Acts 7:18

Act 7:18 . Cf. Exo 1:8 , and Jos., Ant. , ii., 9, 1. After ἕτερος add ἐπʼ Αἰγ ., see above. ἕτερος not ἄλλος , probably meaning the native sovereign after the expulsion of the Shepherd Kings, “Joseph,” B.D. 2 ; “Egypt,” B.D. 2 , pp. 886, 887; Hamburger, Real-Encyclopädie des Judentums , i., 5, pp. 759, 760; Sayce, Higher Criticism and the Monuments , p. 237. ἄχρις οὗ : only in Luke amongst the Evangelists, Luk 21:24 , Act 7:18 ; Act 27:33 . Sayce, following Dr. Naville, argues in favour of Ramses II. as the Pharaoh of the Oppression, see u. s. and Expository Times , January and April, 1899, but see on the other hand the number of February, p. 210 (Prof. Hamond), and Expositor , March, 1897, Prof. Orr on the Exodus. Joseph settled under the Hyksos or Shepherd Kings, but the words “who knew not Joseph” should apparently refer, according to Dr. Sayce, not to the immediately succeeding dynasty, i.e. , the eighteenth, in which a Canaanite might still have occupied a place of honour, but rather to the nineteenth, which led to the overthrow of the stranger, and to a day of reckoning against the Hebrews. But it becomes difficult to speak with absolute confidence in the present state of Egyptological research, see Expositor, u. s. , p. 177. οὐκ ᾔδει : in Robinson’s Gesenius , p. 380, the word is taken literally, or it may mean “who does not know Joseph’s history or services”; others take it “who had no regard for his memory or services”. Hamburger understands by it that Joseph was quite forgotten under the new national dynasty, whilst Nösgen refers to the use of οἶδα in Mat 25:12 .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 18. Which knew not Joseph.] That is, did not approve of him, of his mode of governing the kingdom, nor of his people, nor of his God. See Clarke on Ex 1:8.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(18) Which knew not Joseph.—The idiom was originally a Hebrew one, for “not remembering, not caring for;” but as the words are quoted from the LXX. they do not affect the question as to the language in which the speech was delivered.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. till another king arose, which knew not Joseph] The oldest authorities have, till there arose another king over Egypt, &c.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Till another king arose,.... In, or over Egypt, as the Alexandrian copy, and others, and the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read; in Exo 1:8 it is a new king; the Jewish writers are divided about him, whether he was a different king from the former; or only so called, because he made new edicts (d):

"Rab and Samuel, one says a new one absolutely: and the other says, because his decrees were renewed; he that says a new one absolutely, (thinks so) because it is written a new one; and he who says, because his decrees are renewed (or he makes new decrees, he thinks so) from hence, because it is not written, and he died, and there reigned; and (it makes) for him that says, because his decrees are renewed, what is written, "who knew not Joseph"; what is the meaning of that, "who knew not Joseph?" that he was like one who knew not Joseph at all.''

The Septuagint version of Exo 1:8 renders it "another" king, as does Stephen here; another king from the Pharaoh of Joseph: the name of this was Ramesses Miamun; and one of the treasure cities built for him seems to be called after his name, Raamses, Exo 1:11. The Jews call him Talma (e) and by Theophilus of Antioch (f) he is called Tethmosis; and by Artapanus (g), Palmanotha: "which knew not Joseph"; nor what great things he had done, to the advantage of the Egyptian nation; he was acquainted with the history of him, and of his worthy deeds, and therefore had no regard to his people, as the other Pharaoh had Josephus (h) says, the kingdom was translated to another family; which might be the reason why he was not known, nor his friends taken notice of: Aben Ezra says, he was not of the seed royal; wherefore it is written, "and there arose"; he the kingdom, and had not a just right and title so that being a stranger, it is no wonder that he should not know Joseph; Jarchi's note is,

"he made himself as if he did not know him''

he dissembled, he pretended ignorance of him, because he would show no respect unto his people. Beza's ancient copy, and another in the Bodleian library, read, "which remembered not Joseph".

(d) T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 53. 1. & Sota, fol. 11. 1. (e) Juchasin, fol. 135. 2. (f) Ad Autolycum, l. 3. p. 130. (g) Apud Euseb. de prep. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. (h) Antiqu. l. 2. c. 9. sect. 1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Till another king arose - This is quoted from Exo 1:8. What was the “name” of this king is not certainly known. The “common” name of all the kings of Egypt was “Pharaoh,” as “Caesar” became the common name of the emperors of Rome after the time of Julius Caesar: thus we say, Augustus Caesar, Tiberius Caesar, etc. It has commonly been supposed to have been the celebrated Rameses, the sixth king of the eighteenth dynasty, and the event is supposed to have occurred about 1559 years before the Christian era. M. Champollion supposes that his name was Mandonei, whose reign commenced in 1585 b.c., and ended 1565 years before Christ (Essay on the Hieroglyphic System, p. 94, 95). Sir Jas. G. Wilkinson supposes that it was Amosis, or Ames, the “first” king of the eighteenth dynasty (Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, vol. 1, pp. 42, 2nd ed.). “The present knowledge of Egyptian history is too imperfect to enable us to determine this point” (Prof. Hackett).

Which knew not Joseph - It can hardly be supposed that he would be ignorant of the name and deeds of Joseph; and this expression, therefore, probably means that he did not favour the designs of Joseph; he did not remember the benefits which he had conferred on the nation; or furnish the patronage for the kindred of Joseph which had been secured for them by Joseph under a former reign. National ingratitude has not been uncommon in the world, and a change of dynasty has often obliterated all memory of former obligations and compacts.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

These words are taken from the Septuagint, Exo 1:8.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. Another king arose—This other king who knew not Joseph is supposed to have been the founder of a new dynasty by conquest. For some ages Egypt was ruled by a line of so-called Shepherd kings, and it is with these that the Pharaohs known to the Hebrews are identified by Heeren and others, and these are supposed to have been dethroned by the native dynasty of kings. It was by this dynasty, probably, that the Hebrews were subsequently enslaved. But Sir J.G. Wilkinson holds that this new king was Amosis, the first of the eighteenth dynasty, or that of the Diospolitans from Thebes.

18. Simon saw—Simon now takes no share in the laying on of hands. He stood by, a spectator, and saw. Simon the Magus is intently gazing on Simon the Apostle: the very emblem of error and sin malignly eyeing the power of Christian truth and holiness, incapable of understanding its nature. He sees a work performed on the young Samaritan converts that raises them above themselves. He notes how beautiful and miraculous the results. These apostles he sees are higher than the deacon; they are the topmost masters of the new system, the possessors of the original wonder-working power, alone able to impart that power to others. From them, and not from their subordinate Philip, must the true primal secret be obtained.

Offered them money—He hopes to buy a seat in the apostolic college. From his name a mercenary traffic in holy things has, through the Christian ages, been called simony. “It is fortunate for us,” Dr. Hackett well says, “that our religious institutions in this country require us to obtain our knowledge of the term from a lexicon.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Over Egypt, R.T.; there arose another king for another king arose, A.V.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Another king - Probably of another family.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

See notes on verse 17

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18–21. For an account of the persecution of Israel and birth of Moses, see Exod. 1 and 2.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

18. ἐπ’ Αἴγυπτον added after ἕτερος with אABC. Vulg. ‘in Ægypto.’

18. βασιλεὺς ἕτερος ἐπ’ Αἴγυπτον, another king over Egypt.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Another [ετερος] . Not merely a successor, but a monarch of a different character.

Knew not. As sixty years had elapsed since Joseph 's death, and a new dynasty was coming to the throne, this may be taken literally : did not know his history and services. Some explain, did not recognize his merits.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.