Acts 6:11

Amplified Bible

Then [to attack him another way] they secretly instructed men to say, "We have heard this man [Stephen] speak blasphemous (slanderous, sacrilegious, abusive) words against Moses and against God."

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
So they told some men to say, "We heard Stephen say bad things against Moses and against God!"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then sent they in men which sayd: we have hearde him speake blasphemous wordes agaynst Moses and agaynst God.

Hebrew Names Version
Then they secretly induced men who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moshe and God."

International Standard Version
So they secretly got some men to say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God."1 Kings 21:10,13; Matthew 26:59-60;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

New Century Version
So they secretly urged some men to say, "We heard Stephen speak against Moses and against God."

Update Bible Version
Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and [against] God.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and [against] God.

English Standard Version
Then they secretly instigated men who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

World English Bible
Then they secretly induced men who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then they suborned men who said, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God.

Weymouth's New Testament
Then they privately put forward men who declared, "We have heard him speak blasphemous things against Moses and against God."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne thei priueli senten men, that schulden seie, that thei herden hym seiynge wordis of blasfemye ayens Moises and God.

English Revised Version
Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

Berean Standard Bible
Then they prompted some men to say, "We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

Contemporary English Version
So they talked some men into saying, "We heard Stephen say terrible things against Moses and God!"

American Standard Version
Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

Bible in Basic English
Then they got men to say, He has said evil against Moses and against God, in our hearing.

Complete Jewish Bible
So they secretly persuaded some men to allege, "We heard him speak blasphemously against Moshe and against God."

Darby Translation
Then they suborned men, saying, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.

Etheridge Translation
Then they sent men and instructed them to say, We have heard him speak words of blasphemy against Musha and against Aloha.

Murdock Translation
Then they sent men, and instructed them to say: We have heard him speak words of blasphemy, against Moses and against God.

King James Version (1611)
Then they suborned men which said, We haue heard him speake blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

New Living Translation
So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God."

New Life Bible
So they told other men to say, "We have heard him say things against Moses and God."

New Revised Standard
Then they secretly instigated some men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then they suborned men, which saide, We haue heard him speake blasphemous wordes against Moses, and God.

George Lamsa Translation
Then they sent men and instructed them to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, they set on men who were saying - We have heard him speaking profane things against Moses and God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then they suborned men to say they had heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.

Revised Standard Version
Then they secretly instigated men, who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then they priuilie prepared men, whiche sayde, we haue heard him speake blasphemous wordes agaynst Moyses, and agaynst God.

Good News Translation
So they bribed some men to say, "We heard him speaking against Moses and against God!"

Christian Standard Bible®
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

King James Version
Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

Lexham English Bible
Then they secretly instigated men who said, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!"

Literal Translation
Then they induced some men to be saying, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!

Young's Literal Translation
then they suborned men, saying -- `We have heard him speaking evil sayings in regard to Moses and God.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sent they in certayne men, that sayde: We haue herde him speake blasphemous wordes agaynst Moses, and agaynst God.

Mace New Testament (1729)
they suborned men, who said, we have heard him speak irreverently of Moses, and of God.

THE MESSAGE
So in secret they bribed men to lie: "We heard him cursing Moses and God."

New English Translation
Then they secretly instigated some men to say, "We have heard this man speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God."

New King James Version
Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

Simplified Cowboy Version
When they couldn't beat him, they had some scoundrels lie and say they heard Steve talk crap about Moses, and even God.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

Contextual Overview

⁸Now Stephen, full of grace (divine blessing, favor) and power, was doing great wonders and signs (attesting miracles) among the people. ⁹However, some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, rose up and questioned and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence [and the power and inspiration] of the Spirit by whom he was speaking. ¹¹Then [to attack him another way] they secretly instructed men to say, "We have heard this man [Stephen] speak blasphemous (slanderous, sacrilegious, abusive) words against Moses and against God."¹²And they provoked and incited the people, as well as the elders and the scribes, and they came up to Stephen and seized him and brought him before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court). ¹³They presented false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law [of Moses]; ¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear down this place and will change the traditions and customs which Moses handed down to us." ¹⁵Then all those who were sitting in the Council, stared [intently] at him, and they saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they: Acts 23:12-15, Acts 24:1-13, Acts 25:3, Acts 25:7, 1 Kings 21:10, 1 Kings 21:13, Matthew 26:59, Matthew 26:60, Matthew 28:12-15, John 16:3, Romans 3:8

blasphemous: Acts 6:13, Acts 18:6, Acts 26:11, Leviticus 24:16, 1 Kings 21:10-13, John 10:33-36, 1 Timothy 1:13

against Moses: Acts 7:37-39, Acts 15:21, Acts 21:20-22, Acts 21:28, John 1:17, John 5:45-47, John 9:29, Hebrews 3:2-5

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:1 - an unrighteous witness Leviticus 19:16 - stand Leviticus 24:11 - blasphemed Psalms 27:12 - false Psalms 52:2 - Thy Proverbs 19:28 - An ungodly witness Isaiah 32:7 - lying Jeremiah 20:10 - Report Jeremiah 26:11 - for he Jeremiah 37:13 - Thou Ezekiel 22:9 - men that carry tales Zechariah 11:3 - for their Matthew 9:3 - This Mark 13:9 - take Mark 14:55 - sought Luke 5:21 - blasphemies John 9:28 - but Acts 7:58 - stoned Acts 24:9 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

Genesis 6:2
that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and desirable; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose and desired.

Genesis 7:1
Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you with all your household, for you [alone] I have seen as righteous (doing what is right) before Me in this generation.

Genesis 10:9
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."

Genesis 13:13
But the men of Sodom were extremely wicked and sinful against the LORD [unashamed in their open sin before Him].

2 Chronicles 34:27
"Because your heart was gentle and penitent and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and humbled yourself before Me, and tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," declares the LORD.

Psalms 11:5
The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And His soul hates the [malevolent] one who loves violence.

Psalms 55:9
Confuse [my enemies], O Lord, divide their tongues [destroying their schemes], For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Psalms 140:11
"Do not let a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil quickly hunt the violent man [to overthrow him and stop his evil acts]."

Isaiah 60:18
"Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise [to God].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then they suborned men,.... Hired false witnesses, which seems to have been commonly done by the Jews; so they did in the case of Christ:

which said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God; that is, against the law of Moses, and so against God, who gave the law to Moses, as appears from Acts 6:13 the blasphemous words seem to be, with respect to the ceremonial law, and the abrogation of it, which Stephen might insist upon, and they charged with blasphemy; see Acts 6:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then they suborned men - To suborn in law means to procure a person to take such a false oath as constitutes perjury (Webster). It has substantially this sense here. It means that they induced them to declare what was false, or to bring a false accusation against him. This was done, not by declaring a palpable and open falsehood, but by “perverting” his doctrines, and by stating their own “inferences” as what he had actually maintained - the common way in which people oppose doctrines from which they differ. The Syriac reads this place, “Then they sent certain men, and instructed them that they should say, etc.” This was repeating an artifice which they had before practiced so successfully in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. See Matthew 26:60-61.

We have heard ... - When they alleged that they had heard this is not said. Probably, however, they referred to some of his discourses with the people when he performed miracles and wonders among them, Acts 6:8.

Blasphemous words - See the notes on Matthew 9:3. Moses was regarded with profound reverence. His laws they held to be unchangeable. Any intimation, therefore, that there was a greater Lawgiver than he, or that his institutions were mere shadows and types, and were no longer binding, would be regarded as blasphemy, even though it should be spoken with the highest professed respect for Moses. That the Mosaic institutions were to be changed, and give place to another and a better dispensation, all the Christian teachers would affirm; but this was not said with a design to blaspheme or revile Moses. “In the view of the Jews,” to say that was to speak blasphemy; and hence, instead of reporting what he actually “did” say, they accused him of “saying” what “they” regarded as blasphemy. If reports are made of what people say, their very “words” should be reported; and we should not report our inferences or impressions as what they said.

And against God - God was justly regarded by the Jews as the giver of theft law and the author of their institutions. But the Jews, either willfully or involuntarily, not knowing that they were a shadow of good things to come, and were therefore to pass away, regarded all intimations of such a change as blasphemy against God. God had a right to change or abolish those ceremonial observances, and it was “not” blasphemy in Stephen to declare it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 6:11. Then they suborned men — υπεβαλον. They made underhand work; got associated to themselves profligate persons, who for money would swear any thing.

Blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. — This was the most deadly charge they could bring against him. We have already seen, Matthew 9:4, that blasphemy, when against GOD, signifies speaking impiously of his nature, attributes, or works; and, when against men, it signifies speaking injuriously of their character, blasting their reputation, c. These false witnesses came to prove that he had blasphemed Moses by representing him as an impostor, or the like and GOD, by either denying his being, his providence, the justice of his government, &c.