SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:11
Entonces sobornaron a unos que dijesen que le habían oído hablar palabras blasfemas contra Moiss y Dios.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 6:11
Verse 11. Then they suborned men] upebalon. They made underhand work; got associated to themselves profligate persons, who for money would swear any thing. Blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.] This was the most deadly charge they could bring against him. We have already seen, Matt. ix. 4, that blasphemy, when against GOD, signifies speaking impiously of his nature, attributes, or works; and, when against men, it signifies speaking injuriously of their character, blasting their reputation, &c. These false witnesses came to prove that he had blasphemed Moses by representing him as an impostor, or the like; and GOD, by either denying his being, his providence, the justice of his government, &c.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 11. Then they suborned men , etc.] Hired false witnesses, which seems to have been commonly done by the Jews; so they did in the case of Christ: which said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God ; that is, against the law of Moses, and so against God, who gave the law to Moses, as appears from ( Acts 6:13) the blasphemous words seem to be, with respect to the ceremonial law, and the abrogation of it, which Stephen might insist upon, and they charged with blasphemy; (see Acts 6:14).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 8-15 - When they could not answer Stephen's arguments as a disputant, the prosecuted him as a criminal, and brought false witnesses against him And it is next to a miracle of providence, that no greater number of religious persons have been murdered in the world, by the way of perjury and pretence of law, when so many thousands hate them, who make no conscience of false oaths. Wisdom and holiness make a man's face to shine, yet will not secure men from being treated badly. What shall we say of man, a rational being, yet attempting to uphold a religiou system by false witness and murder! And this has been done i numberless instances. But the blame rests not so much upon the understanding, as upon the heart of a fallen creature, which i deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Yet the servant of the Lord, possessing a clear conscience, cheerful hope, and Divin consolations, may smile in the midst of danger and death __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
τοτε 5119 ADV υπεβαλον 5260 5627 V-2AAI-3P ανδρας 435 N-APM λεγοντας 3004 5723 V-PAP-APM οτι 3754 CONJ ακηκοαμεν 191 5754 V-2RAI-1P-ATT αυτου 846 P-GSM λαλουντος 2980 5723 V-PAP-GSM ρηματα 4487 N-APN βλασφημα 989 A-APN εις 1519 PREP μωσην 3475 N-ASM και 2532 CONJ τον 3588 T-ASM θεον 2316 N-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
11. Suborned (upebalon). Only here in New Testament. The verb originally means to put under, as carpets under one's feet; hence, to put one person in place of another; to substitute, as another's child for one's own; to employ a secret agent in one's place, and to instigate or secretly instruct him.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
6:11 {qen they suborned men} (tote hupebalon andras). Second aorist active indicative of hupoballw, old verb, but here only in the N.T., to put under like a carpet, to bring men under one's control by suggestion or by money. One recalls the plight of Caiaphas in the trial of Jesus when he sought false witnesses. _Subornaverunt_. They put these men forward in an underhand way for fraud. {Blasphemous words against Moses and God} (blasfema eis mwusen kai ton qeon). The punishment for blasphemy was stoning to death. See #Mt 12:31 for discussion of the word blasfemia, blasfemew, blasfemos, all in the N.T. from blaptw, to harm, and feme, speech, harmful speech, or blax, stupid, and feme. But the charge against Stephen was untrue. Please note that Moses is here placed before God and practically on a par with God in the matter of blasphemy. The purpose of this charge is to stir the prejudices of the people in the matter of Jewish rights and privileges. It is the Pharisees who are conducting this attack on Stephen while the Sadducees had led them against Peter and John. The position of Stephen is critical in the extreme for the Sadducees will not help him as Gamaliel did the apostles.
