Acts 7:55

55 But he beynge full of the holy goost loked vp stedfastlye with his eyes into heven and sawe the glorie of God and Iesus stondynge on the ryght honde of God

Acts 7:55 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 7:55

But he being full of the Holy Ghost
That is, Stephen, as Beza's ancient copy, and some others express it; and so the Ethiopic version; the Syriac version reads, "full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost", as in ( Acts 6:5 ) and so some copies; being under the influences of the Spirit of God, and filled with his divine comforts, and strong in the faith of Jesus Christ, and having a holy boldness, courage, and intrepidity of mind; instead of being discouraged and dejected, of being cast down in his spirits, and looking down upon the ground, he

looked up steadfastly to heaven;
where he desired to be, and hoped and believed he should be; and from whence he knew his help came, and which he might now implore, as well as forgiveness for his enemies.

And saw the glory of God;
not the essential glory of God, but some extraordinary light and brightness, which was a token and representation of him:

and Jesus standing on the right hand of God;
of that glory which was a Symbol of him: Jesus being risen from the dead, and ascended on high, was set at the right hand of God, in human nature, and so was visible to the corporeal eye of Stephen; whose visual faculty was so extraordinarily enlarged and assisted, as to reach the body of Christ in the third heavens; where he was seen by him standing, to denote his readiness to assist him, and his indignation at his enemies.

Acts 7:55 In-Context

53 And ye also have receaved a lawe by the ordinaunce of angels and have not kept it.
54 When they hearde these thinges their hertes clave a sunder and they gnasshed on him with their tethe.
55 But he beynge full of the holy goost loked vp stedfastlye with his eyes into heven and sawe the glorie of God and Iesus stondynge on the ryght honde of God
56 and sayde: beholde I se the hevens open and the sonne of man stondynge on the ryght honde of god.
57 Then they gave a shute with a loude voyce and stopped their eares and ranne apon him all at once
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