A.T. Robertson Commentary Acts 7:42

"But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?" — Acts 7:42 (ASV)

Gave them up (παρεδωκεν). First aorist active indicative of παραδιδωμ. This same form occurs three times like clods on a coffin in a grave in Ro 1:24,26,28 where Paul speaks of God giving the heathen up to their lusts.

To serve the host of heaven (λατρευειν τη στρατια του ουρανου). The verb λατρευω is used of the worship of God (Matthew 4:10) as well as of idols as here (from λατρον, hire, λατρις, hireling, then to serve). But the worship of the host of heaven (Deuteronomy 17:3; 2 Kings 17:16; 2 Kings 21:3; 2 Chronicles 33:3,5; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 19:13) is Sabaism or worship of the host (στρατια) of heaven (sun, moon, and stars) instead of the Lord of hosts. This star-worship greatly injured the Jews.

In the book of the prophets (εν βιβλω των προφητων). That is the twelve minor prophets which the Jews counted as one book (cf. Acts 13:40). This quotation is from Am 5:25-27. The greater prophets were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.

Slain beasts (σφαγια). Here only in the N.T. σφαγη, slaughter, σφαζω, to slay.