Acts 7:41
39 But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’
At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.
42 But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.
- KJV
- And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
- WEB
- They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
- ASV
- And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
- DARBY
- And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
- BLB
- And in those days they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, and they were rejoicing in the works of their hands.
- ÅB
- Og de gjorde en kalv i hine dager og bar fram offer til avgudsbildet, og de gledet seg over sine henders verk.
- OTB
- På den tiden laget de en avgud i form av en kalv. De brakte ofre til den og gledet seg over det deres egne hender hadde laget.
- B1930
- Og de gjorde en kalv i hine dager og bar frem offer til avgudsbilledet, og de gledet sig over sine henders verk.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Psalms 106:19–21
At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped a molten image.
Read in contextNehemiah 9:18
Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,
Read in contextRevelation 9:20
Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.
Read in contextHosea 9:10
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to Shame; so they became as detestable as the thing they loved.
Read in contextHabakkuk 2:18–20
What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it— or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.
Read in contextHosea 9:1
Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.
Read in contextExodus 32:17–20
When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”
Read in contextIsaiah 2:8–9
Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.
Read in context