Acts 7:41 kjv
And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Acts 7:41 nkjv
And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Acts 7:41 niv
That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.
Acts 7:41 esv
And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.
Acts 7:41 nlt
So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.
Acts 7 41 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 32:4 | ...he took it from their hand, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. And they said, “These are your gods... | The original golden calf incident. |
| Exod 32:6 | ...they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings... The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. | Idolatrous worship with feasting and revelry. |
| Deut 9:16 | I saw that you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a molten calf. | Moses recounting the calf as great sin. |
| Neh 9:18 | ...even when they had made for themselves a molten calf and said, “This is your God...” and had committed great blasphemies. | Confession of their idolatry and blasphemy. |
| Psa 106:19-20 | They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ox that eats grass. | Israel's worship of calf as rejection of God's glory. |
| Hos 8:4 | They make kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I know it not. With their silver and gold they made idols... | Later Israelite idolatry, making their own gods. |
| 1 Ki 12:28 | So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough... | Jeroboam’s establishment of calf worship in Israel. |
| Isa 44:9-10 | All who fashion idols are nothing... who would fashion a god or cast an image that is profitable for nothing? | Folly and futility of idol worship. |
| Psa 115:4 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. | Emphasizes idols as human creations. |
| Psa 135:15 | The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. | Reiterates the origin of idols. |
| Rom 1:22-23 | Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man... | Humanity's propensity to exchange God for created things. |
| Acts 17:29 | Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. | God's transcendence beyond humanly made objects. |
| 1 Cor 10:7 | Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” | Paul warning against idolatry by referencing Exod 32. |
| Hab 2:18-19 | What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies?... | Condemnation of idols and their creators. |
| Isa 42:17 | They are turned back, utterly put to shame, who trust in carved images, who say to molten images, “You are our gods.” | Shame and disgrace for those who worship idols. |
| Deut 4:15-16 | ...take care yourselves, for you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you... lest you act corruptly by making a carved image... | Prohibition against making images of God. |
| Judg 17:4 | He had two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a molten image... | Example of an individual's household idolatry. |
| Jer 10:3 | For the customs of the peoples are vanity; a tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. | Critique of idol worship as worthless human effort. |
| Eze 20:8 | But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me... not a man threw away the detestable things of their eyes... | God's assessment of Israel's early rebellion. |
| 2 Ki 17:16 | And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves metal images of two calves... | The Northern Kingdom's deep descent into idolatry. |
| Zeph 1:5 | those who bow down on the roofs to the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, | Hybrid worship; trying to serve God and idols. |
| Gal 4:8 | Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. | Former idolatry contrasted with knowing the true God. |
Acts 7 verses
Acts 7 41 Meaning
Acts 7:41 describes a pivotal moment of profound apostasy in Israel's history shortly after their deliverance from Egypt. It details how the Israelites, impatient with Moses' absence, fashioned an idol in the form of a calf and offered sacrifices to it. Furthermore, they celebrated and found joy in this act of worshipping something made by their own hands, directly contrasting with their recent experience of God's manifest presence at Mount Sinai. This verse underscores Israel's deep-seated tendency toward idolatry and rejection of the true God.
Acts 7 41 Context
Acts chapter 7 contains Stephen's long and impassioned defense before the Sanhedrin, which ultimately leads to his martyrdom. He reviews the history of Israel from Abraham to the coming of Christ, consistently highlighting a pattern: God's faithfulness and revelation contrasted with Israel's persistent rebellion, idolatry, and rejection of His appointed messengers, including Moses, the prophets, and finally, Jesus Himself. Acts 7:41 specifically recounts the episode of the golden calf in the wilderness, which occurred almost immediately after God gave His Law at Sinai. Stephen uses this foundational event to illustrate that Israel's disobedience was not a deviation but a continuous thread throughout their history, ultimately culminating in their rejection of Jesus, just as their forefathers rejected God's previous provisions.
Acts 7 41 Word analysis
- καὶ (kai) – "And": A simple conjunction connecting this specific act of rebellion to Stephen's ongoing historical narrative, emphasizing a continuous pattern of unfaithfulness.
- ἐμοσχοποίησαν (emoschopoiēsan) – "they made a calf": From μοσχοποιέω (moschopoiéō), literally "to calf-make." This denotes the physical act of fabricating the idol. The directness highlights their agency and deliberate turning away from the unseen God to a tangible, man-made image. This act stands in direct violation of the first two commandments given by God.
- ἐν (en) – "in" / "during": Indicates the time frame, "in those days."
- ταῖς (tais) ἡμέραις (hēmerais) ἐκείναις (ekeinais) – "those days": Refers specifically to the time shortly after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law. The immediacy of their apostasy highlights the depth of their spiritual problem.
- καὶ (kai) – "and": Connects the making of the calf to the subsequent act of worship.
- ἀνήγαγον (anēgagon) – "offered up" / "brought up": From ἀνάγω (anágō), meaning to lead up, bring up, offer. This verb refers to the act of presenting a sacrifice on an altar. It indicates a formal religious ritual directed towards the newly made idol, mimicking the very sacrifices ordained for Yahweh.
- θυσίαν (thysian) – "sacrifice": This denotes a religious offering, traditionally made to the true God. Applying it to the calf demonstrates their intention to treat the idol as a deity worthy of their worship.
- τῷ (tō) εἰδώλῳ (eidōlō) – "to the idol": εἴδωλον (eídōlon) specifically means an idol, a pagan image, a false god. This term clearly identifies the calf not as a representation of the true God but as a counterfeit. It is a manufactured deity.
- καὶ (kai) – "and": Connects the sacrifice to their ensuing celebration.
- ηὐφραίνοντο (ēuphrainonto) – "they rejoiced" / "made merry": From εὐφραίνω (euphraínō), meaning to gladden, make merry, rejoice. This word emphasizes their enthusiastic and celebratory participation in this act of idolatry, demonstrating their genuine embrace of the false god. It was not coerced but came from a heart of self-gratification and worship of what they could control.
- ἐν (en) τοῖς (tois) ἔργοις (ergois) τῶν (tōn) χειρῶν (cheirōn) αὐτῶν (autōn) – "in the works of their hands": This critical phrase stresses the human origin of their object of worship. It's a profound theological statement highlighting the irony and perversity: they were worshiping something they themselves had created. This contrasts sharply with worshipping the Creator who made all things. It points to a deep spiritual bondage where humans seek to create and control their own deities, rather than humbly submitting to the one true, transcendent God. This phrase directly links their idolatry to human autonomy and rejection of divine authority.
Acts 7 41 Bonus section
The creation and worship of the golden calf in Acts 7:41 serve as a foundational example of humanity's fallen tendency to rely on what is tangible, controllable, and self-produced, rather than the invisible, sovereign, and self-revealing God. This incident occurred despite direct, supernatural revelation (thunder, lightning, Moses' face glowing) and miracles of deliverance, underscoring that spiritual blindness and a craving for human-centric religion can quickly overshadow even the clearest divine manifestations. The phrase "works of their hands" is not merely descriptive but polemical, indicting the emptiness and futility of any form of worship or spiritual endeavor that originates from human effort or design rather than divine grace and command. This ancient rebellion echoes throughout history, including against Jesus, who, though God incarnate, was not an "idol" or "work of human hands" but the direct, living revelation of the invisible God, yet He too was rejected by those seeking their own ways.
Acts 7 41 Commentary
Stephen's declaration in Acts 7:41 powerfully exposes the recurrent pattern of Israel's unfaithfulness. The swift turning to the golden calf after Sinai was not an isolated incident but symptomatic of a deeper spiritual rebellion against God's sovereign authority. By creating an idol, the people attempted to confine God to a tangible form they could manipulate and control, demonstrating a preference for human invention over divine revelation. The celebration of their idolatrous "works of their hands" further highlights their self-deception and misplaced devotion. This historical failure served as a severe warning against manufacturing spiritual realities, whether physical idols or self-conceived paths to God. For Stephen's audience, it implied a continued tradition of rejecting God's chosen vessels, extending to their own rejection of Jesus, who was God's ultimate manifestation, yet they continued to look for outward human approval. This historical reference serves as a reminder for all believers to guard against subtle forms of idolatry, whether of success, material possessions, or human philosophies, always seeking to worship the true God as He reveals Himself, not as we wish to create Him.