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until another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.
Acts 7:18 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB until there arose a different king, who didn’t know Joseph.
  • KJV Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.
  • BSB Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt.
  • NKJV till another king arose who did not know Joseph.
  • NLT But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

A new Egyptian king arose who had no regard for Joseph, setting the stage for Israel's oppression. It shows how quickly worldly favor fades and how God's people came under bondage.

Overview

Stephen continues retelling Israel's history, moving from Joseph's honored position to the rise of a Pharaoh who knew nothing of him (Exodus 1:8). This transition marks the turn from favor to slavery in Egypt, fulfilling God's earlier word to Abraham that his descendants would be afflicted in a foreign land (Genesis 15:13). It quietly reminds Stephen's hearers that God's purposes advance even when human circumstances grow dark.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • Exod 1:8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 7:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 7:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.