“And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?”
My Notes
What Does Acts 7:26 Mean?
Stephen recounts Moses' attempt at peacemaking among the Israelites in Egypt: when Moses saw two Hebrew men fighting, he tried to reconcile them—"Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?" The appeal is to shared identity: you're brothers. Why are you hurting each other? The question assumes that brotherhood should prevent violence, that shared identity should produce solidarity.
Moses' intervention failed. The next verse records the offender's rejection: "Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?" The peacemaker was rejected by the very people he was trying to help. The one who cared enough to intervene was dismissed by the one who was doing wrong. This pattern—the redeemer rejected by the people he's saving—becomes the template for Jesus' own experience.
Stephen tells this story during his defense before the Sanhedrin because the pattern is the point: Israel has a history of rejecting its deliverers. Moses was rejected. The prophets were killed. And now Jesus—the ultimate deliverer—has been crucified by the same people He came to save. The rejection of the redeemer is Israel's national pattern, and Stephen traces it from Moses to Christ.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you tried to make peace between people who share the same identity (family, church, community) and been rejected for it?
- 2.Moses asked 'why do ye wrong one to another?' What conflicts within your own community need that question?
- 3.The pattern is: redeemer rejected by the redeemed. Have you experienced that—helping someone who then turned on you?
- 4.Stephen traces the rejection pattern from Moses to Jesus. Is the same pattern present in your faith community's treatment of truth-tellers?
Devotional
"Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?" Moses sees two of his own people fighting and tries to make peace. His appeal is simple: you're family. Stop hurting each other. And the response? "Who made you a ruler over us?" The peacemaker gets rejected by the person doing the wrong.
This pattern—the deliverer rejected by the delivered—runs through Israel's entire history, and Stephen is building his case on it. Moses tried to help. They rejected him. The prophets spoke truth. They killed them. Jesus came to save. They crucified Him. The rejection of the redeemer isn't an exception. It's the pattern.
Moses' question is still relevant: "Why do ye wrong one to another?" When people who share the same identity—the same faith, the same community, the same family—turn on each other, it's a violation of something deeper than a relational conflict. It's an offense against brotherhood. The person you're wronging is your sibling. The one you're fighting is your family. Why?
The person who tries to intervene—the peacemaker, the truth-teller, the one who says "you're brothers, stop this"—should expect Moses' reception. Not gratitude. Rejection. "Who made you a ruler?" The person doing wrong doesn't want peace. They want permission to keep fighting. And the peacemaker becomes the target. If you've tried to reconcile warring brothers and gotten rejected for it, you're standing where Moses stood. And where Jesus stood.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the next day he showed himself to them, as they strove,.... To two men of the Hebrews, who were quarrelling and…
And the next day - Exo 2:13. He showed himself - He appeared in a sudden and unexpected manner to them. Unto them - That…
Unto them as they strove - Two Hebrews, See on Exo 2:13 (note), etc.
Stephen here goes on to relate,
I. The wonderful increase of the people of Israel in Egypt; it was by a wonder of…
And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove i.e. to "two men of the Hebrews" (Exo 2:13). This quotation…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture