A frequent misinterpretation of Acts 7:16 treats it as a factual contradiction in Scripture by pitting it against Genesis 23, where Abraham buys the Machpelah cave from Ephron, and Genesis 33:19 and Joshua 24:32, where Jacob buys Shechem land from Hamor's sons, claiming Stephen erred; in reality, this overlooks ancient Jewish historiographical style that condenses events under a key ancestor's name for rhetorical emphasis on covenant land ownership rather than precise attribution.
Acts 7:16
King James Version (1769)
16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
In Stephen's speech recounting Israel's history, Acts 7:16 emphasizes the burial of the twelve patriarchs in a tomb at Shechem purchased by Abraham from the sons of Hamor, symbolizing God's faithfulness in securing the promised land for His people even as their bones were carried there after centuries in Egypt, reinforcing the covenant continuity from Abraham through Jacob's sons to the nation of Israel facing persecution in Stephen's time.