Acts 7:10

And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:1-16 Stephen was charged as a blasphemer of God, and an apostate from the church; therefore he shows that he is a son of Abraham, and values himself on it. The slow steps by which the promise made to Abraham advanced toward performance, plainly show that it had a spiritual meaning, and that the land intended was the heavenly. God owned Joseph in his troubles, and was with him by the power of his Spirit, both on his own mind by giving him comfort, and on those he was concerned with, by giving him favour in their eyes. Stephen reminds the Jews of their mean beginning as a check to priding themselves in the glories of that nation. Likewise of the wickedness of the patriarchs of their tribes, in envying their brother Joseph; and the same spirit was still working in them toward Christ and his ministers. The faith of the patriarchs, in desiring to be buried in the land of Canaan, plainly showed they had regard to the heavenly country. It is well to recur to the first rise of usages, or sentiments, which have been perverted. Would we know the nature and effects of justifying faith, we should study the character of the father of the faithful. His calling shows the power and freeness of Divine grace, and the nature of conversion. Here also we see that outward forms and distinctions are as nothing, compared with separation from the world, and devotedness to God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And delivered him ... - That is, restored him to liberty from his servitude and humiliation, and raised him up to high honors and offices in Egypt.

Favour and wisdom - The favor was the result of his wisdom. His wisdom was particularly evinced in interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, Genesis 41.

And he made him governor ... - Genesis 41:40.

All his house - All the family, or all the court and government of the nation.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

9-16. 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.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

And delivered him out of all his afflictions; the effect of God’s presence with him, which to his people is always in an especial manner, not only as he is with all other creatures, but as the soul is with the body, most effectually, so is God with them.

And gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh: thus God brought Daniel into favour, Daniel 1:9, and hath all hearts in his hands.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And delivered him out of all his afflictions,.... From the evil designs of his mistress, and from all the miseries of a prison:

and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so Justin in the place above cited says, that Joseph was very dear to the king; but not through his knowledge of magic arts, as he suggests, but on account of the wisdom which God gave him; for when he is said to have favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, the meaning is, that he was highly esteemed of by him, because of the wisdom he saw in him; and both the favour he had with him, and the wisdom he had in himself, were from the Lord; and in a very humble and modest manner does he speak of himself, in Genesis 41:16 which Onkelos the Targumist paraphrases thus:

""not from my wisdom", but from the Lord, shall the peace of Pharaoh be answered;''

the name of this Pharaoh was Misphragmuthosis; by the Jews he is called Rian ben Walid (o):

and he made him governor over Egypt: a deputy governor under him; for Pharaoh kept the throne, and in it was greater than Joseph, and had the other ensigns of royalty, and Joseph rode in the second chariot to him:

and all his house; see Genesis 41:40 as he had the affairs of the kingdom committed to him, so likewise the domestic affairs of Pharaoh, he was steward of his household.

(o) Juchasin, fol. 135. 2.

Geneva Study Bible

And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him {g} favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

(g) Gave him favour in Pharaoh's sight because of his wisdom.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 7:10. ἧν ὁ Θεὸς μετʼ αὐτοῦ, cf. Genesis 39:2; Genesis 39:21; Genesis 39:23 (cf. Luke 1:28; Luke 1:66).—ἐξείλετο … ἐκ: the same construction in Genesis 32:11, Exodus 3:8, and in N.T., Acts 12:11; Acts 26:17, Galatians 1:4; so in classical Greek. The middle force of the verb in the sense of causing to be saved is lost.—χάρις, cf. Acts 2:41. The word means primarily, as the context shows, favour with man, cf. Genesis 39:21; but this χάρις was also a divine gift: ἔδωκεν. It is significant also that Pharaoh speaks of Joseph, Genesis 41:38, as a man in whom the spirit of God is, although no doubt the expression refers primarily to Joseph’s skill in foretelling and providing against the famine.—σοφίαν: in interpreting the king’s decree, Genesis 41:25 ff.—ἐναντίον, so in Genesis 39:21.—βασ. Αἰγ.: without the article as in Hebrew (Blass), cf. Genesis 41:46; see also Winer-Schmiedel, p. 185.—καὶ κατέστησεν, sc., Pharaoh, cf. change of subject as in Acts 7:4, in which Weiss also sees the hand of a reviser, but see above. The same word is used in Genesis 41:43, and cf. for ἡγούμενον the same chap., Acts 7:41, where the sense of the title is shown—the exact word is used of Joseph in Sir 49:15 (ἡγούμενος ἀδελφῶν); in N.T. four times in Luke, see Luke 22:26, Acts 7:10; Acts 14:12; Acts 15:22; elsewhere only in Hebrews, cf. Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13:17; Hebrews 13:24.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. For the history see Genesis 39-41.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 7:10. Ἐκ πασῶν, out of all) See 2 Timothy 3:11, note (Psalm 34:17).—κατέστησεν αὐτὸν ἡγούμενον ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον καὶ ὅλον τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ) Psalm 105:21 in the LXX., κατέστησεν αὐτὸν κύριον τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄρχοντα πάσης τῆς κτήσεως αὐτοῦ.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - Before for in the sight of, A.V. And delivered him, etc. And even so had he delivered his servant Jesus from the grave, and raised him to eternal life. Acts 7:10

Vincent's Word Studies

Afflictions (θλίψεων)

See on Matthew 13:21.