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And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Acts 7:9 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB “The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him,
  • BSB Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him
  • NKJV “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him
  • NASB “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,
  • NLT “These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with 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 patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt, yet God was with him. God remains faithful even when His own people sin against His chosen.

Overview

Stephen introduces a recurring theme: Israel's forefathers rejected the very ones God favored. Joseph, sold by jealous brothers, prefigures Christ, rejected by His own yet exalted by God. 'God was with him' assures that divine purpose prevails over human betrayal.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Gen 39:2And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
  • Ps 105:17He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
  • Isa 43:2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
  • Isa 41:10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
  • Gen 45:4And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
  • Gen 39:5And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
  • Gen 37:18–29And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
  • Matt 27:18For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
  • Gen 49:23–24The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
  • Gen 39:21–23But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
  • Gen 37:4–11And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
  • Gen 50:15–20And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 7:9YouTube · 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 7:9 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.