Acts 7:35 · Bible study
Acts 7:35 Commentary: Rejected Moses, Sent as Redeemer
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Stephen highlight the rejected Moses sent by God?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The rejected Moses is the one God sends as ruler and redeemer, prefiguring Christ’s rejection and exaltation.
- Key words: lutrōtēs (redeemer, used only here), apestalken (perfect tense ‘has sent’, a definitive act), syn cheiri (‘with the hand,’ indicating powerful agency).
- Main debate: Is the angel a created being or the pre-incarnate Son of God? Both views find support in the text and tradition.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over human rejection; typological connection between Moses and Jesus.
- Best use: In sermons on God’s call, the resistance to leaders, or the continuity between Old and New Testament redemption.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“This Moses whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
KJV King James Version 1769
This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`This Moses, whom they did refuse, saying, Who did set thee a ruler and a judge? this one God a ruler and a redeemer did send, in the hand of a messenger who appeared to him in the bush;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
This Moses, whom they refused, saying, Who made thee ruler and judge? him did God send [to be] a ruler and deliverer with the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
This Moses, whom they refused, saying: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge? Him God sent to be prince and redeemer, by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
A este Moisés, al cual habían rehusado, diciendo: ¿ Quién te ha puesto por príncipe y juez? á éste envió Dios por príncipe y redentor con la mano del ángel que le apareció en la zarza.
A este Moisés, ao qual tinham negado, dizendo: Quem te pôs por chefe e juiz, A este Deus enviou por chefe e libertador, pela mão do anjo que lhe apareceu na sarça.
Ce Moïse, qu’ ils avaient renié, en disant: Qui t’ a établi chef et juge? C’ est lui que Dieu envoya comme chef et comme libérateur avec l’ aide de l’ ange qui lui était apparu dans le buisson.
Diesen Mose, welchen sie verleugneten, da sie sprachen: Wer hat dich zum Obersten und Richter gesetzt? den sandte Gott zu einem Obersten und Erlöser durch die Hand des Engels, der ihm erschien im Busch.
Dezen Mozes, welken zij verloochend hadden, zeggende: Wie heeft u tot een overste en rechter gesteld? dezen, zeg ik, heeft God tot een overste en verlosser gezonden, door de hand des Engels, Die hem verschenen was in het doornenbos.
Quel Mosè che aveano rinnegato dicendo: Chi ti ha costituito rettore e giudice? Iddio lo mandò loro come capo e come liberatore con l’aiuto dell’angelo che gli era apparito nel pruno.
Tego Mojżesza, którego się byli zaprzali, mówiąc: Któż cię postanowił książęciem i sędzią? Tego Bóg książęciem i wybawicielem posłał przez rękę Anioła, który mu się ukazał w krzaku.
Сего Моисея, которого они отвергли, сказав: кто тебя поставил начальником и судьею? сего Бог чрез Ангела, явившегося ему в терновом кусте, послал начальником и избавителем.
這 摩西 就是 百姓棄絕 說『誰 立 你 作我們的首領 和 審判官』的； 神 卻藉 那 在 荊棘 中顯現 之使者 的手 差派 他 作首領、 作救贖的。
This Moses, whom they would not have, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? him God sent to be a ruler and a saviour, by the hand of the angel whom he saw in the thorn-tree.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Acts 7:35
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Stephen uses this verse to draw a sharp contrast between human rejection and divine appointment. Barnes notes that the refusal of Moses prepares for Stephen's charge that the nation has always been stiff-necked (Acts 7:51-52). Calvin adds that God delivered Israel ‘as it were against their will’, the same people who rejected Moses later received him as deliverer. The Cambridge Bible points out that the Greek verb apestalken (perfect tense) means ‘has sent’ and constitutes an appeal to history: God has already sent the rejected Moses as ruler and deliverer. Gill emphasizes the typology, noting that the word lutrōtēs (redeemer) appears only here in the New Testament, drawing a direct line to Christ’s redemptive work. Wesley identifies the angel as the Son of God, since the angel in the bush called himself Yahweh. All sources see Stephen reinforcing his hearers’ impending guilt: they reject Jesus just as their ancestors rejected Moses.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Typological fulfillment: The word 'redeemer' (λυτρωτής) and the pattern of rejection/exaltation point to Christ as the ultimate deliverer. Supported by Luke 24:27 and Acts 3:22-23.
- Historical analogy: Stephen is primarily making a rhetorical point about Israel's consistent rebellion; the Christological parallel is secondary. Relies on the immediate courtroom setting.
- Angel as pre-incarnate Son: The angel in the bush is identified as Yahweh in Exodus 3:4-6, and the phrase 'with the hand of the angel' links divine power to Christ's agency.
What is clear: God overrules human rejection and sends Moses as ruler and deliverer, establishing a pattern that Stephen uses to indict his hearers and point to Jesus.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Typology of Moses and Christ | Moses' experience of rejection followed by divine appointment foreshadows Jesus’ rejection and exaltation. | Some interpreters see this as a direct prophecy of Christ, while others see it as an analogy or pattern without direct predictive intent. |
| Identity of the angel in the bush | The angel appears to Moses and is closely associated with God, speaking as God. | Many early church fathers and Reformers identified the angel as the pre-incarnate Son of God; others hold that he is a created angel acting as God’s representative. |
| Use of 'redeemer' (lutrōtēs) for Moses | The term highlights that Moses’ deliverance of Israel is a type of redemption. | Some traditions see this as a strict typological link to Christ’s atoning work; others see it as a general term for deliverance without sacrificial overtones. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Stephen delivers this speech while on trial before the Sanhedrin (Acts 6:12-15). He retells Israel’s story from Abraham to Solomon, but he slows down at the life of Moses. The words in verse 35 echo Exodus 2:13-14, where Moses tries to stop a fight and one Hebrew says, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ Stephen points out that the very man they refused, the one whose authority they questioned, was the very man God chose to lead them out of slavery.
The phrase ‘ruler and deliverer’ carries political and theological weight. ‘Deliverer’ translates lutrōtēs, a word that normally describes someone who ransoms a captive by paying a price (Vincent). In the Greek Old Testament, it is used of God bringing Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 6:6 LXX). By using this rare term, Stephen casts Moses as a prototype of the redemption that Jesus would accomplish.
The ‘hand of the angel’ clause points back to the burning bush (Exodus 3). The angel is the one who appeared to Moses and whose presence accompanied Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 14:19; 23:20-23). Many early interpreters, including Wesley, identified this angel as the pre-incarnate Son of God because the bush narrative calls him Yahweh. Stephen’s audience would have recognized this as a claim about Jesus’ divinity and preexistence.
Textual Notes
The best manuscripts (P74, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) read syn cheiri (‘with the hand’) rather than en cheiri (‘by the hand’). The meaning is similar: the angel’s power or agency is in view. No significant variant affects the interpretation.
Reception History
The early church valued this verse for its high Christology: Irenaeus and Justin Martyr cited the angel of the bush as proof of the Son’s preexistence. In the Reformation, Calvin and others used the verse to argue that God’s call overrules human rejection, a theme taken up in sermons on the perseverance of the saints. Wesleyan traditions emphasize the perfect tense ‘has sent’ as a pledge that God completes what he begins. In modern scholarship, the verse is studied as a key example of Stephen’s retelling of Israel’s history to convict his audience of their resistance to God’s messengers.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Rejection precedes exaltation. Israel refused Moses before God sent him. Stephen shows that human rejection does not overturn God’s purposes.
- God’s appointments outrank human judgments. The people asked ‘Who made you a ruler?’, and God answered by making Moses ruler and deliverer.
- The pattern points to Christ. Moses is a type: rejected by his own, then sent by God to save. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment.
Five-point outline
- The demonstration of God’s sovereignty. Despite human refusal, God sends the same man to lead.
- The irony of history. Those who rejected Moses needed him most.
- The title ‘redeemer’. Only here used of Moses; it ties the exodus to the cross.
- The agency of the angel. The angel at the bush confirms divine commissioning and hints at Christ’s preexistence.
- The courtroom tactic. Stephen uses the ancestors’ sin to indict his hearers: they do the same to Jesus.
Illustration hooks
- The overlooked leader. A church calls a new pastor, and some members oppose him strongly. Years later, they see how God used him to guide the congregation through a crisis. The opposition did not cancel God’s call.
- The second chance. A student is told by teachers that he will never succeed. He later returns as a professor in the same school. The students who rejected him now learn from him.
- The rejected capstone. A builder discards a stone that later becomes the cornerstone of a building (Psalm 118:22). The rejection becomes the foundation.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does Stephen bring up Moses’ rejection if it happened 40 years before he was sent? He wants to show that Israel’s pattern of refusing God’s servants is old. It prepares his hearers to see that they are repeating that pattern with Jesus.
- Is the angel at the bush really Jesus? Many Christians see this as an appearance of the Son of God before his incarnation, because the angel speaks as God. Others view the angel as a special messenger representing God.
- What does it mean for us today when we reject someone God has chosen? It does not stop God’s plan, but it does implicate us in the same resistance that Israel showed. Repentance is the right response.
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in Stephen's speech that retells Israel's history. The group can explore how rejection and divine choice work together in Scripture and in their own lives. Read Acts 7:35 and the surrounding verses (30-39) aloud.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about how Stephen describes Moses? Why does he use the word ‘this’ repeatedly (verses 35, 36, 37, 38)?
- Compare the question in verse 27 (‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’) with God’s answer in verse 35. What does that contrast tell you about God’s response to human rejection?
- The Greek word lutrōtēs (redeemer) is used only here of Moses. What associations does ‘redeemer’ carry for you from the rest of the New Testament? How does that shape your understanding of Moses’ role?
- Stephen says God sent Moses ‘by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.’ How does that connection to the burning bush underscore Moses’ authority?
- In what specific ways does this verse foreshadow Jesus’ experience of rejection followed by exaltation?
- Think of a time when you felt rejected for doing something good. How might this verse encourage you to trust God’s calling even when people do not accept it?
- Stephen is on trial, yet he speaks boldly about his nation’s history. How can his example inspire you to speak truth in difficult situations?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 14:19 | The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them, and stood behind them. |
| Exodus 14:24 | In the morning watch, Yahweh looked out on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and confused the Egyptian army. |
| Exodus 23:20 | “Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. |
| Exodus 23:23 | For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off. |
| Exodus 32:34 | Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” |
| Exodus 33:2 | I will send an angel before you; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. |
| Exodus 33:12 | Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people;’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ |
| Exodus 33:15 | Moses said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that Stephen deliberately highlights the Israelites' refusal of Moses to expose their pattern of rejecting God's appointed deliverers, foreshadowing his later accusation against them. He also notes that the Greek word for deliverer (lutroten) properly means one who redeems by paying a ransom, but here is used in a broader sense of rescue.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the aggravating sin of the Israelites: they would have obeyed Moses if a tyrant had appointed him, but they rejected him when God sent him as a deliverer. Their unthankfulness and stubbornness required God's wonderful patience, and His miracles served both to display grace to unworthy people and to confirm Moses' authority.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Stephen draws a parallel: God sent back the rejected Moses to be a ruler and deliverer, using the perfect tense to present this as a settled historical fact. The phrase by the hand of the angel means with the power of God who appeared to Moses. Stephen leaves his hearers to infer that God will do the same with Jesus.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the irony that the very Moses the people rejected, asking who made him a ruler, is the one God sent as a prince and deliverer through the angel in the burning bush. God overruled their rejection by appointing him leader.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the very Moses the Israelites rejected was sent by God as their ruler and deliverer, acting through the uncreated Angel who appeared in the bush. This pattern, he argues, typifies Christ, who was also despised by his own people yet exalted as Lord and Savior.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the same Moses the Israelites rejected as their ruler later became their deliverer and leader. They see this as another instance of the principle stated in Psalm 118:22, where the stone the builders refused becomes the cornerstone, pointing to a pattern of rejection followed by exaltation.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry argues that Stephen's speech honors Moses rather than blasphemes him. Stephen recounts Moses' divine calling, miracles, and faithful leadership, showing the highest respect. The charge of blasphemy against Moses is therefore unfounded, as nothing could be said more honor
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights that the Greek word for Deliverer here is used only once in the New Testament, meaning a ransomer or redeemer. He also notes a textual variant where the phrase "by the hand" is better read as "with the hand," implying association with the angel's protecting power.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that God counts the sin of the fathers against the children when the children share the same rebellious spirit. He then identifies the angel who spoke to Moses as the Son of God himself, the angel of the covenant, who alone bears the name Jehovah and delivered the law.