Acts 7:5

5. Gave him none inheritance—Stephen (accused of blaspheming “this holy place”) proves thus from their own history that this holy place was once devoted to the Canaanites. Their ancestor was not allowed a foot-track of it.

No child—Though in his old age, Abraham had no heir to inherit the promise of the future possession.

I. PHILIP, ONE OF THE SEVEN, EVANGELIZES SAMARIA, Act_7:5-40.

5. Philip—Stephen closes the Pentecostal Church; Philip opens the missionary or modern Church. To Stephen belongs the headship of the glorious army of martyrs, to Philip the leadership of the glorious army of foreign missionaries. Both were forerunners of Paul; the former in proclaiming the cessation of ritualism, the latter in heralding the Gospel beyond the boundaries of Judaism. Paul was Stephen and Philip united and enlarged.

It may appear a strange accident that not to apostles, but to mere so-called deacons such honours should be given. The fact, however, tells deacons, and even laymen, that working and dying for Christ are not privileges confined to dignitaries alone. But special reasons existed for this apparent accident. The great Head of the Church designed that the apostolic twelve should not yet be diminished by martyrdom; so they were holden back by a divine official conservatism, and to a deacon was it given to do the martyr’s work of first proclaiming the downfall of the ritual.

A striking contrast is apparent in the characters of Stephen and Philip. The whole history of the former grows out of his own intense, stern, tragic personality; whereas the latter appears cheery, spiritualistic, and alert, and the effects he accomplishes are produced almost unexpectedly to himself, and rather through him than by him. The only express words of his recorded (Act_7:30) contain a pleasantry.

Went down—Down not from higher grounds, but from the more eminent capital.

The city of Samaria—Without the article in Greek, and so held by most later scholars to mean a city; that is, some unknown city of the province of Samaria. But neither our view of Luke’s acquaintance with the present facts, (note on Act_7:9,) nor the familiar fulness of the narrative, permit us to suppose that the true locality was to him unknown. We find in πολιν της Σαμαρειας a genitive of apposition like πολεις Σοδομων και Γομορρας, Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 2Pe_2:7. So Urbs Romae, Flumen Rheni, city of Rome, river of the Rhine. The definite article is omitted because the city is made definite by the genitive. (See Winer, Gram. New Test., pp. 125, 531.) Some authorities supply the article, such as Lachmann and Tischendorf.

Samaria—The city of Samaria was the capital of the great province of Samaria, and of the kingdom of Israel while independent and separate from Judea. Its position is nearly the centre of Palestine. It was founded by King Omri, upon a hill bought of its owner, Shemer, after whom it is named, and signifies watch-height. It was a place of singular beauty and of powerful defences, excelling Jerusalem in both respects. During the kingdom of Israel it was eminently idolatrous, was the seat of a temple of Baal, and was denounced by the voice of the prophets. It was the scene of many of the acts of Elijah and Elisha. It was depopulated in the time of the captivity, but rebuilt and adorned with magnificent streets and edifices by Herod, who received it as a present from Augustus, whose name it bore in the Greek form, Sebaste. Such were its condition and name when visited by our Philip.

Preached Christ—The Christ who, less than nine years ago, had preached himself to Shechem, in Samaria. There may have been hearers of Philip who remembered the person of Jesus himself. And Philip himself had, doubtless, heard from the apostles the parable of the good Samaritan. In connection herewith, read our notes on Mat_10:5, and John 5.

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

Act 7:5. Οὐδὲ βῆμα ποδὸς, not even so much as to set his foot on) That land, concerning which Act 7:16 treats, Abraham did not receive by the Divine gift, but bought; the very fact of the purchase implying that he was a stranger.—ἐπηγγείλατο, He promised) Gen 12:7.—αὐτὴν, it) the whole of it.—οὐκ ὄντος αὐτῷ τέκνου, when he had as yet no child) Not even Ishmael as yet was born: nor was there any hope of offspring, on account of the barrenness of Sarah. Both the inheritance and the posterity itself was according to (by) promise. This clause makes an Epitasis (Emphatic addition to what precedes. See Append.), as does that clause, not even so much as to set his foot on.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act_7:5. Κληρονομία, נַחֲלָה, hereditary possession. Heb_11:8.

βῆμα ποδός] LXX. Deu_2:5 (כַּף־רֶגֶל), spatium, quod planta pedis calcatur. Comp. on βῆμα in the sense of vestigium, Hom. H. Merc. 222, 345. On the subject-matter, comp. Heb_11:9.

καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο] Gen_13:15. Καί is the copula. He gave not … and promised (the former he omitted, and the latter he did).

καὶ τᾷ σπέρμ. αὐτοῦ] καί is the simple and, not namely (see Gen. l.c.). The promise primarily concerned Abraham as the participant father of the race himself. Comp. Luk_1:71.

This verse, too, stands apparently at variance with Genesis, where, in chap. 23., we are informed that Abraham purchased a field from the sons of Heth. But only apparently. For the remark οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ … ποδός refers only to the first period of Abrahams residence in Palestine before the institution of circumcision (Act_7:8), while that purchase of a field falls much later. It was therefore quite superfluous, either (with Drusius, Schoettgen, Bengel) to emphasize the fact that Abraham had not in fact acquired that field by divine direction, but had purchased it, or (with Kuinoel and Olshausen) to have recourse to the erroneous assumption (not to be justified either by Joh_7:8 or by Mar_11:13) that οὐκ stands for οὔπω.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 7:5 . κληρονομίαν : the field which Abraham bought, Gen 23:9-17 , could not come under this title the field was Abraham’s purchase, not God’s gift as κληρονομία (see Meyer-Wendt, and Westcott, Heb 6:12 , additional note, also Bengel, in loco ); Act 7:16 sufficiently shows that Stephen was fully acquainted with Abraham’s purchase of the field. οὐδὲ βῆμα ποδός , cf. Deu 2:5 ; Deu 11:24 , same Hebrew ( cf. Heb 11:9 ), “spatium quod planta pedis calcatur” (Grimm); cf. also its use in Xen. It may have been a kind of proverbial expression, cf. Gen 8:9 (Schöttgen). καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο , cf. Gen 12:7 (Gen 17:8 , Gen 48:4 ), so that here again God appeared unto Abraham in what was a strange and heathen land. See also for verb, Jas 1:12 ; Jas 2:5 . On the force of the word see p. 54. εἰς κατάσχεσιν : “in possession,” R.V., the A.V. renders the word in its secondary or derivative sense, which is found in Act 7:45 . οὐκ ὄντος αὐτῷ τέκνου : the faith of Abraham “tecte significatur” (Blass), first because nothing was given there was only a promise and secondly because the promise was made while yet he had no child.

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

Not so much ground as to set his foot upon.

The promise of the possession was certain and belonged to Abraham, though his posterity enjoyed it a great while after his death: and this is the figure Synecdoche.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 5. Gave him none inheritance] Both Abraham and Jacob had small parcels of land in Canaan; but they had them by purchase, not by God's gift; for, as Abraham was obliged to buy a burying-place in Canaan, Ge 23:3-18, it is obvious he had no inheritance there.

And to his seed after him] See Ge 12:7 (note); Ge 13:15, and the notes there.

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

5. We must note three firings in this place; that God exercised the patience of his servant, because, after that he had brought him out of his own country, he dwelt in the land of Canaan as a stranger.

[First,] For Abraham possessed not one foot’s-breadth, save only that which he bought to bury in. And that is counted no possession which serveth not for the uses of this life. Secondly, forasmuch as that field was bought, Stephen doth for good causes say, that God gave Abraham nothing. For that could not be gotten either with money, or by any other means which man could invent, which Abraham did hope for of the promise.

Secondly, we must note, that though God did not show Abraham the thing itself as yet, yet did he uphold him by his word. And this is our stay, when God promiseth that that is laid up for us which as yet we possess not. Therefore, when as the thing, that is, the possession of the land, was wanting, Abraham had for his help and stay the promise of God; and being content with the same alone, he desired nothing in the land of Canaan save only an uncertain resting-place wherein he might sojourn.

For as much as [επαγγελλεσθαι] signifieth simply to promise, I thought there was no cause why, with Erasmus, I should translate it in this place, to promise again. For I resolve it adversatively, although he had promised, that by the way we may note as it were, a show of deceiving, unless peradventure some man be disposed to apply it unto the promises which are oftentimes repeated.

Thirdly, we must note that the promise was such that it did not much differ from a mere mock. God promised the land to the seed of Abraham when he was fourscore years old, and had to wife one that was barren, neither had he any hope to have any issue. This seemeth to be more than frivolous. For why doth he not rather promise that he will give him seed? But this was a notable trial of faith, in that Abraham, without asking any question, or any curious disputation, did obediently and meekly embrace that which he had heard proceed out of the mouth of the Lord. Therefore, let us remember that God doth so lift up and comfort his servant with his word, that he doth not only defer the giving of the thing, but also he may seem after a sort to mock him; as he dealeth with us also in some respect. For, although he call us the heirs of the world, (James 2:5,) he suffereth us oftentimes to want even a competent living and necessary helps. And this doth he of set purpose, that he may bring the wisdom of the flesh to nought, seeing that we do not otherwise give due honor to his word.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(5) And he gave him none inheritance.—The apparent exception of the field and cave of Machpelah (Gen_23:9-17) was not a real one. That was purchased for a special purpose, not given as an inheritance.

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

5. And he gave him none inheritance in it] The first settlement of Abraham in Canaan is said (Gen_12:6) to have been at the place of Sichem [Shechem] at the plain [rather, oak] of Moreh. He next dwelt on the east of Bethel, and in both these places he probably purchased land, for he built an altar at each; and on returning from Egypt (Act_13:3) he came “to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai,” which he hardly could have done unless the land had been his own, for he “was very rich in cattle.”

no, not so much as to set his foot on] For the land, when God gave it, would be held in very different manner from that in which Abraham held the land which he had bought or hired.

yet he promised] Better, and he promised. The conjunction is the ordinary copulative.

that he would give it to him for a possession] More literally, in possession. The promise “unto thy seed will I give this land” was first made (Gen_12:7) when Abraham was at the place of Shechem, and in its greater fulness when he returned from Egypt (Act_13:15-16).

when as yet he had no child] We cannot learn from Holy Writ how long a time Abraham lived after the promise before Isaac was born, but we can see that it was a long period, for when he went down to Egypt Sarah was a fair woman in the prime of her beauty (Gen_12:14), and she was “waxed old” (Act_18:12) before her son was born.

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.

And he gave him none inheritance in it,.... To be personally enjoyed by him; and which was a great trial to Abraham's faith, to be brought out of his country, and into another land, and which was promised to him and his; and yet, as not the whole, so not a single part of it was given him to possess:

no, not so much as to set his foot on: so that when Sarah his wife died, he was obliged to buy a piece of ground for a burying place to bury her in: and which could not be said to be given him by the Lord, for he bought it with his money:

yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child; which was another exercise of Abraham's faith, that he should have a whole country promised him and his seed, and yet had no seed given him; see Gen 12:7.

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

4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

Ver. 5. No, not so much as] A holy proverb: Deu 2:5; "Even to the treading of the sole of the foot." The first purchase that Abraham made was for a burial place.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he gave him none inheritance - Abraham led a wandering life; and this passage means that he did not himself receive a permanent possession or residence in that land. The only land which he owned was the field which he “purchased” of the children of Heth for a burial place, Gen. 23: As this was obtained by “purchase,” and not by the direct gift of God, and as it was not designed for a “residence,” it is said that God gave him no “inheritance.” It is mentioned as a strong instance of his faith that he should remain there without a permanent residence himself, with only the prospect that his children, at some distant period, would inherit it.

Not so much as to set his foot on - This is a proverbial expression, denoting in an emphatic manner that he had no land, Deu 2:5.

Would give it to him - Gen 13:15. Abraham did not himself possess all that land; and the promise is evidently equivalent to saying that it would be conferred on the family of Abraham, or the family of which he was the father, without affirming that “he” would himself personally possess it. It is true, however, that Abraham himself afterward dwelt many years in that land as his home, Gen. 13, etc.

For a possession - To be held as his own property.

When as yet he had no child - When there was no human probability that he would have any posterity. Compare Gen 15:2-3; Gen 18:11-12. This is mentioned as a strong instance of his faith; “who against hope believed in hope,” Rom 4:18.

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

Not the pace of a foot; not so much as a foot of land, that is, to dwell in, though he bought there a place to bury in. (Genesis xxiii. 9.) (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

He gave him none inheritance in it; it is true that Abraham had a field, and the cave of Mach-pelah, Gen 23:9; but that was of no use to Abraham whilst alive, but to bury him in when dead; besides, it was not as an inheritance by God’s gift, but it was purchased with his money.

Not so much as to set his foot on; whereby the least parcel of ground is meant: hence St. Stephen would prove, that Abraham’s happiness, and theirs too, if they rightly understood it, did not depend upon the enjoyment of that place and country.

And to his seed after him; faith met with a double difficulty, not only Abraham must believe he should have all that country given him for an inheritance, in which he had not a foot of land, but he must also believe that it should be his seed’s after him, whenas he had no children; but thus faith is

the evidence of things not seen, Heb 11:1.

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

And for yet, A.V.; in for for a, A.V. He gave him none inheritance, etc. (comp. Heb_11:8, Heb_11:9)

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

No, not to set his foot on - For the field mentioned, ver. 16, he did not receive by a Divine donation, but bought it; even thereby showing that he was a stranger in the land.

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

5-8. Having now introduced Abraham, and brought him into the land of Canaan, Stephen quotes the prophesy, connected with the fulfillment of which he is to find the chief points of his argument. (5) " And he gave him no inheritance in it, not a footprint: and he promised to give it for a possession to him and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. (6) But God spoke thus: That his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and they should bring them into bondage, and afflict them four hundred years. (7) And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage, I will judge, said God, and after these things they shall come forth, and serve me in this place. (8) And he gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so he begot Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac, Jacob; and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs. "

The period of four hundred years is taken by Stephen from Genesis 15:13 , where God expresses himself, in round terms, of a period which was, more accurately, four hundred and thirty years, as we find in Exodus 12:40-41 . This was not the period of their actual sojourn in Egypt; but, as we learn from Paul, ( Galatians 3:17 ,) and from the genealogical tables in Genesis and Exodus, it extended from the call of Abraham to the departure from Egypt.

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.

5. Gave him none inheritance in it. Abraham possessed Canaan only by faith. He looked to the fulfillment of the promise, that it would be the possession of his children when he had neither land nor seed. See Heb. 11:8–16.

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.

5. δοῦναι αὐτῷ with BCDHP. Vulg. ‘dare illi.’

5. καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ κ.τ.λ., and he gave him no inheritance in it. The first settlement of Abraham in Canaan is said (Gen 12:6) to have been at the place of Sichem [Shechem] at the plain [rather, oak] of Moreh. He next dwelt on the east of Bethel, and in both these places he probably purchased land, for he built an altar at each; and on returning from Egypt (Act 13:3) he came ‘to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai,’ which he hardly could have done unless the land had been his own, for he ‘was very rich in cattle.’

οὐδὲ βῆμα ποδός, not so much as to set his foot on. The expression is in LXX. Deu 2:5. The land which God gave to Abraham’s seed would be held on a very different tenure from that on which Abraham held that which he bought or hired.

καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο. The promise ‘unto thy seed will I give this land’ was first made (Gen 12:7) when Abraham was at the place of Shechem, and in its greater fulness when he returned from Egypt (Act 13:15-16).

οὐκ ὄντος αὐτῷ τέκνου, when he had no child. We cannot learn from Holy Writ now long a time after the promise Abraham lived before Isaac was born, but we can see that it was a long period, for when he went down to Egypt Sarah was a fair woman in the prime of her beauty (Gen 12:14), and she was ‘waxed old’ (Act 18:12) before her son was born.

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.

5. οὐκ ἔδωκεν] There is no occasion here to wrest our text in order to produce accordance with the history. The field which Abraham bought for the burial of his dead surely did not come under the description of κληρονομία, nor give him any standing as a possessor in the land. To avoid this seeming inconsistency, Schöttgen and Bengel lay a stress on ἔδωκεν, ‘agrum illum … non ex donatione divina accepit Abraham, sed emit, ipsa emtione peregrinum eum esse docente’ (Bengel). Kuinoel and Olshausen take οὐκ for οὔπω.

καί before ἐπηγγ. is not ‘yet’ (Beza), nor is ἐπηγγ. to be construed pluperfect (id.); and he promised is the simple rendering of the words, and the right one. The following καί is by Kuin. rendered ‘nimirum:’ but again it is only the simple copula, וּלְזַרְעֲךָ.

6,

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Inheritance [κληρονομιαν] . See on 1Pe 1:4.

Not so much as to set his foot on [ουδε βημα ποδος] . Lit., not even the stepping of a foot. From the original meaning, a pace or step, which occurs only here in the New Testament, comes the sense of a step considered as a raised place or seat, and hence a tribune or judgment - seat, which is its meaning in every other passage of the New Testament.

Possession [κατασχεσιν] . Only here and ver. 45. See on keep, Luk 8:15. It denotes a permanent possession.

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