Acts 6:11 - Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

Acts 6:11

9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.

10 And ^athey were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

11 ^aThen they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak¹ blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;

14 ^afor we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Acts 6:12 >>

Acts 6:11

Then they suborned men (tote upebalon andrav). Second aorist active indicative of upoballw, old verb, but here only in the N.T., to put under like a carpet, to bring men under one's control by suggestion or by money. One recalls the plight of Caiaphas in the trial of Jesus when he sought false witnesses. Subornaverunt. They put these men forward in an underhand way for fraud.

Blasphemous words against Moses and God (blasfhma eiv Mwushn kai ton qeon). The punishment for blasphemy was stoning to death. See Matthew 12:31 for discussion of the word blasfhmia, blasfhmew, blasfhmov, all in the N.T. from blaptw, to harm, and fhmh, speech, harmful speech, or blac, stupid, and fhmh. But the charge against Stephen was untrue. Please note that Moses is here placed before God and practically on a par with God in the matter of blasphemy. The purpose of this charge is to stir the prejudices of the people in the matter of Jewish rights and privileges. It is the Pharisees who are conducting this attack on Stephen while the Sadducees had led them against Peter and John. The position of Stephen is critical in the extreme for the Sadducees will not help him as Gamaliel did the apostles.

Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Acts 6:11:

Acts 7:2
Acts 7:35
Acts 7:57
Acts 21:21
Acts 27:15

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Acts 6:12 >>

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