TRV
Translation
King James Version
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Complete Jewish Bible
you! — who receive the Torah as having been delivered by angels — but do not keep it!”
American Standard Version
ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.
World English Bible Messianic
You received the Torah as it was ordained by angels, and didn’t keep it!”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Which haue receiued the Lawe by the ordinance of Angels, and haue not kept it.
Young's Literal Translation
who received the law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep it .'
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In the KJVVerse 27,170 of 31,102
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Commentary on Acts 7 verses 51–53
51 ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Stephen was going on in his discourse (as it should seem by the thread of it) to show that, as the temple, so the temple-service must come to an end, and it would be the glory of both to give way to that worship of the Father in spirit and in truth which was to be established in the kingdom of the Messiah, stripped of the pompous ceremonies of the old law, and so he was going to apply all this which he had said more closely to his present purpose; but he perceived they could not bear it. They could patiently hear the history of the Old Testament told (it was a piece of learning which they themselves dealt much in); but if Stephen go about to tell them that their power and tyranny must come down, and that the church must be governed by a spirit of holiness and love, and heavenly-mindedness, they will not so much as give him the hearing. It is probable that he perceived this, and that they were going to silence him; and therefore he breaks off abruptly in the midst of his discourse, and by that spirit of wisdom, courage, and power, wherewith he was filled, he sharply rebuked his persecutors, and exposed their true character; for, if they will not admit the testimony of the gospel to them, it shall become a testimony against them.
I. They, like their fathers, were stubborn and wilful, and would not be wrought upon by the various methods God took to reclaim and reform them; they were like their fathers, inflexible both to the word of God and to his providences. 1. They, like their fathers, were stubborn and wilful, and would not be wrought upon by the various methods God took to reclaim and reform them; they were like their fathers, inflexible both to the word of God and to his providences. 1. They were stiff-necked (Act 7:51), and would not submit their necks to the sweet and easy yoke of God's government, nor draw in it, but were like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; or they would not bow their heads, no, not to God himself, would not do obeisance to him, would not humble themselves before him. The stiff neck is the same with the hard heart, obstinate and contumacious, and that will not yield - the general character of the Jewish nation, Exo 32:9; Exo 33:3, Exo 33:5; Exo 34:9; Deu 9:6, Deu 9:13; Deu 31:27; Eze 2:4. 2. They were uncircumcised in heart and ears their hearts and ears were not devoted and given up to God, as the body of the people were in profession by the sign of circumcision: "In name and show you are circumcised Jews, but in heart and ears you are still uncircumcised heathens, and pay no more deference to the authority of your God than they do, Jer 9:26. You are under the power of unmortified lusts and corruptions, which stop your ears to the voice of God, and harden your hearts to that which is both most commanding and most affecting." They had not that circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, Col 2:11.
II. They, like their fathers, were not only not influenced by the methods God took to reform them, but they were enraged and incensed against them: You do always resist the Holy Ghost. 1. They resisted the Holy Ghost speaking to them by the prophets, whom they opposed and contradicted, hated and ridiculed; this seems especially meant here, by the following explication, Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? In persecuting and silencing those that spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost they resisted the Holy Ghost. Their fathers resisted the Holy Ghost in the prophets that God raised up to them, and so did they in Christ's apostles and ministers, who spoke by the same Spirit, and had greater measures of his gifts than the prophets of the Old Testament had, and yet were more resisted. 2. They resisted the Holy Ghost striving with them by their own consciences, and would not comply with the convictions and dictates of them. God's Spirit strove with them as with the old world, but in vain; they resisted him, took part with their corruptions against their convictions, and rebelled against the light. There is that in our sinful hearts that always resists the Holy Ghost, a flesh that lusts against the Spirit, and wars against his motions; but in the hearts of God's elect, when the fulness of time comes, this resistance is overcomer and overpowered, and after a struggle the throne of Christ is set up in the soul, and every thought that had exalted itself against it is brought into captivity to it, Co2 10:4, Co2 10:5. That grace therefore which effects this change might more fitly be called victorious grace than irresistible.
III. They, like their fathers, persecuted and slew those whom God sent unto them to call them to duty, and make them offers of mercy. 1. Their fathers had been the cruel and constant persecutors of the Old Testament prophets (Act 7:51): Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? More or less, one time or other, they had a blow at them all. With regard even to those that lived in the best reigns, when the princes did not persecute them, there was a malignant party in the nation that mocked at them and abused them, and most of them were at last, either by colour of law or popular fury, put to death; and that which aggravated the sin of persecuting the prophets was, that the business of the prophets they were so spiteful at was to show before of the coming of the just One, to give notice of God's kind intentions towards that people, to send the Messiah among them in the fulness of time. Those that were the messengers of such glad tidings should have been courted and caressed, and have had the preferments of the best of benefactors; but, instead of this, they had the treatment of the worst of malefactors. 2. They had been the betrayers and murderers of the just One himself, as Peter had told them, Act 3:14, Act 3:15; Act 5:30. They had hired Judas to betray him, and had in a manner forced Pilate to condemn him; and therefore it is charged upon them that they were his betrayers and murders. Thus they were the genuine seed of those who slew the prophets that foretold his coming, which, by slaying him, they showed they would have done if they had lived then; and thus, as our Saviour had told them, they brought upon themselves the guilt of the blood of all the prophets. To which of the prophets would those have shown any respect who had no regard to the Son of God himself?
IV. They, like their fathers, put contempt upon divine revelation, and would not be guided and governed by it; and this was the aggravation of their sin, that God had given, as to their fathers his law, so to them his gospel, in vain. 1. Their fathers received the law, and did not observe it, Act 7:53. God wrote to them the great things of his law, after he had first spoken them to them; and yet they were counted by them as a strange or foreign thing, which they were no way concerned in. The law is said to be received by the disposition of angels, because angels were employed in the solemnity of giving the law, in the thunderings and lightnings, and the sound of the trumpet. It is said to be ordained by angels (Gal 3:19), God is said to come with ten thousand of his saints to give the law (Deu 33:2), and it was a word spoken by angels, Heb 2:2. This put an honour both upon the law and the Lawgiver, and should increase our veneration for both. But those that thus received the law yet kept it not, but by making the golden calf broke it immediately in a capital instance. 2. They received the gospel now, by the disposition, not of angels, but of the Holy Ghost, - not with the sound of a trumpet, but, which was more strange, in the gift of tongues, and yet they did not embrace it. They would not yield to the plainest demonstrations, any more than their fathers before them did, for they were resolved not to comply with God either in his law or in his gospel.
We have reason to think Stephen had a great deal more to say, and would have said it if they would have suffered him; but they were wicked and unreasonable men with whom he had to do, that could no more hear reason than they could speak it.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 51–53. Public domain.
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TertullianAD 220
Pseudo-Tertullian Against All Heresies
For he, too, says that the world was originated by those angels; and sets forth Christ as born of the seed of Joseph, contending that He was merely human, without divinity; affirming also that the Law was given by angels; representing the God of the Jews as not the Lord, but an angel.
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on Acts 17
How, "By the disposition of Angels?" Some say (The Law), disposed by Angels; or, put into his hand by the Angel Who appeared to him in the bush; for was He man? No wonder that He who wrought those works, should also have wrought these. "Ye slew them who preached of Him." much more Himself. He shows them disobedient both to God, and to Angels, and the Prophets, and the Spirit, and to all: as also Scripture saith elsewhere: "Lord, they have slain Thy Prophets, and thrown down Thine altars."
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on Acts 17
They, then, stand up for the Law, and say, "He blasphemeth against Moses:" he shows, therefore, that it is they who blaspheme, and that (their blasphemy is not only against Moses, but) against God; shows that "they" from the very beginning have been doing this: that "they" have themselves destroyed their "customs," that there is no need of these: that while accusing him, and saying that he opposed Moses, they themselves were opposing the Spirit: and not merely opposing, but with murder added to it: and that they had their enmity all along from the very beginning. Seest thou, that he shows them to be acting in opposition both to Moses and to all others, and not keeping the Law? And yet Moses had said, "A Prophet shall the Lord raise up unto you: and the rest also told of this (Christ) that He would come: and the prophet again said, "What house will ye build Me?" and again, "Did ye offer to Me slain beasts and sacrifices" those "forty years?"
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Acts
You who received the law as ordained by angels. The law is indeed ordained by angels, in the hand of a mediator.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Acts 7:53 stands as a climactic and damning indictment delivered by Stephen during his defense before the Sanhedrin, just moments before his martyrdom. This verse encapsulates the core of his argument: that the very Jewish leaders who accused him of blasphemy against the Law were themselves guilty of a profound and persistent rebellion against God's divine revelation. It highlights the stark contrast between the majestic reception of the Law, mediated by angels, and Israel's historical and contemporary failure to obey its precepts, culminating in their rejection of God's ultimate messenger, Jesus Christ.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Stephen employs several powerful literary devices in Acts 7:53. The most prominent is Antithesis, creating a stark contrast between the majestic, divine origin of the Law ("received the law by the disposition of angels") and the human failure to obey it ("and have not kept [it]"). This juxtaposition highlights the profound spiritual disconnect of his audience. There is also a strong element of Irony, as Stephen turns the accusation of blasphemy against the Law back onto his accusers, demonstrating that those who pride themselves on upholding the Law are its true transgressors. Furthermore, the verse functions as a climactic Accusation, a direct and unsparing indictment that seals Stephen's fate but powerfully conveys his message of Israel's persistent rebellion against God's Spirit and His messengers.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Acts 7:53 profoundly underscores the consistent tension between divine revelation and human response throughout salvation history. God graciously reveals His will and truth, whether through the Law given at Sinai, the prophets, or ultimately through His Son, Jesus Christ. Yet, humanity, particularly those in positions of religious authority, often demonstrates a hardened heart and a resistance to truly embrace and obey that revelation. This verse highlights that mere possession of divine truth or participation in religious rituals is insufficient; true faith demands a transformed heart that yields to God's commands. It also foreshadows the New Covenant, where the Law is written on hearts by the Spirit, enabling genuine obedience that the Old Covenant, despite its divine origin, could not fully achieve due to human sinfulness.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Acts 7:53 serves as a timeless and sobering warning against spiritual hypocrisy and the profound danger of merely possessing divine truth without embodying it. It challenges us to move beyond intellectual assent or outward religious observance to a genuine, heart-level obedience to God's Word. It's not enough to know what God commands; true faith is demonstrated by our diligent striving, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to live according to His will. We are called to examine our own hearts for areas of resistance, stubbornness, or unwillingness to fully submit to God's leading, just as Stephen accused the Sanhedrin of being "stiffnecked." This verse reminds us that the ultimate test of our faith is not our knowledge of God's commands, but our willingness to keep them, recognizing that our inability to perfectly do so points us to our desperate need for Christ's grace.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Stephen emphasize that the Law was received "by the disposition of angels"?
Answer: Stephen's emphasis on the angelic mediation of the Law serves a crucial rhetorical and theological purpose. Firstly, it highlights the immense dignity, authority, and divine origin of the Mosaic Law. For the Jewish leaders, the Law was their most sacred possession, given directly by God in a spectacular display at Mount Sinai. The tradition that angels were present and instrumental in this delivery (as also seen in Galatians 3:19 and Hebrews 2:2) underscored its profound sanctity. By reminding them of this majestic reception, Stephen heightens the gravity of their subsequent failure to keep it. It makes their disobedience, and especially their rejection of Jesus, the ultimate divine messenger, all the more inexcusable and hypocritical. He is essentially saying, "You received this most sacred, divinely-delivered Law with great pomp and circumstance, yet you have consistently failed to obey it."
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Acts 7:53, while a severe indictment of Israel's failure to keep the Law, ultimately points to the profound necessity and triumph of Christ. The Law, given with such divine majesty and angelic accompaniment, was perfect in its revelation of God's holy standards, yet it proved utterly insufficient to save humanity because of the inherent sinfulness of the human heart. Stephen's accusation that "you have not kept [it]" underscores humanity's universal inability to perfectly fulfill the Law's demands, a truth powerfully articulated by Paul in Romans 3:20, where he states that "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified." This failure of the Law to bring righteousness, not due to any deficiency in the Law itself but in human nature, sets the stage for the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the one who perfectly fulfilled the Law, not by abolishing it but by completing its purpose (Matthew 5:17). Through His sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, Christ accomplished what the Law could not (Romans 8:3-4), offering grace and truth that supersede the Law's condemnation (John 1:17). Thus, Acts 7:53, in exposing the Law's inability to save due to human disobedience, powerfully magnifies the grace of God found in Christ, who is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4).