Acts 7:59

59 And they stoned Stephen, praying, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Acts 7:59 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 7:59

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God
As he was praying, and putting up the following petition;

and saying, Lord Jesus receive my Spirit;
from whence we learn, that the spirit or soul of man sleeps not, nor dies with the body, but remains after death; that Jesus Christ is a fit person to commit and commend the care of the soul unto immediately upon its separation; and that he must be truly and properly God; not only because he is equal to such a charge, which none but God is, but because divine worship and adoration are here given him. This is so glaring a proof of prayer being made unto him, that some Socinians, perceiving the force of it, would read the word Jesus in the genitive case, thus; "Lord of Jesus receive my Spirit": as if the prayer was made to the Father of Christ, when it is Jesus he saw standing at the right hand of God, whom he invokes, and who is so frequently called Lord Jesus; whereas the Father is never called the Lord of Jesus; and besides, these words are used in like manner in the vocative case, in ( Revelation 22:20 ) to which may be added, that the Syriac version reads, "our Lord Jesus"; and the Ethiopic version, "my Lord Jesus".

Acts 7:59 In-Context

57 And they cried out with a loud voice, and held their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;

58 and having cast [him] out of the city, they stoned [him]. And the witnesses laid aside their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul.

59 And they stoned Stephen, praying, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60 And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit. 'invoking,' 'calling on,' but in English we must have a word after this, which mars the connexion here. The Authorized Version seems to separate God and the Lord Jesus. 'Calling on the Lord' would leave out God. The Spirit of God, I doubt not, has purposely left out both 'Lord' and 'God'. No one can be called upon really but God, so that the word has great force as used here. I have said 'praying' for want of a better word.