“Why do ye wrong one to another?”
The full verse · Acts 7:26 · KJV
the he shewed unto as they , would have one , , , ; do ye one to ?
Asked by
Moses: the Hebrew raised as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, who at forty went out to visit his brethren (Acts 7:21-23), as Stephen retells it
Asked to
Hebrew Men: two Israelites in Egypt fighting with each other, whom Moses tried to reconcile (Acts 7:26; Exodus 2:13)
The Scene
In his defense before the council, Stephen tells how Moses, at forty, killed an Egyptian to defend an oppressed Israelite, and the next day came upon two Israelites fighting (Acts 7:23-26).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionMoses wanted to make peace. The KJV says he "would have set them at one again," and Barnes gives the Greek sense as "would have urged them to peace." His appeal rested on what the two men shared: "Sirs, ye are brethren." Matthew Henry explains they were brethren "by birth and profession of religion." Gill describes the wrong as "abusing each other, calling ill names, or striking one another." Stephen also gives the hope behind Moses' action: "he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not" (Acts 7:25).
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe man in the wrong rejected the peacemaker. "But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?" (Acts 7:27-28). "Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian" (Acts 7:29). Forty years would pass before the Lord spoke to him from the bush and sent him back (Acts 7:30-34).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsStephen is retelling Exodus 2:11-15. In Exodus, Moses speaks "to him that did the wrong," asking, "Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?" (Exodus 2:13). Stephen gives Moses' words to both men and adds the reminder that they are brethren.
The Greek verb behind "would have set them at one again" is synellassen, glossed on the interlinear as "tried to reconcile." Its tense pictures an attempt that was underway but not completed, which is why the ESV says Moses "tried to reconcile them." Barnes notes that "shewed himself" means Moses "appeared in a sudden and unexpected manner to them."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyIn Stephen's speech, this moment is part of a pattern. Moses came to his own people as one God would use to deliver them, "but they understood not" (Acts 7:25). His first act of peacemaking was pushed away. Stephen will build on that refusal through the rest of the speech (Acts 7:35, 39) until he tells the council, "as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7:51).
Yet the story also shows God's patience. The people's refusal did not cancel God's plan. Forty years later the Lord said to Moses, "I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people... I will send thee into Egypt" (Acts 7:34).
Look Closer
On what did Moses base his appeal for peace?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, when people who belong to You are wronging one another, how can I help them remember that they are family?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Moses reminded two quarreling men, "ye are brethren." What helps you remember what you share with someone in the middle of a conflict?
- Tell about a time someone stepped in to help you make peace with another person.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
When believers quarrel, the first thing to remember is who they are to each other. Moses did not begin by deciding who was right. He began with "ye are brethren." You can bring that same reminder into tension at church, at home, or among friends.
Peacemaking will not always be welcomed. The man who was in the wrong pushed Moses away (Acts 7:27). Rejection does not prove you were wrong to try, and God was not finished with Moses (Acts 7:34-35). This also does not mean you should force your way into every dispute. Moses' first attempt ended in flight, and he returned when God sent him (Acts 7:29-34). Scripture's own application: 1 Corinthians 6:7-8
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Smitest thou thy fellow?”
“Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?”
“Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?”
“Who made thee a ruler and a judge?”