Acts 7:6

“And God spoke thus: that his offspring would be foreigners in a land belonging to others, and they would enslave them and mistreat them four hundred years.”

Acts 7:6 · direct translation from the Greek
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6

Quotation · Genesis 15:13-14

Go to Genesis 15:13-14

Stephen sums up in indirect speech the word of God to Abram. Where Genesis ends “they will come out with great possessions,” Stephen says “and they will worship me in this place.”

Formula: ἐλάλησεν δὲ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς “God spoke thus” (Acts 7:6)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ἐλάλησεν δὲ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ πάροικον ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτὸ καὶ κακώσουσιν ἔτη τετρακόσια καὶ τὸ ἔθνος ᾧ ἐὰν δουλεύσουσιν κρινῶ ἐγώ ὁ θεὸς εἶπεν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξελεύσονται καὶ λατρεύσουσίν μοι ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וְגַם אֶת הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל

Septuagint (Genesis 15:13-14 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐρρέθη πρὸς Ἀβράρ Γινώσκων γνώσῃ ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδία, καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτὸ καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτοὺς τετρακόσια ἤ. τὸ δὲ ἔθνος ᾧ ἐὰν δουλεύσωσιν κρινῶ μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐξελεύσονται ὧδε μετὰ ἀποσκευῆς πολλῆς.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 3 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

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

Acts 7:6, word by word

Godθεὸςtheos

God

The Creator and Lord of all, the one God of Israel.

Where else “theos” appears
spokeἐλάλησενelalēsen

speak

To use voice and words to communicate with others.

Where else “elalēsen” appears
offspringσπέρμαsperma

offspring

Someone's children and descendants.

Where else “sperma” appears
would beἔσταιestai

be

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “estai” appears
foreignersπάροικονparoikon

foreigner, alien

Foreigner, alien: one who lives in a land not his own.

Where else “paroikon” appears
a landγῇgēi

land

A country or a region.

Where else “gēi” appears
belonging to othersἀλλοτρίᾳallotriai

stranger

From another people or family.

Where else “allotriai” appears
they would enslaveδουλώσουσινdoulōsousin

enslave

Enslave, make a slave; in the passive, be enslaved, be bound.

Where else “doulōsousin” appears
mistreat themκακώσουσινkakōsousin

mistreat

To treat someone cruelly and cause them suffering.

Where else “kakōsousin” appears
four hundredτετρακόσιαtetrakosia

four hundred

Four hundred.

Where else “tetrakosia” appears
yearsἔτηetē

year

Year.

Where else “etē” appears

Translation note

Genesis 15:13-14.

Parallel passages

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

Quotation · Genesis 15:13-14

Stephen sums up in indirect speech the word of God to Abram. Where Genesis ends “they will come out with great possessions,” Stephen says “and they will worship me in this place.”

See them side by side

Acts 7:6

6And God spoke thus: that his offspring would be foreigners in a land belonging to others, and they would enslave them and mistreat them four hundred years.

Genesis 15:13-14

13Then he said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be resident aliens in a land that is not theirs, and they will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

The context

5And he did not give him an inheritance in it, not even a foothold; and he promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, when he had no child.

6 · This verse (above)

7‘And the nation to which they will be enslaved I will judge,’ God said, ‘and after these things they will come out and worship me in this place.’

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?

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