At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.
Parallel translations
- WEB But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed at him with one accord.
- KJV Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
- NKJV Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
- NASB But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one mind.
- NLT Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him
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 crowd shouted, covered their ears, and rushed at Stephen together. They refused to hear the truth and moved to silence him violently.
Overview
Unable to bear Stephen's testimony, the council stopped their ears and rushed him as one (compare Acts 7:51, resisting the Spirit). Covering their ears dramatizes their willful refusal to listen. Their unified violence shows how rejection of Christ hardens into murderous hostility.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Zech 7:11But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.
- Acts 23:27This man was seized by the Jews, and they were about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue him. For I had learned that he is a Roman citizen,
- Ps 58:4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
- Acts 21:27–31When the seven days were almost over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
- Prov 21:13Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
- Acts 7:54On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him.
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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 7:57 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
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