Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 7:4

Χαλδαίων, of the Chaldæans. The Chaldæans were the people of that country which had Babylon for its capital. The extent of the country signified by ‘the land of the Chaldæans’ must have varied at different periods.

μετὰ τὸ�. α., after his father was dead. According to the order of the narrative in Genesis, this seems to be so; but when the ages of Terah and Abraham are noticed, it appears that Abraham left Haran before his father’s death. For Terah was 70 years old when Abraham was born (Genesis 11:26), and Abraham was 75 years old when he departed out of Haran (Genesis 12:4), so that of Terah’s 205 years there were yet (205–145) = 60 years unexpired when his son went away. On this chronological difficulty Jewish literature has the explanation (Midrash Rabbah on Genesis, cap. 39) Abraham from the care of his father, and yet lest Abraham’s departure from Terah should lead others to claim the same relaxation of a commandment for themselves, Terah’s death is noticed in Holy Writ before Abraham’s departure, and it is also added, to explain the mention of death, that ‘the wicked (and among them Terah is reckoned, see Joshua 24:2) are called dead while they are alive.’

μετῴκισεν αὐτόν, he caused him to migrate. The ‘removed him’ of the A.V. is somewhat vague.

εἰς ἣν, in which. The use of εἰς in this way after κατοικέω and similar verbs is due to the implied idea ‘ye have come into and dwell.’ Cf. Matthew 2:23; Matthew 4:13, where the construction is made easy by a previous ἐλθών, which in the present verse must be mentally supplied.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 7:4

Old Testament

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