The Meaning of Acts 7:21 Explained

Acts 7:21

KJV: And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

YLT: and he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and did rear him to herself for a son;

Darby: And when he was cast out, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and brought him up for herself to be for a son.

ASV: and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when he  was cast out,  Pharaoh's  daughter  took  him  up,  and  nourished  him  for  her own  son. 

What does Acts 7:21 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 7:14-29 - Stephen's Defense: The Deliverer From Bondage
Moses, we are here told, was "mighty in words;" that is, in eloquence as well as in deeds. This confirms the statement of the Jewish historian, Josephus, that in the earlier part of his career, now lost in the oblivion of history, Moses led a very successful Egyptian expedition against Ethiopia. He complains to the Lord, in Exodus 4:10, of being slow of speech, but that probably refers to the habit of long disuse amid the silence and loneliness of the desert.
It is clear that, stung by the sense of wrong, Moses at first interfered with his own right arm to deliver his people. He smote the Egyptian, and essayed to judge between his brethren. God had to bring him into the dust by repeated failure and rejection that he might become an emptied and a broken vessel. God will not give glory to man. The treasure must be held in an earthen vessel, 2 Corinthians 4:7. It is when we come to the end of ourselves that we arrive at the beginning of God. The world has ever to learn what God can do by those who are wholly emptied of self-confidence but yielded to His hand. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 7

1  Stephen, permitted to answer to the accusation of blasphemy,
2  shows that Abraham worshipped God rightly, and how God chose the fathers,
20  before Moses was born, and before the tabernacle and temple were built;
37  that Moses himself witnessed of Christ;
44  and that all outward ceremonies were ordained to last but for a time;
51  reprehending their rebellion, and murdering of Christ, whom the prophets foretold
54  Whereupon they stone Stephen to death,
59  who commends his soul to Jesus, and humbly prays for them

Greek Commentary for Acts 7:21

When he was cast out [εκτετεντος αυτου]
Genitive absolute with first aorist passive participle of εκτιτημι — ektithēmi [source]
Took up [ανειλατο]
Second aorist middle indicative (with first aorist vowel α — a instead of ε — e as often in the Koiné{[28928]}š) of αναιρεω — anaireō common in the N.T. in the sense of take up and make away with, to kill as in Acts 7:28, but here only in the N.T. in the original sense of taking up from the ground and with the middle voice (for oneself). Quoted here from Exodus 2:5. The word was used of old for picking up exposed children as here. Vincent quotes Aristophanes (Clouds, 531): “I exposed (the child), and some other women, having taken it, adopted Nourished him for her own son (ανετρεπσατο αυτον εαυτηι εις υιον — anethrepsato auton heautēi eis huion). Literally, “she nursed him up for herself (εαυτηι — heautēi besides middle voice) as a son.” This use of εις — eis =as occurs in the old Greek, but is very common in the lxx as a translation of the Hebrew le. The tradition is that she designed Moses for the throne as the Pharaoh had no son (Josephus, Ant. ii. 9, 7). [source]
Nourished him for her own son [ανετρεπσατο αυτον εαυτηι εις υιον]
Literally, “she nursed him up for herself (εαυτηι — heautēi besides middle voice) as a son.” This use of εις — eis =as occurs in the old Greek, but is very common in the lxx as a translation of the Hebrew le. The tradition is that she designed Moses for the throne as the Pharaoh had no son (Josephus, Ant. ii. 9, 7). [source]
Took up [ἀνείλετο]
Used among Greek writers of taking up exposed children; also of owning new-born children. So Aristophanes: “I exposed (the child) and some other woman, having taken it, adopted ( ανείλετο ) it” (“Clouds,” 531). There is no reason why the meaning should be limited to took him up from the water (as Gloag). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 7:21

Acts 11:4 Expounded [εχετιτετο]
Imperfect middle of εκτιτημι — ektithēmi to set forth, old verb, but in the N.T. only in Acts (Acts 7:21; Acts 11:4; Acts 18:26; Acts 28:23), a deliberate and detailed narrative “in order” Old word for in succession. In the N.T. only in Luke 1:2; Luke 8:1; Acts 3:24; Acts 11:14; Acts 18:23. Luke evidently considered this defence of Peter important and he preserves the marks of authenticity. It came originally from Peter himself (Acts 11:5, Acts 11:6, Acts 11:15, Acts 11:16). “The case of Cornelius was a test case of primary importance” (Page), “the first great difficulty of the early Church.” Part of the story Luke gives three times (Acts 10:3-6, Acts 10:30-32; Acts 11:13.). See the discussion chapter 10 for details given here. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 7:21 mean?

Having been set outside then he took up him the daughter of Pharaoh and brought up for herself for a son
ἐκτεθέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀνείλατο αὐτὸν θυγάτηρ Φαραὼ καὶ ἀνεθρέψατο ἑαυτῇ εἰς υἱόν

ἐκτεθέντος  Having  been  set  outside 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἐκτίθημι  
Sense: to place or set out, put outside, expose.
ἀνείλατο  took  up 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀναιρέω  
Sense: to take up, to lift up (from the ground).
θυγάτηρ  daughter 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: θυγάτηρ  
Sense: a daughter.
Φαραὼ  of  Pharaoh 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Φαραώ  
Sense: was a common title of the native kings of Egypt.
ἀνεθρέψατο  brought  up 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀνατρέφω  
Sense: to nurse up, nourish up.
ἑαυτῇ  for  herself 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
υἱόν  a  son 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.

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