Acts 7:57 kjv
Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
Acts 7:57 nkjv
Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
Acts 7:57 niv
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,
Acts 7:57 esv
But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
Acts 7:57 nlt
Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him
Acts 7 57 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 13:13 | But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. | General wickedness |
| Ex 22:31 | And you shall be to me men of holiness; you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs. | Defilement |
| Neh 4:4 | Hear, O our God, for we are despised. And turn their reproach upon their own heads... | Reproach |
| Ps 22:13 | They divide my garments among them, and for my cloak they cast lots. | Persecution |
| Ps 35:16 | With hosts of mockers at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me. | Opposition/Hatred |
| Ps 37:12 | The wicked plots against the righteous and grinds his teeth at him, | Malice |
| Ps 119:110 | The wicked have laid a snare for me, though I have not strayed from your precepts. | Plots |
| Prov 30:14 | There are those whose teeth are as swords, and whose jaw teeth as knives, to devour the afflicted from off the earth, and the needy from among men. | Cruelty/Devouring |
| Isa 37:23 | Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you opened your mouth wide and lifted your tongue high? Against the Holy One of Israel! | Blasphemy |
| Jer 6:14 | They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. | False Peace |
| Jer 8:21 | If I had rather the pain of pruning my people, than destroying them, I will prune them. | Suffering |
| Jer 10:25 | Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name! | Divine Wrath |
| Lam 2:16 | All your enemies open their mouths against you; they hiss, they wag their heads; they cry, “Aha! We have seen it!” “This is the day we prayed for; we have lived to see it!” | Mockery |
| Acts 5:33 | When they heard this, they were enraged, and wanted to put them to death. | Similar Rage |
| Acts 6:9 | But some of the Hellenists, representatives of the synagogues of the Libertines, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, with those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. | Disagreement/Opposition |
| Acts 7:1 | Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?” | Accusation |
| Acts 7:51 | “You stiff-necked people! Uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. | Resistance to the Spirit |
| Acts 7:52 | Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, for whom you have now betrayed and murdered, | Persecution of Prophets |
| Acts 7:53 | you who received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.” | Rejection of Law |
| Acts 7:54 | Now when they heard these things they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. | Extreme Anger |
| Acts 7:57 | But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. | Unified Rejection |
| Acts 7:58 | Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. | Stoning and Persecution |
| Gal 1:13-14 | For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so eager a zealot was I for the traditions of my fathers. | Personal Experience (Saul) |
| 1 Thess 2:15 | for you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, | Persecution by Countrymen |
| Rev 12:17 | Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. | Dragon's Fury |
Acts 7 verses
Acts 7 57 Meaning
The Jews listening to Stephen’s sermon grew uncontrollably angry, biting at him with their teeth in a violent frenzy, as if he were a wild beast. This is a vivid image of intense, irrational hatred and a rejection of Stephen’s testimony and the truth he spoke. They could no longer endure what he was saying.
Acts 7 57 Context
In Acts chapter 7, Stephen, a deacon filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, boldly preaches a sermon recounting Israel’s history, highlighting their recurring resistance to God and the Holy Spirit, particularly in rejecting the prophets and Jesus. He traces this disobedience from the time of Abraham to the present. His accusations become increasingly direct, culminating in his accusation that his listeners are "stiff-necked people! Uncircumcised in heart and ears!" They had violently resisted the Holy Spirit just as their ancestors had done. This incites an intense, violent rage within the religious authorities and the crowd, leading to the action described in verse 57.
Acts 7 57 Word Analysis
δὲ (de): A postpositive conjunctive particle, indicating transition or contrast. Here it signifies "But."
αὐτοὶ (autoi): Masculine nominative plural of αὐτός (autos), meaning "they," emphasizing the subjects acting.
ἐπέκοπτον (epekopton): Imperfect active indicative of ἐπικόπτω (epikopto), meaning "to cut off," "to interrupt," or "to gnaw upon." In this context, it's used idiomatically to describe the act of gnashing teeth in extreme anger or rage. The imperfect tense suggests a continuous or repeated action.
τoῖς ὀδοῦσιν (tois odousin): Dative plural of ὀδούς (odous), meaning "teeth." "With their teeth."
αὐτῶν (autōn): Genitive plural of αὐτός (autos), meaning "their." "Of them."
group: "αὐτοὶ ἐπέκοπτον τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν" - This phrase vividly portrays their unbridled fury and dehumanized response. The imagery of gnashing teeth is a common biblical metaphor for intense opposition and hatred (Ps 35:16, Ps 37:12). It suggests a primal, animalistic reaction rather than rational discourse, showing how far they had departed from a state of receptiveness to God's truth.
Acts 7 57 Bonus Section
The action of "gnashing their teeth" is not merely a descriptive phrase but an indicator of deep-seated, irrational hatred. This behavior is often associated with those who are filled with malice and opposition to God's people or God's word. Scholars note that this displays a loss of control, showing that reason has been abandoned for sheer, destructive emotion. This visceral reaction also echoes the severe judgments described in the Old Testament against the enemies of God, albeit directed here at a servant of God. The fury is so great that it moves from passive display to active, unified aggression as described in the subsequent verse, where they stop their ears and rush upon him.
Acts 7 57 Commentary
Stephen’s bold confrontation with the religious leaders in Jerusalem, detailing Israel’s persistent disobedience and rejection of divine messengers, provokes a violent and visceral reaction. Their intense anger is expressed not through reasoned argument but through a guttural, almost animalistic "gnashing of teeth." This physical manifestation of fury underscores their complete rejection of Stephen's message and the divine authority behind it. It marks a critical turning point, where debate devolves into outright hostility, precluding any further dialogue and leading directly to Stephen's martyrdom. The unruliness and hatred displayed are symptomatic of a spiritual hardness that blinds them to the truth, mirroring the historical patterns Stephen had just outlined.