Acts 7:4 kjv
Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Acts 7:4 nkjv
Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.
Acts 7:4 niv
"So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.
Acts 7:4 esv
Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.
Acts 7:4 nlt
So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.
Acts 7 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 11:31 | Terah took Abram his son...from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan, and they came to Haran and dwelt there. | Terah's move to Haran. |
| Gen 11:32 | The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran. | Terah's death in Haran. |
| Gen 12:1-4 | Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country...to the land that I will show you”...Abram went, as the Lord had told him... | God's specific call after Terah's death. |
| Gen 15:7 | And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit.” | God's action in leading Abram. |
| Josh 24:2-3 | Your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates...And I took your father Abraham from beyond the River. | Confirmation of Ur as origin and divine call. |
| Neh 9:7-8 | You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans... | God's sovereign choice and leading. |
| Isa 51:2 | Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who gave you birth; for he was but one when I called him... | God's work began with a single person. |
| Heb 11:8 | By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place...he went out, not knowing where he was going. | Abraham's obedience and faith journey. |
| Heb 11:9-10 | By faith he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land...he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. | Abraham's pilgrim nature and ultimate hope. |
| Deut 26:5 | “A wandering Aramean was my father...” | Describes Abraham as a wanderer. |
| Acts 7:2-3 | The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran... | God's initial appearance to Abraham. |
| Gen 12:5 | Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son...and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. | Actual journey to Canaan described. |
| Ps 105:8-10 | He remembers his covenant forever...which he made with Abraham...for a perpetual covenant. | God's enduring covenant with Abraham. |
| Luke 1:72-73 | To show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham. | God's covenant with Abraham foundational. |
| Gal 3:6-9 | Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”...those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham. | Justification by faith, patterned after Abraham. |
| Rom 4:1-3 | What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, found?...Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. | Abraham's faith prior to the Law. |
| Rom 4:16-17 | That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace...The father of us all...who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist. | Abraham as father of all believers (Gentile and Jew) by grace. |
| John 8:56 | Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day... | Jesus connecting with Abraham's vision. |
| Matt 3:9 | Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. | Ancestry alone is insufficient. |
| Acts 13:17-18 | The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people prosperous during their stay in the land of Egypt... | Paul's historical summary also begins with patriarchs. |
| Gal 3:29 | And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. | Believers as spiritual descendants of Abraham. |
| Heb 6:13-14 | When God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself... | God's unwavering oath to Abraham. |
| Rev 21:12 | It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. | Ultimate fulfillment rooted in Abraham's descendants. |
Acts 7 verses
Acts 7 4 Meaning
Acts 7:4 explains the two stages of Abraham's journey from his homeland as recounted by Stephen. It states that Abraham first left Ur of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. The verse then highlights that after his father Terah died, God Himself sovereignly moved Abraham from Haran to the land of Canaan, where Stephen's audience was then living. This emphasizes God's active role in guiding Abraham and establishing the foundational promise for the nation of Israel in the land.
Acts 7 4 Context
Acts chapter 7 contains Stephen's impassioned defense before the Sanhedrin, which eventually leads to his martyrdom. Stephen, accused of speaking against the Temple and the Law, uses his defense as an opportunity to review the history of Israel, emphasizing God's dealings with His people from Abraham onward. His speech argues that God has always been at work through individuals and in various locations, not limited to the Temple or specific geographical boundaries. Verse 4 fits into this historical summary by establishing the beginnings of the nation through Abraham's two major migratory movements, underscoring God's leading, His faithfulness, and the people's frequent resistance to Him, even from their earliest patriarch. Historically, Ur of the Chaldeans was a prominent city-state in southern Mesopotamia, a center of polytheism. Haran was a major trading hub further north, where Terah, Abraham's father, stopped his journey. Stephen highlights Abraham's leaving these foreign, idolatrous lands under divine command, to connect God's ongoing call for separation and unique worship with his present challenge to the religious leaders.
Acts 7 4 Word analysis
- Then: (τότε - tote) Indicates a temporal succession, linking Abraham's journey to God's appearance mentioned in the previous verses (Acts 7:2-3). It marks the direct consequence of God's call.
- he came out: (ἐξῆλθεν - exēlthen) Literally "he went out." This emphasizes Abraham's decisive departure from his past and homeland, an act of obedience.
- of the land: (ἐκ γῆς - ek gēs) From a specific geographical region. Stephen meticulously delineates the precise stages of Abraham's journey.
- of the Chaldeans: (Χαλδαίων - Chaldeōn) Refers to Ur, a city in Mesopotamia (Gen 11:31). This land was known for its sophisticated but polytheistic and idolatrous culture. God's call to Abraham was a call out of such paganism into exclusive devotion to Him.
- and settled: (κατῴκησεν - katōkēsen) From 'katoikeō', meaning "to settle down," "to dwell." It implies more than a transient stop, indicating a period of residence, which Genesis 11:31-32 confirms, as Terah died there.
- in Haran: (ἐν Χαρράν - en Charran) A significant waypoint in Abraham's journey, situated further north in Mesopotamia, a different cultural environment than Ur but still outside Canaan. It serves as an intermediate stopping point where familial ties initially delayed the full obedience.
- And from there: (κἀκεῖθεν - kakeithen) Signifies the next stage of the journey, emphasizing a transition point, directly connected to the previous location.
- when his father died: (ἀποθανόντος τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ - apothanontos tou patros autou) This precise detail is crucial. It aligns with Genesis 11:32 and 12:1. Stephen emphasizes that Abraham's full and complete obedience to God's call (leaving for Canaan) occurred after his father Terah's death, highlighting a divine timing and potentially God's way of releasing Abraham from primary family obligations that might have impeded immediate departure from Haran. It subtly suggests divine command taking precedence over human and familial considerations.
- God removed him: (μετώκισεν αὐτόν - metōkisen auton) A strong assertion of divine agency. 'Metōkisen' (from μεταοικίζω - metaikizō) means "to change one's dwelling," or "to transfer/remove" forcefully or decisively. Stephen emphasizes that this second, final leg of the journey was not merely Abraham's decision but God's sovereign initiative and relocation of him. This underscores God's active involvement in establishing Israel and also contrasts with the common notion that the Sanhedrin possessed divine authority without divine guidance in their present time.
- to this land: (εἰς τὴν γῆν ταύτην - eis tēn gēn tautēn) Refers specifically to the land of Canaan (later Israel/Judea).
- in which you now live: (εἰς ἣν νῦν ὑμεῖς κατοικεῖτε - eis hēn nyn hymeis katoikeite) Stephen directly connects Abraham's ancient calling and God's promise to the immediate geographical reality of his Sanhedrin audience. This not only grounds the narrative in their shared history but also serves as a subtle challenge: God established this land and brought their patriarchs here, yet their current spiritual state might be in defiance of the very God who founded them.
Acts 7 4 Bonus section
The detailed chronology and geography in Stephen's speech (including the distinction between Ur and Haran as stages) serve to establish the meticulous nature of God's providence, tracing His dealings with His people across time and space. Stephen's account emphasizes God's sovereign initiation of His plan (e.g., "God removed him"), underscoring that His covenant and purpose do not depend on human will alone. This challenges the Sanhedrin, whose actions imply their control over God's worship and covenant, instead of humbly submitting to God's continued unfolding of His plan through Christ, even when it appears to subvert existing religious structures.
Acts 7 4 Commentary
Stephen's articulation of Acts 7:4 provides a profound insight into God's sovereign leading and Abraham's pivotal role in redemptive history. It serves multiple purposes within Stephen's defense: firstly, establishing Abraham as the initial recipient of God's covenant outside of a physical temple, foreshadowing that God is not confined to human-made structures. The detailed progression from Ur, a center of idolatry, to Haran, then finally to Canaan, underlines the divine separation and election of a people for Himself. The emphasis on Terah's death as the point of departure for Canaan is critical, implying that any familial delay or resistance was overcome by God's clear, timely command, stressing that God's plan is paramount. By stating "God removed him," Stephen highlights divine initiative and authority, challenging any human institution that might believe it holds ultimate control. Stephen effectively re-frames Abraham not merely as an ancestral figure, but as an obedient pioneer who responded to a God who calls people to a journey of faith, independent of physical location or established religious traditions, thus setting a precedent for God's redemptive work across various eras.