This striking verse describes the final moment before Stephen’s speech—when every eye in the Sanhedrin fixed upon him and saw a supernatural glow. But this isn’t just a narrative pause; it’s loaded with Greek grammatical cues about collective perception, participial action, and simile that frame Stephen’s divinely charged presence.
Key Verb Chain and Sentence Flow Greek Element Grammatical Role Interpretive Significance ἀτενίσαντες Aorist active participle, nominative masculine plural Marks simultaneous action—intense gaze that precedes recognition εἰς αὐτόν Prepositional phrase with accusative Focuses visual attention on Stephen ἅπαντες οἱ καθεζόμενοι Subject + Present middle participle “All those sitting” — emphasizes unanimous participation ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ Prepositional phrase with dative Locative: identifies the legal/religious setting εἶδον Aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural Main verb of perception: “they saw” τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ Accusative object of εἶδον “His face” is the object of collective vision ὡσεὶ πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου Simile introduced by ὡσεί (“as if”) Links Stephen’s appearance to angelic radiance (cf.… Learn Koine Greek-
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