What is the meaning of Acts 7:37?

This is the same Moses

- Stephen points back to the very man God used to lead Israel out of Egypt (Acts 7:20-36).

- That reminder roots his listeners in history they know well: Moses, preserved in a basket (Exodus 2:1-10), commissioned at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-10), and empowered to confront Pharaoh (Exodus 7-12).

- Moses’ life shows God’s faithfulness in raising deliverers—foreshadowing the ultimate Deliverer, Jesus (Hebrews 3:5-6).

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who told the Israelites

- Moses functioned as the covenant mediator, faithfully repeating God’s words (Exodus 19:3-8; 24:3-8).

- He “told” them the Law (John 1:17) and consistently pointed them to God’s future plans.

- His role as spokesman lays the groundwork for recognizing Jesus as “the Word” who perfectly reveals the Father (John 1:14-18).

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‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me

- Direct quotation of Deuteronomy 18:15: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.”

- Moses clearly expected a singular, unique prophet—someone mirroring his own role yet surpassing it.

• Like Moses, Jesus speaks with divine authority (Matthew 17:5; John 12:49-50).

• Like Moses, Jesus mediates a covenant—but His is new and everlasting (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6).

- Early believers immediately applied this promise to Christ (Acts 3:22-23), and crowds recognized Him as “the Prophet” (John 6:14).

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from among your brothers.’

- The promised prophet would arise from Israel itself, not from a foreign nation (Romans 9:4-5).

- Jesus fulfills this by His incarnation into the tribe of Judah (Micah 5:2; Luke 3:23-33).

- “From among your brothers” underscores both His true humanity and His solidarity with His people (Hebrews 2:14-17), qualifying Him to represent us before God.

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summary

Acts 7:37 anchors Stephen’s defense—and our faith—in Moses’ prophecy that God Himself would provide a future prophet patterned after Moses yet greater in every way. That prophet is Jesus: raised up by God, born within Israel, speaking God’s very words, and mediating a superior covenant. By citing this verse, Stephen declares that rejecting Jesus means rejecting the very fulfillment Moses promised, while embracing Him aligns us with the consistent, unbroken witness of Scripture.