“And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”
My Notes
What Does Acts 6:15 Mean?
"And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." Stephen stands before the Sanhedrin — the same court that condemned Jesus — and every member STARES at him. And what they see is an ANGELIC FACE. The man on trial has the face of heaven's messenger. The accused radiates the glory of the Accuser's God. The council that should be judging sees divinity on the face of the judged.
The phrase "looking stedfastly on him" (atenisantes eis auton — gazing intently/fixedly at him) means the ENTIRE council was STARING: every member, fixed gaze, sustained attention. The staring isn't casual observation. It's FIXATION — they can't look away. Something about Stephen's face has captured the attention of every person in the room. The seeing is involuntary. The fixation is produced by what's being seen.
The "his face as it had been the face of an angel" (eidon to prosōpon autou hōsei prosōpon angelou — they saw his face as if/like the face of an angel) means Stephen's face SHONE: the angelic-face description means supernatural RADIANCE — the kind of luminous, otherworldly appearance associated with heavenly beings. The face of the accused man glows. The man on trial before the highest religious court has the face of a being from the highest heaven.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does your face reveal about your encounter with God?
- 2.What does the ENEMIES seeing the angelic face teach about undeniable divine presence?
- 3.How does Stephen's shining face echoing Moses' shining face connect the two figures?
- 4.What encounter with God would produce a face that even a hostile audience couldn't ignore?
Devotional
Every member of the council stared. And what they saw was the face of an ANGEL. The man on trial GLOWED. The accused radiated heaven's light. The court that was about to condemn him saw divinity on the face of the condemned.
The 'looking stedfastly' means the ENTIRE council was FIXATED: not glancing. Not casually observing. STARING — sustained, fixed, unable to look away. Every member of the Sanhedrin locked eyes on Stephen's face. The staring was produced by what was ON the face. Something visible. Something unmistakable. Something that held every eye in the room.
The 'face of an angel' is the description the ENEMIES provide: this isn't Stephen's friends saying 'he looked angelic.' This is the SANHEDRIN — the court that's about to condemn him — SEEING the angelic face. The people who oppose Stephen are the ones who observe the radiance. The enemies are the witnesses of the glory. The hostile audience confirms the supernatural appearance.
The angelic face recalls MOSES: when Moses descended from Sinai, his face shone (Exodus 34:29-30). The people couldn't look at it. Stephen — about to give a speech ABOUT Moses (chapter 7) — has the SAME EXPERIENCE. The face that shines before the council echoes the face that shone after the mountain. The pattern is: encounter with God produces radiant face. Stephen's face testifies to an encounter the council can't deny but can condemn.
What does your face reveal about your encounter with God — and do even your enemies see it?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And all that sat in the council,.... The whole sanhedrim,
looking steadfastly on him; to observe whether his…
Looking stedfastly on him - Fixing the eyes intently on him. They were probably attracted by the unusual appearance of…
Saw his face, as it had been the face of an angel - Sayings like this are frequent among the Jewish writers, who…
Stephen, no doubt was diligent and faithful in the discharge of his office as distributor of the church's charity, and…
And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him As they would naturally in expectation of what he was about…
Cross References
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