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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Acts 7:17–29. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Stephen here goes on to relate,
I.The wonderful increase of the people of Israel in Egypt; it was by a wonder of providence that in a little time they advanced from a family into a nation.
1.It was when the time of the promise drew nigh - the time when they were to be formed into a people. During the first two hundred and fifteen years after the promise made to Abraham, the children of the covenant were increased but to seventy; but in the latter two hundred and fifteen years they increased to six hundred thousand fighting men. The motion of providence is sometimes quickest when it comes nearest the centre. Let us not be discouraged at the slowness of the proceedings towards the accomplishment of God's promises; God knows how to redeem the time that seems to have been lost, and, when the year of the redeemed is at hand, can do a double work in a single day.
2.It was in Egypt, where they were oppressed, and ruled with rigour; when their lives were made so bitter to them that, one would think, they should have wished to be written childless, yet they married, in faith that God in due time would visit them; and God blessed them, who thus honoured him, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply. Suffering times have often been growing times with the church.
II.The extreme hardships which they underwent there, Act 7:18, Act 7:19.
When the Egyptians observed them to increase in number they increased their burdens, in which Stephen observes three things: - 1. Their base ingratitude: They were oppressed by another king that knew not Joseph, that is, did not consider the good service that Joseph had done to that nation; for, if he had, he would not have made so ill a requital to his relations and family. Those that injure good people are very ungrateful, for they are the blessings of the age and place they live in. 2. Their hellish craft and policy: They dealt subtly with our kindred. Come on, said they, let us deal wisely, thinking thereby to secure themselves, but it proved dealing foolishly, for they did but treasure up wrath by it. Those are in a great mistake who think they deal wisely for themselves when they deal deceitfully or unmercifully with their brethren. 3. Their barbarous and inhuman cruelty. That they might effectually extirpate them, they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. The killing of their infant seed seemed a very likely way to crush an infant nation. Now Stephen seems to observe this to them, not only that they might further see how mean their beginnings were, fitly represented (perhaps with an eye to the exposing of the young children in Egypt) by the forlorn state of a helpless, out-cast infant (Eze 16:4), and how much they were indebted to God for his care of them, which they had forfeited, and made themselves unworthy of: but also that they might consider that what they were now doing against the Christian church in its infancy was as impious and unjust, and would be in the issue as fruitless and ineffectual, as that was which the Egyptians did against the Jewish church in its infancy. "You think you deal subtly in your ill treatment of us, and, in persecuting young converts, you do as they did in casting out the young children; but you will find it is to no purpose, in spite of your malice Christ's disciples will increase and multiply."
III.The raising up of Moses to be their deliverer.
Stephen was charged with having spoken blasphemous words against Moses, in answer to which charge he here speaks very honourably of him.
1.Moses was born when the persecution of Israel was at the hottest, especially in that most cruel instance of it, the murdering of the new-born children: At that time, Moses was born (Act 7:20), and was himself in danger, as soon as he came into the world (as our Saviour also was at Bethlehem) of falling a sacrifice to that bloody edict. God is preparing for his people's deliverance, when their way is darkest, and their distress deepest.
2.He was exceedingly fair; his face began to shine as soon as he was born, as a happy presage of the honour God designed to put upon him; he was asteios tō Theō - fair towards God; he was sanctified from the womb, and this made him beautiful in God's eyes; for it is the beauty of holiness that is in God's sight of great price.
3.He was wonderfully preserved in his infancy, first, by the care of his tender parents, who nourished him three months in their own house, as long as they durst; and then by a favourable providence that threw him into the arms of Pharaoh's daughter, who took him up, and nourished him as her own son (Act 7:21); for those whom God designs to make special use of he will take special care of. And did he thus protect the child Moses? Much more will he secure the interests of his holy child Jesus (as he is called Act 4:27) from the enemies that are gathered together against him.
4.He became a great scholar (Act 7:22): He was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, who were then famed for all manner of polite literature, particularly philosophy, astronomy, and (which perhaps helped to lead them to idolatry) hieroglyphics. Moses, having his education at court, had opportunity of improving himself by the best books, tutors, and conversation, in all the arts and sciences, and had a genius for them. Only we have reason to think that he had not so far forgotten the God of his fathers as to acquaint himself with the unlawful studies and practices of the magicians of Egypt, any further than was necessary to the confuting of them.
5.He became a prime minister of state in Egypt. This seems to be meant by his being mighty in words and deeds. Though he had not a ready way of expressing himself, but stammered, yet he spoke admirably good sense, and every thing he said commanded assent, and carried its own evidence and force of reason along with it; and, in business, none went on with such courage, and conduct, and success. Thus was he prepared, by human helps, for those services, which, after all, he could not be thoroughly furnished for without divine illumination. Now, by all this, Stephen will make it appear that, notwithstanding the malicious insinuations of his persecutors, he had as high and honourable thoughts of Moses as they had.
IV.The attempts which Moses made to deliver Israel, which they spurned, and would not close in with.
This Stephen insists much upon, and it serves for a key to this story (Exo 2:11-15), as does also that other construction which is put upon it by the apostle, Heb 11:24-26. There it is represented as an act of holy self-denial, here as a designed prelude to, or entrance upon, the public service he was to be called out to (Act 7:23): When he was full forty years old, in the prime of his time for preferment in the court of Egypt, it came into his heart (for God put it there) to visit his brethren the children of Israel, and to see which way he might do them any service; and he showed himself as a public person, with a public character.
1.As Israel's saviour. This he gave a specimen of in avenging an oppressed Israelite, and killing the Egyptian that abused him (Act 7:24). Seeing one of his brethren suffer wrong, he was moved with compassion towards the sufferer, and a just indignation at the wrong-doer, as men in public stations should be, and he avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian, which, if he had been only a private person, he could not lawfully have done; but he knew that his commission from heaven would bear him out, and he supposed that his brethren (who could not but have some knowledge of the promise made to Abraham, that the nation that should oppress them God would judge) would have understood that God by his hand would deliver them; for he could not have had either presence of mind or strength of body to do what he did, if he had not been clothed with such a divine power as evinced a divine authority. If they had but understood the signs of the times, they might have taken this for the dawning of the day of their deliverance; but they understood not, they did not take this, as it was designed, for the setting up of a standard, and sounding of a trumpet, to proclaim Moses their deliverer.
2.As Israel's judge. This he gave a specimen of, the very next day, in offering to accommodate matters between two contending Hebrews, wherein he plainly assumed a public character (Act 7:26): He showed himself to them as they strove, and, putting on an air of majesty and authority, he would have set them at one again, and as their prince have determined the controversy between them, saying, Sirs, you are brethren, by birth and profession of religion; why do you wrong one to another? For he observed that (as in most strifes) there was a fault on both sides; and therefore, in order to peace and friendship, there must be a mutual remission and condescension. When Moses was to be Israel's deliverer out of Egypt, he slew the Egyptians, and so delivered Israel out of their hands; but, when he was to be Israel's judge and lawgiver, he ruled them with the golden sceptre, not the iron rod; he did not kill and slay them when they strove, but gave them excellent laws and statutes, and decided upon their complaints and appeals made to him, Exo 18:16. But the contending Israelite that was most in the wrong thrust him away (Act 7:27), would not bear the reproof, though a just and gentle one, but was ready to fly in his face, with, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Proud and litigious spirits are impatient of check and control. Rather would these Israelites have their bodies ruled with rigour by their task-masters than be delivered, and have their minds ruled with reason, by their deliverer. The wrong-doer was so enraged at the reproof given him that he upbraided Moses with the service he had done to their nation in killing the Egyptian, which, if they had pleased, would have been the earnest of further and greater service: Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? Act 7:28, charging that upon him as his crime, and threatening to accuse him for it, which was the hanging out of the flag of defiance to the Egyptians, and the banner of love and deliverance to Israel. Hereupon Moses fled into the land of Midian, and made no further attempt to deliver Israel till forty years after; he settled as a stranger in Midian, married, and had two sons, by Jethro's daughter, Act 7:29.
Now let us see how this serves Stephen's purpose. 1. They charged him with blaspheming Moses, in answer to which he retorts upon them the indignities which their fathers did to Moses, which they ought to be ashamed of, and humbled for, instead of picking quarrels thus, under pretence of zeal for the honour of Moses, with one that had as great a veneration for him as any of them had. 2. They persecuted him for disputing in defence of Christ and his gospel, in opposition to which they set up Moses and his law: "But," saith he, "you had best take heed," (1.) "Lest you hereby do as your fathers did, refuse and reject one whom God has raised up to be to you a prince and a Saviour; you may understand, if you will not wilfully shut your eyes against the light, that God will, by this Jesus, deliver you out of a worse slavery than that in Egypt; take heed then of thrusting him away, but receive him as a ruler and a judge over you." (2.) "Lest you hereby fare as your fathers fared, who for this were very justly left to die in their slavery, for the deliverance came not till forty years after. This will be the issue of it, you put away the gospel from you, and it will be sent to the Gentiles; you will not have Christ, and you shall not have him, so shall your doom be." Mat 23:38, Mat 23:39.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
"And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son." Not a word of Temple, not a word of Sacrifice, while all these Providences are taking place. And he was nourished in a barbarian house.
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Summary
Acts 7:21, part of Stephen's defense before the Sanhedrin, recounts a pivotal moment in the early life of Moses: his miraculous rescue and adoption by Pharaoh's daughter. Despite the genocidal decree against Hebrew male infants, God's sovereign hand orchestrated Moses' preservation and upbringing within the very heart of the Egyptian royal court, an improbable environment that would uniquely prepare him for his future role as Israel's deliverer. This verse powerfully illustrates divine providence at work, turning a desperate situation into a foundational step in God's redemptive plan.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is embedded within Stephen's lengthy and polemical speech in Acts 7, delivered as his defense against charges of blasphemy before the Sanhedrin. Stephen systematically recounts Israel's history from Abraham to Solomon, emphasizing God's faithfulness despite Israel's persistent rebellion and rejection of His chosen leaders, particularly Moses. Acts 7:21 specifically details the miraculous preservation of Moses' life, setting the stage for his unique preparation and eventual calling as the deliverer. Stephen uses Moses' life, especially his rejection by his own people despite being God's chosen instrument, as a parallel to the Sanhedrin's rejection of Jesus, the ultimate deliverer. The narrative here aligns closely with the account in Exodus 2, demonstrating Stephen's deep knowledge of the Old Testament.
Historical & Cultural Context
The historical backdrop is the severe oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, where their rapid population growth led Pharaoh to implement a decree to kill all male Hebrew infants (Exodus 1:22). Moses' mother, Jochebed, desperate to save her child, placed him in a papyrus basket (an "ark") on the Nile River, a place that was both a means of escape and extreme danger (Exodus 2:3). The Nile was central to Egyptian life and religion, often associated with the god Hapi. The discovery of Moses by Pharaoh's daughter, a member of the royal household, was an extraordinary and highly improbable event, especially given the anti-Hebrew sentiment of the time. Her decision to "take him up" and "nourish him for her own son" meant Moses would be raised with the privileges, education, and status of an Egyptian prince, a stark contrast to his Hebrew heritage, yet a crucial part of God's unconventional preparation for his leadership.
Key Themes
Acts 7:21 contributes significantly to several major themes within Stephen's speech and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it powerfully illustrates Divine Providence, showcasing God's sovereign hand at work even in the most perilous and seemingly hopeless circumstances. Despite Pharaoh's decree to destroy Hebrew male infants, God orchestrated Moses' survival through an unlikely rescuer—Pharaoh's own daughter. This demonstrates how God can use anyone, even those seemingly opposed to His plans, to fulfill His purposes, echoing the truth that God works "all things together for good" for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Secondly, the verse highlights Unconventional Preparation. Moses' rescue by Pharaoh's daughter led to him being raised in the opulent and influential Egyptian court. This upbringing was not merely about survival; it was a crucial part of God's preparation for Moses' future role as the leader who would bring the Israelites out of slavery. He would have received the best education and training available in Egypt, as explicitly stated in Acts 7:22, equipping him with knowledge and skills essential for his immense task. Thirdly, it underscores God's Unexpected Paths. The very daughter of the monarch who sought to destroy the Hebrew people became the instrument of their future deliverer's salvation and upbringing. This emphasizes that God's ways are often beyond human comprehension, demonstrating His power to turn dire situations into opportunities for His glory and to achieve His purposes through surprising and ironic means.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term (G1620) means "to expose" or "to declare." In this context, it refers to Moses being put out into the Nile, a desperate act by his mother to save him from Pharaoh's decree. It implies a vulnerable, abandoned state, highlighting the extreme peril of his infancy and the seemingly impossible circumstances of his survival.
The word (G337) literally means "to take up" or "to adopt." This highlights Pharaoh's daughter's compassionate and decisive act of rescuing the infant Moses from the river. Her action was one of immediate intervention and, by implication, acceptance into her care and the royal household, defying the prevailing decree.
This verb (G397) signifies "to rear" or "to bring up," both physically and mentally. It emphasizes the comprehensive care, education, and status Moses received within the Egyptian palace. This "nourishing" was not merely sustenance but a full integration into a royal life, providing him with the unique skills and knowledge necessary for his future role as Israel's deliverer.
Verse Breakdown
"And when he was cast out"
This phrase refers to Moses being placed in the basket on the Nile River, an act of desperate faith by his mother to circumvent Pharaoh's genocidal decree against Hebrew male infants. It underscores the immediate peril of Moses' infancy and the seemingly impossible circumstances of his survival, highlighting the dire context from which God's miraculous intervention would emerge.
"Pharaoh's daughter took him up"
This highlights the miraculous and profoundly ironic intervention of divine providence. The very lineage responsible for the decree against Hebrew boys became the instrument of Moses' salvation. Her act of "taking him up" (G337, anairéō) implies not just rescue from the water but adoption and protection, bringing him into the highest echelons of Egyptian society.
"and nourished him for her own son"
This final clause reveals the extent of Moses' integration into the Egyptian royal family. To "nourish" (G397, anatréphō) him as her "own son" (G5207, huiós) meant he received the full privileges, education, and status of an Egyptian prince. This unconventional upbringing, in the very palace he would later challenge, was a critical and divinely orchestrated preparation for his immense task as Israel's deliverer.
Literary Devices
Acts 7:21 masterfully employs Irony and Foreshadowing. The supreme irony lies in the fact that the daughter of the very monarch who decreed the death of all Hebrew male infants becomes the instrument of salvation and upbringing for the future deliverer of those same Hebrew people. This reversal of expectation underscores God's ability to subvert human plans and use unlikely agents to accomplish His will. Furthermore, the verse contains elements of Foreshadowing. Moses' miraculous preservation and unique upbringing in the royal court, despite being an outsider, foreshadows his future role as a leader who would bridge two worlds—the oppressed Hebrews and the powerful Egyptians—and ultimately lead his people out of bondage. His unlikely path to power and influence, orchestrated by God, hints at the unconventional nature of divine leadership and salvation throughout biblical history.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Acts 7:21 serves as a powerful testament to God's meticulous and often surprising providence in the lives of His chosen servants and His people. It demonstrates that even in moments of extreme vulnerability and seemingly insurmountable opposition, God is actively working behind the scenes, orchestrating events to fulfill His redemptive purposes. Moses' adoption into Pharaoh's household, a place of power and privilege, was not a random occurrence but a divinely appointed means of preparing him with the wisdom, education, and understanding of the Egyptian system that would be crucial for his future leadership. This narrative reassures believers that God's plans are unthwartable, and He can use any circumstance, even those intended for harm, for His ultimate good.
Reflection and Application
Acts 7:21 offers profound encouragement for believers today, reminding us that even when circumstances seem hopeless or hostile, God is actively working behind the scenes. We can find deep comfort and trust in His divine providence, knowing that He can use unlikely individuals and surprising situations to accomplish His will. This verse also speaks powerfully to God's preparation of His servants; He often uses unique experiences and environments, even those that seem contrary to our expectations, to equip us for the specific purposes He has for our lives. Just as Moses was prepared in an unexpected place, we can have confidence that God is shaping us through our varied experiences, even the difficult ones, for His glory and our good. Our task is to remain faithful, open to His leading, and watchful for His hand in the unexpected turns of life.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was it significant that Pharaoh's daughter, rather than another Egyptian, found and adopted Moses?
The significance lies in the profound irony and divine orchestration. Pharaoh was the very ruler who had decreed the systematic murder of all Hebrew male infants (Exodus 1:22). For his own daughter to be the one to find, pity, and adopt Moses—the future deliverer of the Hebrews—demonstrates God's absolute sovereignty over human rulers and their oppressive decrees. It highlights that God can use the most unlikely and even adversarial agents to fulfill His purposes, subverting the enemy's plans from within their own household. This act not only saved Moses' life but also placed him in the highest echelons of Egyptian society, providing him with an education and understanding of the royal court that would be invaluable for his future confrontation with Pharaoh.
How does Moses' upbringing in Pharaoh's household contribute to his preparation as Israel's deliverer?
Moses' upbringing in Pharaoh's household was a crucial and unconventional part of God's preparation for his immense task. As Acts 7:22 states, Moses was "instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds." This means he received the best education available in the ancient world, encompassing administration, military strategy, law, and perhaps even magic or religious practices of Egypt. This knowledge equipped him with the intellectual and practical skills necessary to lead a large nation, negotiate with a powerful empire, and understand the cultural and religious context from which he would deliver his people. Furthermore, being raised as a prince gave him access, authority, and a certain level of confidence that a mere slave would not possess, preparing him to stand boldly before Pharaoh.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Acts 7:21, in its depiction of Moses' miraculous preservation and unconventional upbringing, powerfully foreshadows the life and mission of Jesus Christ. Just as Moses, a deliverer, was saved from a decree of death by a king (Matthew 2:16 parallels Herod's decree with Pharaoh's), so too was Jesus, the ultimate Deliverer, protected by divine providence from Herod's murderous intent by being taken to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). Moses' adoption into Pharaoh's household, an unexpected path to preparation for leadership, mirrors Christ's humble birth and upbringing, yet His true identity as the Son of God, destined for ultimate kingship (Luke 1:32-33). Both figures were raised in environments that, from a human perspective, seemed unlikely for their divine callings, yet God sovereignly used these circumstances to prepare them. Moses' life, marked by divine rescue and unique preparation to lead Israel out of bondage, serves as a type of Christ, who through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, delivers all who believe from the bondage of sin and death into the freedom of God's kingdom (John 8:36; Hebrews 2:14-15).