Bible Strands
Acts 7:5
He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Stephen addresses the Sanhedrin, recounting Israel’s history to explain why their ancestors rejected Jesus. He notes that God brought Abraham into the land but granted him no personal property there at that time.
The words — The Greek οὐκ ἔδωκεν (ouk edōken) literally renders "He did not give," emphasizing the total absence of land transfer. The noun κληρονομὸν (klēronomon) denotes an allotted inheritance, contrasting physical possession with divine promise.
The thread — This pattern of withheld possession paired with future pledge appears in Genesis 12:7, Genesis 13:15, and Genesis 17:8. The narrative consistently separates immediate territorial control from generational fulfillment.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to distinguish between present physical control and deferred divine guarantee. It demands reliance on a spoken promise rather than visible ownership.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:8 And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
- Genesis 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
- Genesis 13:15 for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.
- Genesis 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- Genesis 26:3 Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.
- Genesis 15:2 But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
- Genesis 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
- Genesis 17:16 And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”
- Genesis 23:4 “I am a foreigner and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.”
- Genesis 28:13 And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.