Throughout history, people have worshiped various natural phenomena, which we call idols or false gods. One of these false gods from ancient history (including, sadly, Israel’s history) is the star of Remphan.
God created us to worship him, and we will find a way to worship something or someone. To worship means to revere and adore a deity, giving it devotion through various acts of worship. Even beyond the religious meaning, worship can occur any time we place ultimate value or worth on something greater than ourselves. What we aim to become and emulate is what we worship.
The ultimate aim and good belongs to God; therefore, any other such worship becomes false and destructive, based on a lie. Israel found itself seduced by other gods throughout their history, and even as Christians, so do we. The star of Remphan becomes a study in our wayward hearts and the need to give God all worship.
Why Did People Worship the Star of Remphan?
The star of Remphan is linked to idolatrous practices that the Israelites adopted from surrounding pagan cultures. During their history, especially in times of rebellion against God, the Israelites often fell into idol worship. This practice was influenced by their interactions with neighboring nations that worshiped various deities, including astral deities symbolized by stars and other celestial bodies.
These civilizations made no distinction between planets and stars since they appeared the same except for some that moved. The Babylonians considered Saturn a star, and the deity was a star god.
Scholars and several Bible dictionaries identify Remphan as the name given to the Babylonian god associated with Saturn. The Babylonians worshipped a god called Kiyun (spelled Chiun in some Bible dictionaries), named after the wandering star Kiyun. Ancient civilizations studied the heavens and recognized that some stars—actually planets—moved through the sky while other stars didn’t. We get the term “planet” from the Greek asters planetai, which means “wandering stars.”
While closely connected with the Babylonians, the god Kiyun was also worshipped by ancient Arabs, Syrians, and Assyrians. All false gods had physical representations: Molech by a brass bull, Dagon by a half-man, and Kiyun by a star. Kiyun has been translated to Remphan or Rephan.
This association of stars with gods proved common in the ancient world, which would have been especially interesting to a wandering Abraham when God promised his descendants would be more than the stars in the sky (Genesis 26:4). This connection would have communicated a divine purpose and light for Israel.
Therefore, worshipping false gods, especially those based on stars, becomes problematic for a people with such a divine purpose, through whom God wanted to bless all nations. Throughout Israel’s history, surrounding cultures influenced God’s people to adopt these practices. Despite God’s clear prohibitions, the Israelites often incorporated these practices into their worship.
Unlike the invisible God of Israel, pagan gods were often represented by tangible symbols and idols. These physical representations provided a sense of immediacy and visibility that appealed to the Israelites, who struggled with faith in an unseen God. The star of Remphan, as a symbol of a deity, offered a concrete object for worship. Further, idolatry stemmed from a deeper spiritual rebellion within the heart. Despite the consequences and warnings, the Israelites repeatedly turned to idols, something they could control and see.
The New Covenant deals with the corruption of the heart, which is why Stephen mentions this weakness in his speech to the Sanhedrin in Acts.
Where Does Stephen Talk about the Star of Remphan in Acts?
In Acts 6:8-15, Stephen, one of the seven deacons chosen by the early church, is brought before the Jewish council on charges that he spoke against the temple and the Law of Moses. His speech in Acts 7 recounts Israel's history, demonstrating how the Jewish leaders consistently resisted God and his messengers, even the ultimate Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Stephen’s speech begins with Abraham's call and traces the Israelites’ history, highlighting their continual rebellion against God despite his faithfulness. He recounts the patriarchs, the enslavement in Egypt, the Exodus, and the time of the wilderness wanderings. As Stephen reaches the period of the prophets, he points out the pattern of idolatry and disobedience that plagued Israel.
In Acts 7:42-43, Stephen says:
“But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? You have taken up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon.”
Stephen had been preaching the Gospel and Jesus, and the Jewish leaders rejected Christ and had begun to persecute Jesus followers. When brought before the Jewish religious council, the Sanhedrin, Stephen uses Israel’s history to argue that the Jews regularly reject God’s messengers and worship false gods. Stephen accuses the current leaders of the same behavior—or worse: rejecting the Messiah. In Acts 7, Stephen declares, “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?”
Unfortunately, just as Israel had persecuted and killed the prophets, the Jewish leaders stone Stephen, making him a martyr. Acts mentions how Saul, the future apostle Paul, was central to this event (Acts 7:58).
What Bible Verse is Stephen Quoting about Remphan?
In his speech before the Sanhedrin, Stephen quotes Amos 5:25-27, in the Old Testament, which states:
“‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god—which you made for yourselves. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.”
The prophet Amos ministered during the eighth century BC, a time of relative peace and prosperity in Israel’s northern kingdom. However, this period was also marked by significant social injustice, religious hypocrisy, and widespread idolatry. God called Amos, a shepherd and a farmer from the southern kingdom of Judah, to prophesy against the northern kingdom.
Amos 5 focuses on a call to repentance and a return to genuine worship and justice. The prophet condemns the Israelites for performing religious rituals while neglecting justice and righteousness. God desires sincere worship reflected in ethical living and social justice, not only in outward ceremonies. He specifically addresses Israel’s idolatry, reminding them of their history, particularly God’s deliverance from Egypt, and how the Israelites frequently turned to idol worship despite God’s provision and promises.
Moloch was a Canaanite deity associated with child sacrifice, and Remphan represents a star god. The Israelites’ adoption of these idols showed their departure from exclusive worship of Yahweh. Amos warned that due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience, God would send them into exile “beyond Damascus,” a reference to the impending Assyrian exile.
When Stephen quoted this verse, the Sanhedrin would have immediately understood the Old Testament context and Stephen’s message—they may believe they enjoyed a time of peace. Still, they needed to repent from their idolatry and rejection of God’s messenger or reap the consequences. Stephen connecting their behavior with worshipping Molech (associated with child sacrifice) and Remphan likely made them especially angry.
Why Doesn’t Every Translation Say Star of Remphan?
Not every translation of the Bible says “star of Remphan” because the name differs in various manuscripts and translations. The discrepancy arises from differences between the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Septuagint, which influenced subsequent translations.
The Septuagint, often abbreviated as LXX, is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. Created between the second and third centuries BC by Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, the Septuagint made the Hebrew Scriptures accessible to Greek-speaking Jews who no longer spoke fluent Hebrew. The Septuagint became widely used in the Hellenistic world and was the version of the Old Testament most familiar to early Christians, including the writers of the New Testament.
The Septuagint sometimes differs from the Masoretic text (the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible) due to minor manuscript variations, translation techniques, and linguistic differences. One such variation is found in Amos 5:25-27. The Masoretic text refers to “Sikkuth your king” and “Chiun your images,” whereas the Septuagint translates these names as “Moloch” and “Remphan.”
Stephen’s speech in Acts 7:42-43 relies on the Septuagint’s wording, so he mentions “Rephan” instead of “Chiun.” The New Testament writers, including Luke (the author of Acts), often quoted the Old Testament from the Septuagint because it was widely recognized in the early Christian community.
Different translations of the Bible may reflect either the Septuagint or the Masoretic Text, depending on the translation philosophy and the textual sources used. For instance, translations that aim to stay closer to the Hebrew Masoretic Text will use “Chiun,” while those that give weight to the Septuagint’s influence on the New Testament might use “Remphan” in Amos and Acts.
What Can We Learn from the Star of Remphan?
While Stephen meant his words for religious leaders two thousand years ago, we can still learn from his defense of the faith in Acts 7:43.
First, we should understand the dangers of idolatry. God alone is worthy of worship, and he is life. Bowing to any other god leads to death. Idolatry is the worship of ourselves and what we make with our hands. We may not place statues or images in our homes to worship them, but idolatry comes from the heart and goes beyond worshipping physical idols. False worship includes anything that takes precedence over God in our lives, such as money, career, relationships, or personal desires.
Jesus warns, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Second, Stephen teaches us to remain faithful to God, who offers freedom, eternal life, peace, and love. We don’t have the power to stay faithful, however, so we do our part to remain connected to Christ, who alone is the power. In Him, we have access to all promises and blessings. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Third, Stephen reveals how to stand and speak boldly when facing persecution. We live in a world growing increasingly more hostile to the Gospel and King Jesus. Our world needs courageous believers to speak truth in the face of such resistance, men and women who are overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and who don’t love their own lives, even unto the death (Revelation 12:11).
Stephen confronts us all to repentance and transformation. As he challenges the Jewish leaders for resisting the Holy Spirit throughout history and culminating in rejecting Jesus, we aren’t immune to such temptations, nor are we inherently better than those religious leaders. May we examine our hearts, confess our idolatry, and seek transformation through the Holy Spirit. As Peter calls us in Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
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