Acts 7 · Verse 9

Acts 7:9

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Acts 7:9, King James Version

Acts 7:9 in other translations

BSBBecause the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him
WEB“The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him
ASVAnd the patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him,
YLTand the patriarchs, having been moved with jealousy, sold Joseph to Egypt, and God was with him,
DARBYAnd the patriarchs, envying Joseph, sold him away into Egypt. And God was with him,
BBEAnd the brothers, moved with envy against Joseph, gave him to the Egyptians for money: but God was with him,
WebsterAnd the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

What does Acts 7:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 7:9-16
9-16. the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him--Here Stephen gives his first example of Israel's opposition to God's purposes, in spite of which and by means of which those purposes were accomplished.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 9. Moved with envy. That is, dissatisfied with the favour which their father Jacob showed Joseph, and envious at the dreams which indicated that he was to be raised to remarkable honour above his parents and brethren, Gen 37:3-11.

Sold Joseph into Egypt. Sold him, that he might be taken to Egypt. This was done at the suggestion of Judah, who advised it that Joseph might not be put to death by his brethren, Gen 27:28. It is possible that Stephen, by this fact, might have designed to prepare the way for a severe rebuke of the Jews for having dealt in a similar manner with their Messiah.

But God was with him. God protected him, and overruled all these wicked doings, so that he was raised to extraordinary honours.

(f) "envy" Gen 37:28, Ps 105:17 (g) "God was with him" Gen 39:2,21

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 And the patriarchs - The twelve sons of Jacob, thus called because each was chief or head of his respective family or tribe. Moved with envy - Ζηλωσαντες. We translate ζηλος variously: zeal or fervent affection, whether its object be good or bad, is its general meaning; and ζηλοω signifies to be indignant, envious, etc. See the note on Act 5:17. The brethren of Joseph, hearing of his dreams, and understanding them to portend his future advancement, filled with envy, (with which no ordinary portion of malice was associated), sold Joseph into the land of Egypt, hoping by this means to prevent his future grandeur; but God, from whom the portents came, was with him, and made their envy the direct means of accomplishing the great design.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 7:1-16

Stephen was charged as a blasphemer of God, and an apostate from the church; therefore he shows that he is a son of Abraham, and values himself on it. The slow steps by which the promise made to Abraham advanced toward performance, plainly show that it had a spiritual meaning, and that the land intended was the heavenly. God owned Joseph in his troubles, and was with him by the power of his Spirit, both on his own…

Read the full comment on Acts 7:1-16 →

Acts 7:9 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
οἱhoitheG3588
πατριάρχαιpatriarchaipatriarchsG3966
ζηλώσαντεςzēlōsanteshaving enviedG2206
τὸνton<the>G3588
ἸωσὴφIōsēphJosephG2501
ἀπέδοντοapedontosold [him]G591
εἰςeisintoG1519
Αἴγυπτον·AiguptonEgypt;G125
καὶkaiButG2532
ἦνēnwasG1510
ὁho<the>G3588
θεὸςtheosGodG2316
μετ᾽met᾽withG3326
αὐτοῦautouhimG846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Acts 7:9

  • Genesis 39:2

    And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

  • Psalms 105:17

    He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:

  • Isaiah 43:2

    When 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.

  • Genesis 45:4

    And 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.

  • Isaiah 41:10

    Fear 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.

  • Matthew 27:18

    For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

  • Genesis 49:23-24

    The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

  • Genesis 37:18-29

    And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. …

  • Genesis 39:21-23

    But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

  • Genesis 39:5

    And 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.

  • Genesis 37:4-11

    And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. …

  • Genesis 50:15-20

    And 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. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
moved.
Ge 37:4-11; 49:23; Mt 27:18
sold.
Ge 37:18-29; 45:4; 50:15-20; Ps 105:17
but.
Ge 39:2,5,21-23; 49:24; Isa 41:10; 43:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Acts 7:8

    And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

  • Acts 7:9

    And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

  • Acts 7:10

    And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

Read all of Acts 7

Acts 7:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y los patriarcas, movidos de envidia, vendieron á José para Egipto; mas Dios era con él,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et les patriarches, étant pleins d’envie contre Joseph, le vendirent pour être mené en Égypte; et Dieu était avec lui;
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und die Patriarchen, neidisch auf Joseph, verkauften ihn nach Ägypten. Und Gott war mit ihm
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et patriarchæ æmulantes, Joseph vendiderunt in Ægyptum: et erat Deus cum eo,