Acts 7:57

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,

Acts 7:57 in Other Translations

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.

57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him

57 Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede,

57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;

57 But the council members shouted and refused to listen. Then they rushed at Stephen with one purpose in mind,

57 Then they screamed at the top of their voices, stopped their ears, and rushed together against him.

57 When the Sanhedrin heard this, they covered their ears. They yelled at the top of their voices. They all rushed at him.

Acts 7:57 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 7:57

Then they cried out with a loud voice
These were not the sanhedrim, but the common people; the Ethiopic version reads, "the Jews cried out"; which, they did, in a very clamorous way, either through rage and madness, or in a show of zeal against blasphemy; and cried out, either to God to avenge the blasphemy, or rather to the sanhedrim to pass a sentence on him, or, it may be, to excite one another to rise up at once, and kill him, as they did:

and stopped their ears;
with their fingers, pretending they could not bear the blasphemy that was uttered. This was their usual method; hence they say, ^F15

``if a man hears anything that is indecent, (or not fit to be heard,) let him put his fingers in his ears hence the whole ear is hard, and the tip of it soft, that when he hears anything that is not becoming, he may bend the tip of the ear within it.''

By either of these ways these men might stop their ears; either by putting in their fingers, or by turning the tip of the ear inward.

And ran upon him with one accord;
without any leave of the sanhedrim, or waiting for their determination, in the manner the zealots did; (See Gill on Matthew 10:4) (See Gill on John 16:2).

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 5. 1. 2.

Acts 7:57 In-Context

55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,

58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”