Acts 7:8

8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac [did so with] Jacob, and Jacob [did so with] the twelve patriarchs.

Acts 7:8 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 7:8

And he gave him the covenant of circumcision
Or the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign or token, ( Genesis 17:11 ) . Stephen speaks here in the language of the Jews, who are wont to speak of circumcision after this manner; hence in the Jewish liturgy, there is a collect, (hlym tyrbl) , "for the covenant of circumcision" ^F8; and so it is said ^F9,

``when Joseph died, they made void the "covenant of circumcision":''

and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day;
according to the express command in ( Genesis 17:12 ) (See Gill on Philippians 3:5)

and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs;
the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Seder Tephillot, fol. 197. 1. Ed. Basil. Vid. Kimchi in Mal. iii. 1.
F9 Shemot Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 90. 1.

Acts 7:8 In-Context

6 But God spoke like this: 'His descendants will be foreigners in a foreign land, and they will enslave them and mistreat [them] four hundred years,

7 and the nation {that} they will serve as slaves, I will judge,' God said, 'and after these [things] they will come out and will worship me in this place.'

8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac [did so with] Jacob, and Jacob [did so with] the twelve patriarchs.

9 And the patriarchs, [because they] were jealous of Joseph, sold [him] into Egypt. And God was with him,

10 and rescued him from all his afflictions and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here the words "[did so with]" are not in the Greek text but are implied; in view of the "covenant of circumcision" mentioned earlier in the verse, it is probable that circumcision and not just fatherhood is involved
• [b]. *Here the words "[did so with]" are not in the Greek text but are implied; see the note on the same phrase earlier in this verse