Acts 7 25

Acts 7:25 kjv

For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

Acts 7:25 nkjv

For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.

Acts 7:25 niv

Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

Acts 7:25 esv

He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.

Acts 7:25 nlt

Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn't.

Acts 7 verses

Acts 7 25 Meaning

The verse states that Moses "supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them deliverance by his hand." This highlights Moses' initial perception of his role and his countrymen's understanding of divine intervention. He believed his actions, driven by divine empowerment, would be recognized by the Israelites as a sign of God's intent to liberate them.

Acts 7 25 Context

This verse appears in the lengthy speech of Stephen, delivered during his trial before the Sanhedrin. Stephen recounts the history of Israel, focusing on God's dealings with His people and the recurring theme of their unresponsiveness and rejection of His appointed leaders and deliverers, particularly Moses. In the preceding verses, Stephen has detailed how Moses killed an Egyptian and then fled Egypt, believing his brothers would understand God was using him. This verse serves as a crucial point in highlighting Stephen's thesis: Israel's consistent failure to recognize God's providential hand and the individuals He appointed. This historical pattern, Stephen implies, extends to the present audience's rejection of Jesus.

Acts 7 25 Word analysis

• And (Greek: καί, kai) - A common conjunction connecting phrases or clauses.
• Moses (Greek: Μωϋσῆς, Mōysēs) - The great Israelite leader and lawgiver.
• supposed (Greek: ἐνενοεῖτο, enoneito) - Imperfect tense of noieō (νοέω). Meaning "to perceive," "to understand," "to think," or "to make up one's mind." The imperfect tense suggests a continuous or repeated action, or the state of his mind at that time. It implies he had a conviction or an expectation.
• that (Greek: ὅτι, hoti) - Introducing a subordinate clause explaining what Moses supposed.
• his (Greek: αὐτοῦ, autou) - Possessive pronoun referring to Moses.
• brothers (Greek: ἀδελφοί, adelphoi) - Refers to his fellow Israelites.
• would understand (Greek: συνή̣σειν, synẹ̄sein) - Infinitive of syniēmi (συνίημι), meaning "to understand," "to comprehend," or "to be intelligent." This conveys Moses' belief in their intellectual or spiritual capacity to grasp the situation.
• that (Greek: ὅτι, hoti) - Introducing the object of their understanding.
• God (Greek: ὁ Θεός, ho Theos) - The one true God.
• was giving (Greek: δώσειν, dōsein) - Future active infinitive of didōmi (δίδωμι), meaning "to give." Used here to express the intended or perceived future action of God in providing deliverance.
• them (Greek: αὐτοῖς, autois) - Refers to his brothers, the Israelites.
• deliverance (Greek: σωτηρίαν, sōtērian) - Salvation, deliverance, rescue.
• by (Greek: διὰ, dia) - Preposition often indicating the means or agency.
• his (Greek: χειρός, cheiros) - Genitive singular of cheir (χεῖρ), meaning "hand." Refers to Moses' hand, indicating his action as the means through which God was working.

Words-group analysis

• "supposed that his brothers would understand": This phrase reveals Moses' confidence in his kinsmen's discernment. He believed they possessed the capacity to recognize the divine mandate behind his actions, a supposition that proved largely unfounded at that stage of their history.
• "God was giving them deliverance by his hand": This clause emphasizes the perceived instrument of God's redemptive act. Moses saw himself as God's agent in providing salvation and liberation to the Israelites.

Acts 7 25 Bonus section

The phrase "supposed" (ἐνενόετο, enoneito) carries a nuanced meaning. It’s not just a casual thought but a deeper conviction or calculation that he made based on his understanding of God’s promises and his own divine commissioning. Moses’ initial impulse to act decisively stems from a belief that the opportune moment for deliverance had arrived and that his people, along with their oppressors, would understand this. His act of killing the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12) was intended as a demonstration of God's intervention, aiming to provoke an immediate awakening among the enslaved Israelites to their potential freedom. This shows a youthful zeal, perhaps coupled with an underestimation of the ingrained spiritual blindness and fear that had taken hold of the Israelite people due to generations of oppression. The subsequent rejection and flight to Midian, therefore, marked a critical turning point in Moses' own understanding of his mission and the immense challenge ahead in leading a resistant people.

Acts 7 25 Commentary

Stephen is using Moses' initial expectation as a rhetorical device. Moses acted boldly, believing his countrymen would comprehend that God was orchestrating their liberation through him. This reflects a natural expectation that those directly being saved would recognize the divine source and instrument of their deliverance. However, this expectation was met with resistance and misunderstanding, foreshadowing later rejections. This narrative point underscores Stephen's argument about the consistent pattern of disbelief and resistance to God's chosen servants and His divine will, as witnessed in Israel's history, a pattern he accuses his present audience of repeating.