Acts 7:42

Gave them up (paredwken). First aorist active indicative of paradidwmi. This same form occurs three times like clods on a coffin in a grave in Romans 1:24 Romans 1:26 Romans 1:28 where Paul speaks of God giving the heathen up to their lusts. To serve the host of heaven (latreuein th stratiai tou ouranou). The verb latreuw is used of the worship of God ( Matthew 4:10 ) as well as of idols as here (from latron, hire, latri, hireling, then to serve). But the worship of the host of heaven ( Deuteronomy 17:3 ; 2 Kings 17:16 ; 2 Kings 21:3 ; 2 Chronicles 33:3 2 Chronicles 33:5 ; Jeremiah 8:2 ; Jeremiah 19:13 ) is Sabaism or worship of the host (stratia) of heaven (sun, moon, and stars) instead of the Lord of hosts. This star-worship greatly injured the Jews. In the book of the prophets (en biblwi twn prophtwn). That is the twelve minor prophets which the Jews counted as one book (cf. Acts 13:40 ). This quotation is from Amos 5:25-27 . The greater prophets were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. Slain beasts (spagia). Here only in the N.T. (from Amos 5:25 ) spagh, slaughter, spazw, to slay.