Acts 7:32
What does Acts 7:32 mean?
A plain-English look at Acts 7:32 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Acts 7:32 means
God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses trembles, not daring to look. Stephen links Moses’ call with the patriarchal promises. The God who spoke to Abraham now speaks to Moses—one continuous story. Moses’ fear and humility confirm the holiness of the moment. Authority flows from encounter with the living God, not from human credentials. Stephen underscores that the Lawgiver himself stood as a worshiper before the God of the fathers. This supports his defense: his message is not a break from Israel’s heritage but flows from the same God who has been guiding the nation from the beginning.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. And Moses, shaking with fear, kept his eyes from looking at it.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862I <FI>am<Fi> the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. `And Moses having become terrified, durst not behold,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752I am the God of thy fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And Moses being terrified durst not behold.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890I am theGod of thy fathers, theGod of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not consider [it].
Context
Following Moses’ approach to the burning bush, God declares His identity, grounding the revelation in Israel’s ancestral faith. The next verse (33) will command reverence for holy ground, and verse 34 will announce God’s compassion and commission. These verses solidify Moses’ divine authorization, setting the stage for Stephen’s later assertion that the very Moses whom Israel first refused is the one God made ruler and deliverer (verse 35). The continuity with the patriarchs is central to Stephen’s argument before the Sanhedrin.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Revelation 1:17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,
- Isaiah 6:1
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.
- Acts 9:4
and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
- Daniel 10:7
And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves.
- Exodus 33:20
And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live.
- Hebrews 11:16
But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.
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