Acts 7:51 Meaning and Explanation
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Stephen turns to his judges: stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, they always resist the Holy Ghost, as their fathers did.
What Does Acts 7:51 Mean?
The history lesson becomes indictment, and every word is borrowed from the law and the prophets: stiffnecked (Exodus 33:5), uncircumcised in heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 9:26). The council now sits where the calf makers stood.
The charge is searching: covenant marks on the body, resistance in the heart. The Spirit had been speaking all along, through the prophets, through the Scriptures, and now through Jesus, and was being fought rather than followed. Religious position is no shelter from that warning; the softest place to hear it is on our knees.
Acts 7:51 in the Original Language
sklerotrachelos (σκληροτράχηλος), 'stiffnecked' -- hard-necked, like an ox refusing the yoke.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 7:51
What does Acts 7:51 mean?
Stephen turns to his judges: stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, they always resist the Holy Ghost, as their fathers did.