Acts 7:48

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(48) Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples.—The sequel shows the impression which these words made on the hearers. Stephen had risen to the truth which, though it had been proclaimed before, had been practically dormant. It broke down the thought of any exclusive holiness in the Temple, and therefore placed its downfall among the chances and changes which might be involved in God’s chastisement of the people, and His education of mankind. The inference which we have seen reason to draw as to the probability of some connection, direct or indirect, between Stephen and the Samaritans (see Notes on Acts 7:16 and Acts 6:5), suggests the thought that we may trace here something like an echo of the teaching of our Lord in His dialogue with the woman of Samaria (John 4:21-23). It is a fact of singular interest to note how one who now listened to the words as applied to the Temple of the God of Israel, afterwards embraced them in all their fulness, and used them as his text in asserting the truth they embodied as against the Temples of Zeus and Athenè (Acts 17:24).

As saith the prophet.—The truth which Stephen asserted had been uttered in the very dedication prayer of the Temple (1Kings 8:27). The builder of the Temple had himself felt that it was the witness not of a localised but a universal Presence. But he turns to what might seem to his hearers a yet higher authority—to the great prophet (Isaiah 66:1-2), who was preeminently the preacher of glad tidings, and who had closed his mission with the utterance of the truth that, whatever glory and greatness might attach to the Temple in Jerusalem, the prayer of him that was “poor and of a contrite spirit” was equally acceptable wherever it might be offered. The words were full of deep meaning in themselves. They were yet more significant as showing that the thoughts of Stephen had been turned to that great close of a great work, and that he must thus have been led to that wider vision of the future when all nations and tongues should be gathered to see the glory of the Eternal; and the work of Israel, especially of those who, like himself, belonged to the Dispersion, should be to declare His glory to the Gentiles, and when they, too, should be accepted as priests and Levites in the true Temple (Isaiah 66:21). Here also we may think of him as anticipating the widest and highest teaching of St. Paul.

Benson Commentary

Acts 7:48-50. Howbeit — Αλλα, but, or yet; we are not to imagine that God permitted a temple to be built even then for his own sake: for it was acknowledged, at the same time, by Solomon himself, that the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands — Be they ever so rich, splendid, and majestic. As saith the prophet — Namely, Isaiah, chap. Isaiah 66:1, where, speaking in the name of God, he says, Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool; and how then should my presence be confined to any particular place? What house will ye build me — Suitable for me; saith the Lord: or, what is the place of my rest? — Have I need of rest? What need have I of a house? either to rest in, or wherein to show my glory? Hath not my hand made all these things? — Whatever splendour any temples may have, did not I form the materials with which they are built, and endow the workmen, that fashioned them, with all their art and genius? Do not imagine, then, that you can confer any obligation upon me by such structures as these, or any act of homage which you can render to me in them, nor think that you can charm me to continue my abode there, or to be a constant guard to you, merely because you have such edifices among you.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:42-50 Stephen upbraids the Jews with the idolatry of their fathers, to which God gave them up as a punishment for their early forsaking him. It was no dishonour, but an honour to God, that the tabernacle gave way to the temple; so it is now, that the earthly temple gives way to the spiritual one; and so it will be when, at last, the spiritual shall give way to the eternal one. The whole world is God's temple, in which he is every where present, and fills it with his glory; what occasion has he then for a temple to manifest himself in? And these things show his eternal power and Godhead. But as heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool, so none of our services can profit Him who made all things. Next to the human nature of Christ, the broken and spiritual heart is his most valued temple.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Howbeit - But. Stephen was charged with speaking against the temple. He had now shown that he had due veneration for it, by his declaring that it had been built by the command of God. But he "now" adds that God does not need such a temple. Heaven is his throne; the universe his dwelling-place; and "therefore" this temple might be destroyed. A new, glorious truth was to be revealed to mankind, that God was not "confined" in his worship to any age, or people, or nation. In entire consistency, therefore, with all proper respect for the temple at Jerusalem, it might be maintained that the time would come when that temple would be destroyed, and when God might be worshipped by all nations.

The Most High - God. This sentiment was expressed by Solomon when the temple was dedicated, 1 Kings 8:27.

As saith the prophet - Isaiah 66:1-2. The place is not literally quoted, but the sense is given.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

45. which … our fathers that came after—rather, "having received it by succession" (Margin), that is, the custody of the tabernacle from their ancestors.

brought in with Jesus—or Joshua.

into the possession—rather, "at the taking possession of [the territory of] the Gentiles."

unto the days of David—for till then Jerusalem continued in the hands of the Jebusites. But Stephen's object in mentioning David is to hasten from the tabernacle which he set up, to the temple which his son built, in Jerusalem; and this only to show, from their own Scripture (Isa 66:1, 2), that even that temple, magnificent though it was, was not the proper resting-place of Jehovah upon earth; as his audience and the nations had all along been prone to imagine. (What that resting-place was, even "the contrite heart, that trembleth at God's word," he leaves to be gathered from the prophet referred to).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

This is also St. Paul’s doctrine, Acts 17:21, which divers amongst the wiser heathens were persuaded of; for God cannot be comprehended in any place, no, not where he is worshipped; and therefore they did foolishly conceive that the worship of God was so tied to the temple, as if he himself had been included in it.

In temples; the primitive Christians abstained from calling the places of their assembling by the name of temples; and were charged by their pagan enemies for having no altars, or temples, or images.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands,.... Such an one as Solomon's was; he did indeed dwell in his temple, but he was not confined to it, nor included in it, or circumscribed by it; and so much Solomon himself suggests, when he expresses his wonder at his dwelling on earth, seeing the heaven of heavens could not contain him, and still less the house which he had built, 1 Kings 8:27, "the most High", is one of the names of God, Genesis 14:18 the Apostle Paul says the same of God as Stephen does here; Acts 17:24 "as saith the prophet"; the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 66:1.

Geneva Study Bible

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 7:48-50. Nevertheless this ᾠκοδόμ. αὐτῷ οἶκον (Acts 7:47) is not to be misused, as if the presence of the Most High (observe the emphatic prefixing of ὁ ὕψιστος, in which lies a tacit contrast of Him who is enthroned in the highest heavens to heathen gods) were bound to the temple! The temple-worship, as represented by the priests and hierarchs, ran only too much into such a misuse. Comp. John 4:20 ff.

χειροποιήτοις] neuter: in something which is made by hands, Acts 17:24. Comp. LXX. Isaiah 16:12; 2 Chronicles 6:18.

Acts 7:49-50 contain Isaiah 66:1-2, slightly deviating from the LXX.

ὁ οὐρανὸς … ποδῶν μου] a poetically moulded expression of the idea: heaven and earth I fill with my all-ruling presence. Comp. Matthew 5:34; 1 Kings 8:27. Thus there cannot be for God any place of His rest (τόπ. τῆς καταπαύσ.), any abode of rest to be assigned to Him.

οἰκοδομήσετε] The future used of any possible future case. Baur[210] and Zeller have wrongly found in these verses a disapproving judgment as to the building of the temple, the effect of which had been to render the worship rigid; holding also what was above said of the tabernacle—that it was made according to the pattern seen by Moses—as meant to disparage the temple, the building of which is represented as “a corruption of the worship of God in its own nature free, bound to no fixed place and to no rigid external rites” (Zeller). Such thoughts are read between the lines not only quite arbitrarily, but also quite erroneously, as is evident from Acts 7:46, according to which the building of Solomon appears as fulfilment of the prayer of David, who had found favour with God; comp. 1 Kings 8:24. The prophetical quotation corresponds entirely to the idea of Solomon himself, 1 Kings 8:27. The quotation of the prophetic saying was, moreover, essentially necessary for Stephen, because in it the Messianic reformation, which he must have preached, had its divine warrant in reference to the temple-worship.

[210] With whom Schneckenburger in the Stud. u. Krit. 1855, p. 528 ff., concurred, ascribing to Stephen a view akin to Essenism.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 7:48. ἀλλʼ οὐχ: But the presence of the Most High (in contrast to the smallness of any building made by hands) was not so confined—the previous words must not be misunderstood by Stephen’s hearers. Solomon’s οἶκος might have given the idea of greater permanency, but still Isaiah had taught, Isaiah 66:1-2, and even the builder of the temple, Solomon himself, had acknowledged that God was not confined to any single place of worship, 1 King Acts 8:27, 2 Chronicles 6:18 (Hackett), cf. also David’s prayer, 1 Chronicles 29:10-19.—ἐν χειροποιήτοις ναοῖς κατοικεῖ—omit ναοῖς, probably an exegetical addition, cf. Acts 17:24, where the word is found. The omission makes the contrast with οἶκος still more emphatic. “But Solomon … a house, howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands” (R.V.). For χειροποίητος and ἀχειρ. see Westcott on Hebrews 9:11; Hebrews 9:24. Both words occur in Mark 14:58, in the charge of the false witness against our Lord. In the LXX χειροποίητος is used several times of idols made with hands, and occasion ally found in classical Greek. Weiss compares as a parallel with its use here Isaiah 16:12 (see R.V.), but the meaning is doubtful.—ὁ ὕψιστος, emphatic—Solomon’s building a house must not be misunderstood—see too Acts 7:49. ὁ ὕψ., Acts 16:17, used here absolutely (cf. Luke 1:32; Luke 1:35; Luke 1:76; Luke 6:35, without the article), so often in LXX, 2 Samuel 22:14, Psalm 17:13, and often in Psalms, Isaiah 14:14, Sir 12:6, etc. R.V. writes “Most High,” instead of A.V. “most High,” thus making the proper name of God more emphatic, cf. Winer-Schmiedel, p. 172—so in classical Greek Ζεὺς ὕψιστος; ὁ ὕψιστος θεός in Greek inscriptions of Asia Minor; for the Hebrew equivalents, see Grimm-Thayer, sub v. St. Stephen’s words apparently impressed at least one of his hearers, for the same thought is reproduced in the words of St. Paul at Athens, where he asserts the same truth, and makes St. Stephen’s words as it were his text to emphasise the real power and worship of God: “atque similiter hic Judæi atque illic Græci castigantur” (Blass), cf. the teaching of our Lord in John 4:21 (and see Flumptre’s note on this passage in Acts).—καθὼς ὁ προφ., Isaiah 66:1-2 (LXX). The quotation is almost identical with few slight changes, as e.g.,

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

48. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet] The oldest authorities omit temples. We must supply some English word to complete the sense; perhaps houses. Stephen allows that in the days of Solomon there seemed to be a more permanent abode appointed for God’s worship, but instantly points out that God through His prophet (Isaiah 66:1-2) had taught that He was not controlled by or confined to any place.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 7:48. Οὐκ, not) This particle put in the beginning of the sentence has great force. The same protestation was made by Solomon in the very act of dedicating the temple, 1 Kings 8:27.—ὁ Ὕψιστος, the Highest) An appropriate appellation. He is not to be contained by any edifice.—ἐν χειροποιήτοις, in what are made with hands) This is the ancient reading,[53] to which the more modern authorities have added ΝΑΟῖς, from ch. Acts 17:24 : ΧΕΙΡΟΠΟΊΗΤΑ is wont to be used by the LXX. absolutely for idols; also for shrines or sanctuaries, Isaiah 16:12. And most elegantly Stephen abstains from the term ναοῖς, refuting thus their superstition. The Divine manufacture (making with hands), is the whole universe of things, Acts 7:50.

[53] This reading is preferred both by the margin of the Ed. 2 and by the Vers. Germ., though the larger Ed. judged differently.—E. B.

So ABCDE Vulg. But Rec. Text adds ναοῖς, without any of the oldest authorities.—E. and T.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 48. - Houses (in italics) for temples, A.V. and T.R. The word ναοῖς (here, but not in Acts 17:24) is omitted in the R.T. In Isaiah 16:12. LXX. (quoted by Meyer), χειροποίητα (plural) is used without a substantive for the "sanctuary" (מִקְדּושׁ) of Moab. For the sentiment that the infinite God, Creator of heaven and earth, cannot be contained in a house built by the hands of men, see also 2 Chronicles 6:18, as well as the passages above quoted. Stephen justifies himself from the charge of having spoken blasphemous words against the temple by citing Isaiah 66:1. Acts 7:48

Vincent's Word Studies

The Most High

In contrast with heathen gods, who were confined to their temples.

Temples made with hands (χειροποιήτοις ναοῖς)

The best texts omit ναοῖς, temples. The meaning is more general: in things made with hands. The expression is, however, used of a sanctuary in Isaiah 16:12 : "Moab shall come to his sanctuary (τὰ χειροποίητα)." The phrase work, or works of men's hands, is common in the Old Testament of idols. See Deuteronomy 4:28; 2 Kings 19:18; 2 Chronicles 32:19; Psalm 115:4. Compare Mark 14:58; Ephesians 2:11; Hebrews 9:11, Hebrews 9:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1.