THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - Chapter 7 - Verse 42

Verse 42. Then God turned. That is, turned away from them; abandoned them to their own desires.

The host of heaven. The stars, or heavenly bodies. The word host means armies. It is applied to the heavenly bodies, because they are very numerous, and appear to be marshalled or arrayed in military order. It is from this that God is called JEHOVAH of hosts, as being the Ruler of these well-arranged heavenly bodies, Isa 1:9. The proof that they did this, Stephen proceeds to allege by a quotation from the prophets.

In the book of the Prophets. Am 5:25,26. The twelve minor prophets were commonly written in one volume, and were called the Book of the Prophets; the book containing these several prophecies, Daniel, Hosea, Micah, etc. They were small tracts separately, and were bound up together to preserve them from being lost. This passage is not quoted literally; it is evidently made from memory; and though in its main spirit it coincides with the passage in Amos, yet in some important respects it varies from it.

ye house of Israel. Ye people of Israel.

Have ye offered, etc.

That is, ye have not offered. The interrogative is often an emphatic way of saying that the thing had not been done. But it is certain that the Jews did offer sacrifices to God in the wilderness, though it is also certain that they did not do it with a pure and upright heart. They kept up the form of worship to idols. Through the continuous space of forty years they did not honour God, but often departed from him, and worshipped idols.

{p} "gave them up" Psa 81:12 {q} "host of heaven" De 4:19 {r} "as it is written" Am 5:25,26 {*} "wilderness" or, "Desert"