
will you buildοἰκοδομήσετέoikodomēsete

build

To raise a house, a tower or another structure, stone upon stone.

Where else “oikodomēsete” appears
saysλέγειlegei

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “legei” appears
the Lordκύριοςkyrios

Lord

The Lord: God, whose name is YHWH; also Jesus.

Where else “kyrios” appears
is the placeτόποςtopos

place

A specific spot where something is or happens.

Where else “topos” appears
restκαταπαύσεώςkatapauseōs

rest, resting place

Rest, resting place.

Where else “katapauseōs” appears

Translation note

Isaiah 66:1-2.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Isaiah 66:1-2

Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1-2. He ends with a question (“Did not my hand make all these things?”) where the Hebrew makes a statement.

See them side by side

Acts 7:49

49‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

Isaiah 66:1-2

1Thus says YHWH: “The heavens are my throne, and the earth the footstool of my feet. Where is this house that you would build for me, and where is this place of my rest?

The context

48Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49 · This verse (above)

50Did not my hand make all these things?’

Read all of Acts 7

To study Acts 7 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    At the end of his speech, what does Stephen see, and what does he pray while they stone him? (vv. 55-60)

  2. 2. What it means

    Stephen recounts Israel's story from Abraham. What point does he seem to be making with that survey? (vv. 2-53)

  3. 3. How I live it

    Stephen asked that this sin not be held against those who harmed him (v. 60). How do you respond when someone wrongs you?

How to use it