Worthy.Bible » STRONG » Acts » Chapter 4 » Verse 9

Acts 4:9 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

9 If G1487 we G2249 this day G4594 be examined G350 of G1909 the good deed done G2108 to the impotent G772 man, G444 by G1722 what means G5101 he G3778 is made whole; G4982

Cross Reference

Acts 3:7 STRONG

And G2532 he took G4084 him G846 by the right G1188 hand, G5495 and lifted him up: G1453 and G1161 immediately G3916 his G846 feet G939 and G2532 ankle bones G4974 received strength. G4732

John 7:23 STRONG

If G1487 a man G444 on G1722 the sabbath day G4521 receive G2983 circumcision, G4061 that G3363 the law G3551 of Moses G3475 should G3089 not G3363 be broken; G3089 are ye angry G5520 at me, G1698 because G3754 I have made G4160 a man G444 every whit G3650 whole G5199 on G1722 the sabbath day? G4521

John 10:32 STRONG

Jesus G2424 answered G611 them, G846 Many G4183 good G2570 works G2041 have I shewed G1166 you G5213 from G1537 my G3450 Father; G3962 for G1223 which G4169 of those G846 works G2041 do ye stone G3034 me? G3165

1 Peter 3:15-17 STRONG

But G1161 sanctify G37 the Lord G2962 God G2316 in G1722 your G5216 hearts: G2588 and G1161 be ready G2092 always G104 to G4314 give an answer G627 to every man G3956 that asketh G154 you G5209 a reason G3056 of G4012 the hope G1680 that is in G1722 you G5213 with G3326 meekness G4240 and G2532 fear: G5401 Having G2192 a good G18 conscience; G4893 that, G2443 whereas G1722 G3739 they speak evil G2635 of you, G5216 as G5613 of evildoers, G2555 they may be ashamed G2617 that falsely accuse G1908 your G5216 good G18 conversation G391 in G1722 Christ. G5547 For G1063 it is better, G2909 if G1487 the will G2307 of God G2316 be so, G2309 that ye suffer G3958 for well doing, G15 than G2228 for evil doing. G2554

1 Peter 4:14 STRONG

If G1487 ye be reproached G3679 for G1722 the name G3686 of Christ, G5547 happy G3107 are ye; for G3754 the spirit G4151 of glory G1391 and G2532 of God G2316 resteth G373 upon G1909 you: G5209 on G2596 G3303 their part G846 he is evil spoken of, G987 but G1161 on G2596 your part G5209 he is glorified. G1392

Commentary on Acts 4 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 4

Ac 4:1-13. Peter and John before the Sanhedrin.

1-12. the captain—of the Levitical guard.

of the temple—annoyed at the disturbance created around it.

and the Sadducees—who "say that there is no resurrection" (Ac 23:8), irritated at the apostles "preaching through (rather, 'in') Jesus the resurrection from the dead"; for the resurrection of Christ, if a fact, effectually overthrew the Sadducean doctrine.

4. the number of the men—or males, exclusive of women; though the word sometimes includes both.

about five thousand—and this in Jerusalem, where the means of detecting the imposture or crushing the fanaticism, if such it had been, were within everyone's reach, and where there was every inducement to sift it to the bottom.

5. their rulers, &c.—This was a regular meeting of the Sanhedrim (see on Mt 2:4).

6. Annas … and Caiaphas—(See on Lu 3:2).

John and Alexander—of whom nothing is known.

7. By what power or … name have ye done this—thus admitting the reality of the miracle, which afterwards they confess themselves unable to deny (Ac 4:16).

8. Then, filled with the Holy Ghost, said—(See Mr 13:11; Lu 21:15).

10. Be it known unto you … and to all the people of Israel—as if emitting a formal judicial testimony to the entire nation through its rulers now convened.

by the name of Jesus, &c.—(See on Ac 3:13, &c.).

even by him doth this man stand before you whole—for from Ac 4:14 it appears that the healed man was at that moment before their eyes.

11. This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, &c.—This application of Ps 118:22, already made by our Lord Himself before some of the same "builders" (Mt 21:42), is here repeated with peculiar propriety after the deed of rejection had been consummated, and the rejected One had, by His exaltation to the right hand of the Majesty on high, become "the head of the corner."

12. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved—How sublimely does the apostle, in these closing words, shut up these rulers of Israel to Jesus for salvation, and in what universal and emphatic terms does he hold up his Lord as the one Hope of men!

13-17. perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men—that is, uninstructed in the learning of the Jewish schools, and of the common sort; men in private life, untrained to teaching.

took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus—recognized them as having been in His company; remembering possibly, that they had seen them with Him [Meyer, Bloomfield, Alford]; but, more probably, perceiving in their whole bearing what identified them with Jesus: that is, "We thought we had got rid of Him; but lo! He reappears in these men, and all that troubled us in the Nazarene Himself has yet to be put down in these His disciples." What a testimony to these primitive witnesses! Would that the same could be said of their successors!

16. a notable miracle … done by them is manifest to all … in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it—And why should ye wish to deny it, O ye rulers, but that ye hate the light, and will not come to the light lest your deeds should be reproved?

17. But that it spread no further … let us straitly—strictly.

threaten … that they speak henceforth to no man in this name—Impotent device! Little knew they the fire that was burning in the bones of those heroic disciples.

18-22. Whether it be right … to hearken to you more than … God, judge ye.

20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard—There is here a wonderful union of sober, respectful appeal to the better reason of their judges, and calm, deep determination to abide the consequences of a constrained testimony, which betokens a power above their own resting upon them, according to promise.

21. finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people—not at a loss for a pretext, but at a loss how to do it so as not to rouse the opposition of the people.

Ac 4:23-37. Peter and John Dismissed from the Sanhedrin, Report the Proceedings to the Assembled DisciplesThey Engage in PrayerThe Astonishing Answer and Results.

23-30. being let go, they went to their own company—Observe the two opposite classes, representing the two interests which were about to come into deadly conflict.

24. they lifted up their voice—the assembled disciples, on hearing Peter's report.

with one accord—the breasts of all present echoing every word of this sublime prayer.

Lord—(See on Lu 2:29). Applied to God, the term expresses absolute authority.

God which hast made heaven and earth—against whom, therefore, all creatures are powerless.

25. by the mouth of … David—to whom the Jews ascribed the second Psalm, though anonymous; and internal evidence confirms it. David's spirit sees with astonishment "the heathen, the people, the kings and princes of the earth," in deadly combination against the sway of Jehovah and His Anointed (his Messiah, or Christ), and asks "why" it is. This fierce confederacy our praying disciples see in full operation, in the "gathering together of Herod and Pilate, the Gentiles (the Roman authority), and the people of Israel, against God's holy Child ('Servant') Jesus." (See on Ac 3:13). The best ancient copies read, after "were gathered together," "in this city," which probably answers to "upon my holy hill of Zion," in the Ps 2:6.

28. thy hand and thy counsel determined … to be done—that is, "Thy counsel" determined to be done by "Thy hand."

29. now, Lord, behold their threatenings—Recognizing in the threatenings of the Sanhedrim a declaration of war by the combined powers of the world against their infant cause, they seek not enthusiastically to hide from themselves its critical position, but calmly ask the Lord of heaven and earth to "look upon their threatenings."

that with all boldness they may speak thy word—Rising above self, they ask only fearless courage to testify for their Master, and divine attestation to their testimony by miracles of healing, &c., in His name.

31-37. place was shaken—glorious token of the commotion which the Gospel was to make (Ac 17:6; compare Ac 16:26), and the overthrow of all opposing powers in which this was to issue.

they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake, &c.—The Spirit rested upon the entire community, first, in the very way they had asked, so that they "spake the word with boldness" (Ac 4:29, 31); next, in melting down all selfishness, and absorbing even the feeling of individuality in an intense and glowing realization of Christian unity. The community of goods was but an outward expression of this, and natural in such circumstances.

33. with great power—effect on men's minds.

great grace was upon them all—The grace of God copiously rested on the whole community.

35. laid … at the apostles' feet—sitting, it may be, above the rest. But the expression may be merely derived from that practice, and here meant figuratively.

36. Joses, &c.—This is specified merely as an eminent example of that spirit of generous sacrifice which pervaded all.

son of consolation—no doubt so surnamed from the character of his ministry.

a Levite—who, though as a tribe having no inheritance, might and did acquire property as individuals (De 18:8).

Cyprus—a well-known island in the Mediterranean.