Acts 7 57

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 verses

Acts 7 57 meaning

Acts 7:57 describes the Sanhedrin's enraged and violent reaction to Stephen's Spirit-filled accusation and vision of Jesus. Overcome with fury at what they perceived as blasphemy, they deliberately ceased listening, actively blocking out his words, and unified in a sudden, aggressive charge against him, signaling their intent to silence and condemn him through mob violence.

Acts 7 57 Context

Acts 7:57 stands at the precipice of Stephen's martyrdom. He had delivered a powerful, Spirit-led sermon to the Sanhedrin, tracing Israel's history of rebellion and rejection of God's messengers, culminating in their ultimate rejection of Jesus, the Righteous One. This extensive historical review served as an indictment against his hearers, concluding in Acts 7:51-53 with a direct accusation: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit!" He then accused them of murdering the prophets and ultimately Jesus. Just before verse 57, Stephen, "full of the Holy Spirit," gazed into heaven and declared, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" This vision confirmed Jesus' divine authority and resurrected glory. For the Sanhedrin, this declaration was the ultimate blasphemy, for they had condemned Jesus as a imposter claiming to be God. Their reaction in verse 57 is an immediate, furious response to this perceived affront against God, tradition, and their authority, signaling a complete abandonment of judicial process in favor of an impassioned mob execution, echoing the Jewish Law's directive for those accused of blasphemy (Lev 24:16).

Acts 7 57 Word analysis

• Then (Τότε - Tote): Signifies a immediate temporal sequence, indicating their reaction was sudden and directly prompted by Stephen's preceding declaration of seeing Jesus. It shows a climax in the narrative, a sudden shift from Stephen's speaking to their furious response.
• they cried out (ἀνεκραξαν - anekraxan): Derived from anakrazō, meaning to utter a sudden, loud, often agitated cry or scream, indicative of extreme emotion—terror, anger, or distress. It is a primal, uncontrolled sound, a visceral outcry, signaling a complete loss of composure and rational thought in the face of perceived blasphemy. This is not merely a statement, but a raw, unbridled outburst.
• with a loud voice (κραυγῇ μεγάλῃ - kaugē megalē): Kraugē denotes a clamor, a shouting, or an uproar, often associated with lamentation or intense emotion. Megale emphasizes the magnitude—a "great" or "mighty" shout. Together, this phrase intensifies the preceding verb, describing a cacophony of enraged voices, not a unified chant but an explosion of collective fury.
• and stopped (συνέκλεισαν - synekleisan): From synkleiō, meaning to shut up, enclose, or, as here, to stop or close something completely and deliberately. The prefix syn- ("together") can imply a collective, unified action, and in this context, suggests a violent and complete cessation of hearing, often done in repulsion or abhorrence.
• their ears (τὰ ὦτα - ta ōta): Refers to their auditory organs. The physical act of stopping their ears was a symbolic and practical act: a refusal to hear what they deemed blasphemous words, preventing any further "contamination" or "scandal," and demonstrating their complete and utter rejection of Stephen's message and even his existence.
• and rushed (ὥρμησαν - hormēsan): From hormaō, meaning to move with a strong impulse, to rush, surge, or charge. It denotes aggressive, violent forward motion, often implying uncontrolled force and eagerness to act decisively. This verb signifies their rapid, unthinking movement to seize Stephen.
• with one accord (ὁμοθυμαδὸν - homothymadon): A crucial adverb meaning "with one mind," "unanimously," "with one passion." In Acts, this word frequently describes the positive unity of the early Christian community (e.g., Acts 1:14; 2:46; 4:24). Here, it is used ironically and tragically to describe the unanimous, unified passion of murderous rage against Stephen, a perverse unity for evil. It highlights the mob's cohesion in their hostile intent.
• upon him (ἐπ’ αὐτόν - ep' auton): The preposition epi with the accusative "him" (Stephen) denotes direction, specifically moving against or towards him with hostile intent. It indicates a direct and aggressive targeting.

Words-group analysis

• Then they cried out with a loud voice: This phrase captures the immediate, overwhelming, and non-rational response. It signifies the point where judicial decorum dissolved into primitive, emotional outrage. The Sanhedrin, meant to be a reasoned court, descended into a clamoring mob.
• and stopped their ears: This symbolic act reveals the complete rejection of truth and the unwillingness to engage further with Stephen's message. It implies not just a physical action, but a spiritual deafness, a willful ignorance against divine revelation. They actively chose not to hear what might challenge their entrenched beliefs or indict their actions. This refusal is linked to the "uncircumcised in heart and ears" accusation in Acts 7:51.
• and rushed with one accord upon him: This denotes unified, immediate, and aggressive physical action. The "one accord" (ὁμοθυμαδὸν), typically a positive descriptor for Christian unity, becomes here a chilling term for the unified malice of those determined to silence the truth-teller. It indicates a complete breakdown of legal process and the swift transition to an execution by a self-appointed mob.

Acts 7 57 Bonus section

The Sanhedrin's violent reaction in Acts 7:57, preceding the stoning of Stephen, likely highlights their exceeding zeal, perhaps without strict Roman sanction for capital punishment. While the Sanhedrin had religious authority to declare someone worthy of death, the Roman occupation generally reserved the right of execution for themselves (Jn 18:31). Stephen's stoning appears to be a furious, extralegal act of a mob, which the Romans may have overlooked or tolerated due to its internal Jewish nature and the desire to maintain stability. The unanimity (ὁμοθυμαδὸν) of their rage, a word often associated with the early church's unity in good deeds, here serves as a powerful ironic contrast, demonstrating how zeal can be tragically perverted for destructive ends when not guided by God's Spirit. The ferocity also prefigures the persecution the early church would face, establishing a pattern of severe opposition to the gospel message.

Acts 7 57 Commentary

Acts 7:57 vividly portrays the extreme wrath of the Jewish leadership, marking a dramatic turning point. Stephen's powerful testimony, culminating in his vision of the glorified Jesus, was deemed the ultimate blasphemy (Lev 24:16). Their response wasn't a judicial decision but a visceral, uncontrolled explosion of rage. The "loud voice" signals intense emotional distress and fury. Crucially, "stopping their ears" was a deliberate, almost ritualistic act of shutting out perceived profanity or words they could not tolerate, symbolizing a complete refusal to consider Stephen's message or the truth of Jesus. This act cemented their "uncircumcised heart and ears" (Acts 7:51). The unanimous rush "upon him" dissolved any semblance of legal procedure, transforming the court into a unified lynch mob. This perverse "one accord" illustrates the deep-seated hatred for Jesus and His followers, signifying the inevitable martyrdom of Stephen as the first among many to die for Christ. It reveals the blindness and hardness of heart that could not receive God's final messenger.