What is the meaning of Acts 7:16? Their bones were carried back to Shechem • The “bones” refer to the patriarchs whose remains symbolized their enduring hope in God’s promises (Genesis 50:25; Hebrews 11:22). • Carrying them out of Egypt underscored God’s faithfulness to deliver His people, just as He had foretold to Abraham (Genesis 15:13-14). • Stephen highlights this to show that even in death the fathers anticipated the land of promise, foreshadowing the believer’s own sure hope of resurrection (John 5:28-29; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). And placed in the tomb • Burial in a family tomb demonstrated covenant continuity—God’s promises linked each generation (Genesis 49:29-31). • A single resting place kept the patriarchs together, pointing to their unity as the founders of Israel (Psalm 133:1). • Tombs also served as physical reminders that God would one day raise the dead in that very land (Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:12-14). That Abraham had bought • Scripture records Abraham’s purchase of burial property (Genesis 23:3-20). Luke’s summary in Acts echoes that legal transfer, affirming land ownership by faith, not conquest. • No contradiction exists with Jacob’s later purchase at Shechem (Genesis 33:18-19). Both transactions happened; Stephen compresses the narrative, attributing the family burial ground to the patriarchal head whose faith initiated Israel’s claim (Joshua 24:32). • The purchase underlines that God’s people possessed a foothold in the promised land long before Joshua’s wars (Hebrews 11:9-10). From the sons of Hamor at Shechem • Shechem held deep covenant history: – Abram first received the promise there (Genesis 12:6-7). – Jacob built an altar there, calling it El-Elohe-Israel (Genesis 33:20). – Joshua later renewed the covenant there (Joshua 24:1, 25). • The “sons of Hamor” identify the local rulers, emphasizing a peaceful, legal purchase, not seizure (cf. Genesis 34:2, 6; Judges 9:28). • By naming them, Stephen shows Israel’s fathers engaging honorably with surrounding peoples (Romans 12:17-18). For a price he paid in silver • Silver sealed the deal, stressing the reality of the transaction (Genesis 23:15-16; 33:19). • Paying full price foreshadowed redemption: God later “redeemed” Israel from Egypt “with silver and gold” (Psalm 105:37) and ultimately redeemed sinners “not with perishable things such as silver,” but with Christ’s blood (1 Peter 1:18-19). • The mention of money reminds us that God’s promises engage everyday life—land, currency, contracts—and yet point to eternal realities (Luke 16:9). summary Stephen’s brief sentence (Acts 7:16) weaves a tapestry of covenant faithfulness: the patriarchs’ bones witnessed to resurrection hope; their transport to Shechem displayed God’s promise of land; the legally purchased tomb underscored rightful possession; and the silver price hinted at future redemption. Every detail confirms Scripture’s reliability and invites us to rest, as they did, in the certainty that God keeps His word now and forever. |
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