Now the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
Parallel translations
- WEB The high priest said, “Are these things so?”
- KJV Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
- BSB Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
- NKJV Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
- NLT Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”
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
The high priest asks Stephen whether the charges are true. Stephen is given the floor to answer for his faith.
Overview
The question opens Stephen's lengthy defense, the longest speech in Acts. Rather than a simple denial, Stephen will retell Israel's history to show God's purposes leading to Christ. His answer becomes a bold proclamation of the gospel before the very council that condemned Jesus.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- John 18:19–21The high priest therefore asked Jesus about his disciples, and about his teaching.
- Matt 26:61–62and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’”
- John 18:33–35Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
- Acts 6:13–14and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.
- Mark 14:58–60“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 7:1 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.