All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel.

  • TYNDALE Tyndale New Testament (1534)

    And all that sate in the counsell loked stedfastly on him and sawe his face as it had bene the face of an angell.

  • GNV Geneva Bible (1599)

    And as all that sate in the Councill, looked stedfastly on him, they saw his face as it had bene the face of an Angel.

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Cross-references (6)

Passages linked to Acts 6:15 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
  • Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
  • Exodus 34:29-35 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mountain, Moses didn’t know that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him. Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them all the commandments that Yahweh had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses was done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded. The children of Israel saw Moses’ face, that the skin of Moses’ face shone; so Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
  • Matthew 17:2 He was changed before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.
  • 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
  • 2 Corinthians 3:7-8 But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away, won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory?

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

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Explain this verse (21 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 15. And when they had beheld. Men do commonly…

15. And when they had beheld. Men do commonly in places of judgment turn their eyes toward the party arraigned, when as they look for his defense. He saith that Stephen appeared like to an angel; this is not spoken of his natural face, but rather of his present countenance. For whereas the countenance of those which are arraigned useth commonly to be pale, whereas they stammer in their speech, and show other signs of fear, Luke teacheth that there was no such thing in Stephen, but that there appeared rather in him a certain majesty. For the Scripture useth sometimes to borrow a similitude of angels in this sense; as 1 Samuel 24:9; 2 Samuel 14:17; 2 Samuel 19:27

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Hereby it appeareth that Stephen had an excellent and…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 15 And all that sat in the council, looking…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain With an extraordinary lustre and radiancy, above what appears…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And all that sat in the council,.... The whole…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain As the face of an angel - Covered with…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 15. Saw his face, as it had been…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Act 6:15. And all that sat in the council…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Looking stedfastly on him - Fixing the eyes intently…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Saw his face, as it were the face of…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain as . . . the face of an angel--a…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 15. All… sat… council—Stephen now stands the focus upon…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 15. And all that sat in the council, looking…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (15) Looking stedfastly on him.—St Luke’s characteristic word. (See…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Fastening their eyes for looking steadfastly, A.V.. (see above,…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly…
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 15. Fastening their eyes on him. To see what…
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain 15. “And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin,…
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain 15. As Stephen stood before the Sanhedrim, thus falsely…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain (See Scofield "Heb 1:4").
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 6:15 His face became as bright as an angel’s,…

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