Acts 7:37 is Stephen’s quotation of Moses, who told Israel that God would raise up a prophet like himself from among their own people. Stephen uses this promise to argue that the Israelites had a long history of resisting God’s chosen messengers, and that the greatest of those messengers had been pointed out in advance. The words come from Stephen, a follower of Jesus, who is speaking to the Jewish council in Jerusalem shortly before his death.
This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.’
Acts 7:37 (WEB)
What Acts 7:37 Means
The phrase “This is that Moses” is a way of saying “this is the very Moses you claim to honor.” Stephen is reminding his hearers of a figure they already revered, so that his point cannot easily be dismissed. The verse does not introduce a new idea. It draws on a promise from Deuteronomy 18:15 and presents Moses as the one who spoke it.
The core claim is that God would send a prophet “like me,” meaning someone with Moses’ role as a mediator who speaks God’s word and leads people toward God’s purposes. The phrase “from among your brothers” stresses that this prophet would come from the community of Israel itself, not from outside it. The verse promises that God keeps speaking to his people through chosen messengers. It does not describe the exact details of how or when that would happen, and Stephen’s wider speech makes clear he is arguing about the pattern of Israel’s response, not offering a timetable.
The Context of Acts 7:37
Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel bearing his name, and it records the early growth of the church in Jerusalem and beyond. Stephen’s speech in chapter 7 is the longest recorded address in the book, delivered to the Sanhedrin after he is accused of speaking against the temple and the law. His audience is Jewish leaders who knew the Pentateuch well, so his retelling of Israel’s history would have carried weight with them.
The verses just before and after Acts 7:37 trace a pattern of rejection. In verse 35, Stephen says the people refused Moses, yet God still sent him as ruler and deliverer. In verses 38 through 40, the people turn away from the living words Moses received and even ask Aaron to make idols. Seen this way, verse 37 is the hinge of the argument: God promised a prophet, and Stephen suggests that the same people who resisted Moses are now resisting the one who fulfills that promise.
Key Phrases in Acts 7:37
Deuteronomy 18:15
The LORD your God will raise up to you a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.
(WEB)
This is the original promise that Stephen quotes in Acts 7:37, given by Moses himself before Israel entered the land. Reading it in its own setting shows the full weight of the promise and the warning that follows about listening to God’s chosen messenger.
Acts 7:51
“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.
(WEB)
Stephen’s own concluding charge in the same speech accuses his listeners of resisting the Holy Spirit as their fathers did. This verse shows how Stephen applies the pattern of rejection from Acts 7:37 directly to the people in front of him.
A Short Prayer From Acts 7:37
Lord, you have spoken to your people through many messengers, and you have never left them without a word from you. Help me to recognize your voice when it comes through people I did not expect, and give me the humility to listen rather than dismiss what might be your truth. Where I have resisted correction or turned away from what you are saying, forgive me and turn my heart back toward you. Keep me faithful to the one you have sent, and let me follow him with a willing spirit. Amen.
