Verse 52: “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed the ones who were proclaiming previously concerning the coming of the Righteous One. Now you also are traitors and murderers.”

They killed the ones: Matthew 23v35-37. Jeremiah and so many other prophets were rejected. They spoke primarily about the coming of Messiah.

Traitors and murderers: This is the heritage of those who reject prophecy.

Verse 53: “You are the ones who received the law, which was given by angels, which you did not keep.”

Verse 54: “Hearing these things they were cut to their hearts and they gnashed their teeth at him.”

Cut to their hearts: They fell under conviction, but not a righteous conviction.

Verse 55: “And being full of the Holy Spirit, this one (Stephen) looked into the heavens and he saw the glory of God, and Yeshua standing at the right hand of God.”

Looked into the heavens: Shows that he had a Kingdom expectation.


Verse 56: “And said, ‘Behold! I see the heavens opening up and the Son of Man at the right hand, standing, of God.”

Standing: This word interrupts this phrase to show emphasis. This word is also in the perfect tense – Yeshua had stood there previously, He was standing there now, and He will continue to do so in the future. This shows this eternal intimacy between God the Father and God the Son. It speaks about the divinity of Messiah – always being the Divine Son of God.

Verse 57: “Crying in a loud voice they pressed their ears and they rushed in one accord at him,”

Pressed their ears: They did not want to hear what Stephen was saying.

Verse 58: “Casting him outside the city they stoned him. The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young one called Saul.”

Saul: Who later became the Apostle Paul.

Verse 59: “They stoned Stephen, and he called out and said, ‘L-rd Yeshua, receive my spirit.’” 

Verse 60: “He placed his knees and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord do not charge them with this sin.’ This he said, then he fell asleep.”

He placed his knees: He bowed down on his knees. This speaks of submission – he is accepting his fate, and it does not change his faith.

Do not charge them with this sin: This is very similar to what we see Messiah saying on the cross (Luke 23v34). Stephen was being utterly rejected by the spiritual leaders of Israel. As they were stoning him he was not thinking about himself, or calling out for his own salvation, but he called upon the name of Yeshua on their behalf. His call for them was one for mercy, grace, and forgiveness

Fell asleep: This is an idiom for dying. It is put in these terms for one main reason – when you fall asleep you expect to wake up. It is speaking about a future hope in the resurrection.

8 Verse 1a: “But Saul was consenting to his death.

Consenting: Saul was agreeing with them that what they were doing was the right thing to do.

This is foreshadowing that Saul (Paul) needed a radical change.