Acts 7:28
What does Acts 7:28 mean?
A plain-English look at Acts 7:28 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Acts 7:28 means
The Israelite taunts Moses with the threat: Will you kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? The secret is exposed, and Moses’ attempt at deliverance collapses into fear and flight. Stephen shows how sin complicates even righteous intentions. Moses’ deed, meant to defend, becomes a cause for suspicion and accusation. The people he aimed to save use it against him, confirming their rejection. This moment reveals the deep rift between Moses and the very ones he sought to help, and it drives him into exile. Yet in God’s providence, exile will become preparation for a truer, divinely sanctioned deliverance later.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?
KJV
King James Version · 1611Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Will you put me to death as you did the Egyptian yesterday?
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862to kill me dost thou wish, as thou didst kill yesterday the Egyptian?
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752What! Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst yesterday kill the Egyptian?
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Dost thou wish to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?
Context
The confrontation reaches its climax with the exposure of Moses’ act. Verse 28 provides the catalyst for Moses’ departure to Midian in verse 29. The story now turns from Moses’ first, failed attempt to the long season of exile that precedes his divine commissioning. This shift is vital to Stephen’s pattern: the deliverer’s initial rejection leads to withdrawal, after which God appears and sends him back with unmistakable authority (verses 30–35).
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