Acts 7:16
in Acts 7Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
KJV
And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
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This verse in Acts 7
Commentary
16 notes on this verseAnd were carried over into Sichem,.... The Syriac version reads in the singular number, "and he was translated into Sichem, and laid", &c. as if this was said of Jacob only, whereas he is not spoken of at all, only the fathers, the twelve patriarchs; for Jacob, though he was carried out of Egypt, he was not buried in Sichem, but in the cave of Machpelah, Gen 50:
This site's exposition
So Jacob went down to Egypt
on Acts 7:15-16
Stephen's single verse compresses two burials and two purchases into one. Genesis buries Jacob at Machpelah in a field Abraham bought from Ephron, and Joshua 24:32 buries Joseph at Shechem in ground Jacob bought from Hamor.
This site's exposition
Their bones were carried back
Clarke sets out the difficulty: Genesis 50:13 buries Jacob at Machpelah, and Joshua 24:32 names Jacob buyer of the Shechem ground from Hamor's sons. John Wesley answers that Stephen runs quickly through events his hearers knew well. He had no need to recite each one.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
The first example is taken from Abraham, showing that one ought not to hasten what is delayed by divine promises, for Abraham indeed sought to hasten the departure of his descendants from Egypt: although it was revealed to him that their imprisonment was to be …
"Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren." They came down to buy, and had to depend upon him for everything. What then did he? "He made himself known to his brethren:" not to this point only did he carry his friendliness; he also made them known to Pharaoh, and brought them down into the land. "And Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem." "Now there came a dearth," etc. On account of famine--such preparations is he making--"with threescore and fifteen souls," he says, "Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem." It shows, that they were not masters even to the extent of a burying-place.
All these things, however, are small, if measured to the ultimate heroism directed toward Christ. Therefore they are hard-hearted and uncircumcised in heart, and their ears are clogged. For which reason they were murderers of the prophets, bringing destruction upon themselves, and even of Christ, …
In many ways, through the present discourse the blessed Stephen refutes both his own gentleness toward the Jews and their ferocity toward him. For when he addresses them as brothers and fathers, what else is shown by these names than the proper relation of kinship? …
The Medieval Church1 voice
And he died and our fathers, and they were carried over to Shechem. Concerning Joseph alone, Scripture relates that his bones were transferred from Egypt and buried in Shechem. But from these blessed Stephen's words and from the writings of Saint Jerome, who lived in …
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
And they were placed in the tomb which Abraham bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. For Genesis teaches that Abraham bought the place of the tomb from Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, in Cariatharba, …
And they were placed in the sepulcher that Abraham had purchased for a sum of silver. In the Greek it is written: Our father Abraham, which the blessed Stephen added while speaking gently to his listeners so he would be heard longer and more willingly.
"And he himself died, and our fathers; and they were carried over into Shechem." Abraham with his family and the patriarchs were buried in Shechem, which perhaps was called "Sichem." Abraham bought this place himself in order to bury Sarah. "And were laid in the …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And were carried over to Shechem - It seems that St. Stephen, rapidly running over so many circumstances of history, has not leisure (nor was it needful where they were so well known) to recite them all distinctly.
He applies this to those that prosecuted him, and sat in judgment upon him, sharply reproving them for their wickedness, by which they had brought upon themselves the ruin of their place and nation, and then could not bear to hear of it,
It was when the time of the promise drew nigh --the time when they were to be formed into a people. During the first two hundred and fifteen years after the promise made to Abraham, the children of the covenant were increased but to seventy; but in the latter two hundred and fifteen years they increased to six hundred thousand fighting men.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
And were carried over to Sychem - “It is said, Gen 50:13, that Jacob was buried in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre. And in Jos 24:32, and Exo 13:19, it is said that the bones of Joseph were carried out of Egypt by the Israelites, and buried in Shechem, which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem. As for the eleven brethren of Joseph, we are told by Josephus, Ant. lib. ii. cap. 8. sect. 2, that they were buried in Hebron, where their father had been buried.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
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.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
20 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| μετετέθησαν | metetethesan | they were carried over | G3346 → | |
| εἰς | eis | into | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| Συχὲμ | suchem | Shechem | G4966 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐτέθησαν | etethesan | were placed | G5087 → | 100 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῷ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μνήματι | mnemati | tomb | G3418 → | |
| ᾧ | ho | which | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ὠνήσατο | onesato | bought | G5608 → | |
| Ἀβραὰμ | abraam | Abraham | G11 → | 73 times |
| τιμῆς | times | for a sum | G5092 → | 41 times |
| ἀργυρίου | arguriou | of silver | G694 → | 20 times |
| παρὰ | para | from | G3844 → | 192 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| υἱῶν | huion | sons | G5207 → | 377 times |
| Ἑμμὼρ | hemmor | of Hamor | G1697 → | |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| Συχέμ. | suchem | Shechem. | G4966 → |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
μετετέθησανthey were carried over
metetethesanG3346 →
εἰςinto
eisG1519 →1755 times
ΣυχὲμShechem
suchemG4966 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐτέθησανwere placed
etethesanG5087 →100 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
τῷthe
toG3588 →19766 times
μνήματιtomb
mnematiG3418 →
ᾧwhich
hoG3739 →1405 times
ὠνήσατοbought
onesatoG5608 →
ἈβραὰμAbraham
abraamG11 →73 times
τιμῆςfor a sum
timesG5092 →41 times
ἀργυρίουof silver
arguriouG694 →20 times
παρὰfrom
paraG3844 →192 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
υἱῶνsons
huionG5207 →377 times
Ἑμμὼρof Hamor
hemmorG1697 →
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
Συχέμ.Shechem.
suchemG4966 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 13:19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry…
it leads to
- Genesis 50:24–25
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac,…
- Joshua 24:32
And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father,…
- Genesis 48:21
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
- Genesis 50:24–25
Through
Joshua 24:32And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father,…
it leads to
- Genesis 50:25
And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
- Genesis 33:19
And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.
- Exodus 13:19
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry…
- Genesis 50:25
Through
Genesis 23:16Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 32:9
So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out seventeen shekels of silver.
- Zechariah 11:12
Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
- Jeremiah 32:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies27
On this verse
On this chapter
- Abraham
- Brit milah: circumcision on the eighth day
- Circumcision of the Heart
- Egypt's Famine Years and the Land of Pharaoh
- Grieving & Quenching the Spirit
- The Intermediate State
Show the next 6 titles
About Acts
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsAbrahamCalled out of Ur, the father of all who believe, justified by faith, and the friend of God through whose seed all nations are bles…
- PlaceCentral hill countryShechemThe city between Ebal and Gerizim where Abram built his first altar in the land, where Joshua set the people to choose whom they w…
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Acts; Bede, Retractions on Acts; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 16; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.