Acts 6:11

“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 (<440613>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 <440614>Acts 6:14).”

“blasphemous words against Moses--doubtless referring to the impending disappearance of the whole Mosaic system. and against God--This must refer to the supreme dignity and authority which he claimed for Christ, as the head of that new economy which was so speedily to supersede the old (compare Act 7:56, Act 7:59-60).”

“Then they suborned men - To suborn in law means to procure a person to take such a false oath as constitutes perjury (Webster). It has substantially this sense here. It means that they induced them to declare what was false, or to bring a false accusation against him. This was done, not by declaring a palpable and open falsehood, but by “perverting” his doctrines, and by stating their own “inferences” as what he had actually maintained - the common way in which people oppose doctrines from which they differ. The Syriac reads this place, “Then they sent certain men, and instructed them that they should say, etc.” This was repeating an artifice which they had before practiced so successfully…”

“they: Act 23:12-15, Act 24:1-13, Act 25:3, Act 25:7; Kg1 21:10, Kg1 21:13; Mat 26:59, Mat 26:60, Mat 28:12-15; Joh 16:3; Rom 3:8 blasphemous: Act 6:13, Act 18:6, Act 26:11; Lev 24:16; Kg1 21:10-13; Joh 10:33-36; Ti1 1:13 against Moses: Act 7:37-39, Act 15:21, Act 21:20-22, Act 21:28; Joh 1:17, Joh 5:45-47, Joh 9:29; Heb 3:2-5 Acts 6:12”