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Acts 07 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations prefer to set apart quotations of the Old Testament. The ULB and many other English translations indent the lines of 7:42-43, 49-50, which are quotations from the Old Testament.
It appears that 8:1 is part of the narrative of this chapter.
Special concepts in this chapter
"Stephen said"
Stephen retells the history of Israel very briefly. This is something the Jewish council and the high priest would have already known. The climax of the story is Jesus coming as the Messiah of Israel and his rejection by the Jewish leaders. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/christ)
"Full of the Holy Spirit"
This means "to be completely controlled by the Holy Spirit." In other words, a person is living in total alignment with the will of God. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/willofgod)
Important figures of speech in this chapter
"You act just as your forefathers acted"
Stephen compares the idolatry of the Israelites in history with the leaders' rejection of Jesus, the Messiah. This is a type of metaphor. The phrases "stiff-necked" and "uncircumcised" are also metaphors for the people's sin and lack of understanding. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin)
Foreshadowing
Saul, also known as Paul, is included here to foreshadow the role he will play in the rest of the book of Acts. Here Saul is persecuting Christians.
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Background Knowledge
This chapter will be very difficult to understand if the book of Genesis has not yet been translated into one's language. In many ways, it summarizes the book of Genesis, with many details left out.