The Meaning of Acts 7:40 Explained

Acts 7:40

KJV: Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

YLT: saying to Aaron, Make to us gods who shall go on before us, for this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we have not known what hath happened to him.

Darby: saying to Aaron, Make us gods who shall go before us; for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has happened to him.

ASV: saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us: for as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Saying  unto Aaron,  Make  us  gods  to  go before  us:  for  [as for] this  Moses,  which  brought  us  out of  the land  of Egypt,  we wot  not  what  is become  of him. 

What does Acts 7:40 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 7:30-46 - Stephen's Defense: Disobedience In The Wilderness
The angel who appeared in the bush that burned with fire was the angel of God's presence, who saved the Israelites and bare them and carried them all the days of old. See Isaiah 63:9. Who could this be save our Lord Himself? Only He could speak of Himself as I am. Remember the use our Lord made of that present tense, as carrying with it evidence that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all of them living, though centuries had passed since their bodies had been deposited in Machpelah's cave. See Luke 20:38. It is very helpful to note that reference to the hand of the angel in Acts 7:35; Acts 7:38. It reminds us of Acts 11:21. Would that, in our service for God, we were always conscious of the co-operating hand of the Savior!
The prophet referred to in Acts 7:37 is, of course, our Lord, and the parallel between Him and Moses is very apparent during our Lord's human ministry-for meekness, for reference in all things to the sending of God, for the work they did, as negotiating the Law from Sinai and the Mount of Beatitudes. But the difference in their posthumous ministry is emphasized in Hebrews 3:1-6. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 7

1  Stephen, permitted to answer to the accusation of blasphemy,
2  shows that Abraham worshipped God rightly, and how God chose the fathers,
20  before Moses was born, and before the tabernacle and temple were built;
37  that Moses himself witnessed of Christ;
44  and that all outward ceremonies were ordained to last but for a time;
51  reprehending their rebellion, and murdering of Christ, whom the prophets foretold
54  Whereupon they stone Stephen to death,
59  who commends his soul to Jesus, and humbly prays for them

Greek Commentary for Acts 7:40

Gods which shall go before us [τεους οι προπορευσονται ημων]
Exodus 32:1. As guides and protectors, perhaps with some allusion to the pillar of fire and of cloud that had gone before them (Exodus 13:21). The future indicative here with οι — hoi (relative) expresses purpose. [source]
Ye wot not [ουκ οιδαμεν]
We do not know. How quickly they had forgotten both God and Moses while Moses was absent in the mount with God. Become of him (εγενετο αυτωι — egeneto autōi). Happened to him. “This” (ουτος — houtos) here is a contemptuous allusion to Moses by the people. [source]
Become of him [εγενετο αυτωι]
Happened to him. “This” (ουτος — houtos) here is a contemptuous allusion to Moses by the people. [source]
Shall go before us []
As symbols to be borne before them on the march. Compare Nehemiah 9:18. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 7:40

Acts 7:35 This Moses [Τουτον τον Μωυσην]
Rhetorical repetition follows this description of Moses (five times, anaphora, besides the use here, six cases of ουτος — houtos here about Moses: Acts 7:35 twice, Acts 7:36, Acts 7:37, Acts 7:38, Acts 7:40). Clearly Stephen means to draw a parallel between Moses and Jesus. They in Egypt denied “Ransomer” or “Redeemer” (λυτρωτης — lutrōtēs) is not found elsewhere, λυτρον — lutron (ransom), λυτροω — lutroō to ransom, and λυτρωσις — lutrōsis ransoming or redemption, are found often. In Acts 5:31 Christ is termed “Prince and Saviour.” [source]
Ephesians 3:14 I bow my knees [καμπτω τα γονατα μου]
He now prays whether he had at first intended to do so at Ephesians 3:1 or not. Calvin supposes that Paul knelt as he dictated this prayer, but this is not necessary. This was a common attitude in prayer (Luke 22:41; Acts 7:40; Acts 20:36; Acts 21:5), though standing is also frequent (Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, Luke 18:13). [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 7:40 mean?

having said - to Aaron Make us gods who will go before us - As for Moses this who brought out us from [the] land of Egypt not we know what has happened to him
εἰπόντες τῷ Ἀαρών Ποίησον ἡμῖν θεοὺς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν γὰρ Μωϋσῆς οὗτος ὃς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί ἐγένετο αὐτῷ

εἰπόντες  having  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
τῷ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἀαρών  to  Aaron 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἀαρών  
Sense: the brother of Moses, the first high priest of Israel and head of the whole priestly order.
Ποίησον  Make 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
ἡμῖν  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
θεοὺς  gods 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
προπορεύσονται  will  go  before 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Plural
Root: προπορεύομαι  
Sense: to send before, to make to precede.
ἡμῶν  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
γὰρ  As  for 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: γάρ  
Sense: for.
Μωϋσῆς  Moses 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Μωσεύς 
Sense: the legislator of the Jewish people and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion.
οὗτος  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
ἐξήγαγεν  brought  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐξάγω  
Sense: to lead out.
ἡμᾶς  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
γῆς  [the]  land 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: γῆ  
Sense: arable land.
Αἰγύπτου  of  Egypt 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: Αἴγυπτος  
Sense: a country occupying the northeast angle of Africa.
οἴδαμεν  we  know 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: οἶδα  
Sense: to see.
ἐγένετο  has  happened 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.

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