Acts 7:52 Meaning and Explanation
“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:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Stephen asks which of the prophets their fathers did not persecute: they killed those who foretold the Just One, and now he himself has been betrayed and murdered.
What Does Acts 7:52 Mean?
Stephen sets the death of Jesus at the end of a long line: the prophets announced the coming of the Righteous One and were slain for it, and then the One announced was betrayed and killed.
The Just One is a title of the Messiah (Acts 3:14; 22:14): the only truly righteous man, condemned by the unrighteous and dying for them, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). The grief of the sermon is the grief of the gospel: first the messengers were refused, then the Son (Matthew 21:33-39).
Acts 7:52 in the Original Language
dikaios (δίκαιος), 'Just One' -- the Righteous One, a title of the Messiah.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 7:52
What does Acts 7:52 mean?
Stephen asks which of the prophets their fathers did not persecute: they killed those who foretold the Just One, and now he himself has been betrayed and murdered.