And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Parallel translations
- WEB They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
- BSB At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.
- NKJV And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
- NASB At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.
- NLT So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.
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
They made a golden calf, sacrificed to it, and rejoiced in their own handiwork. This idolatry is the archetype of Israel's rebellion against God.
Overview
Stephen recalls the golden calf, the people sacrificing and celebrating before an idol of their own making (Exodus 32:4-6). Worshiping the works of their hands rather than the living God exposes the folly of idolatry. Stephen implies that trusting in human-made things over God's true word remains a danger, even regarding the temple.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 106:19–21They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.
- Neh 9:18Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
- Hos 9:1Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
- Hos 9:10I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
- Hab 2:18–20What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
- Rev 9:20And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
- Isa 2:8–9Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
- Exod 32:17–20And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
- Deut 9:12–18And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
- Isa 44:9–20They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
- Exod 32:2–8And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 7:41 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.