Acts 4

KJV · Chapter 4/28

1And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

2Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

4Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

5And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,

6And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

7And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

9If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

10Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

14And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

15But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

16Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.

17But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

18And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

19But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

21So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

22For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

23And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

24And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

25Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

26The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

27For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

28For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

29And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

30By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

32And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

35And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

36And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

37Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Peter and John are arrested by the religious leaders for preaching the resurrection, but boldly defend their faith before the Sanhedrin. Released, they return to the community, which prays and remains united, sharing everything.

Explanation

The Sadducees, who didn't believe in the resurrection, were especially troubled by the apostolic message. The Sanhedrin recognizes the authority of the message even while seeing that Peter and John were 'unschooled, ordinary men,' showing that their transformation came from having 'been with Jesus,' not from formal education. Peter's statement — 'we must obey God rather than men' — became a central principle for persecuted Christians throughout history. The sharing of goods described at the end of the chapter wasn't mandatory communism, but voluntary generosity in the face of fellow believers' needs.

Fun facts

  • The Sanhedrin was the supreme Jewish court, with 71 members among priests, elders, and scribes — the same council that had judged Jesus just weeks earlier.
  • Annas and Caiaphas, mentioned here, are the same high priests involved in Jesus' trial in the Gospels, showing the continuity of religious opposition to the Christian movement.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Acts 4:1The Sadducees were a Jewish religious group tied to the wealthiest priestly families, who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. That is why they become troubled when the apostles announce the resurrection of Jesus.
  2. Acts 4:2The priests and Sadducees become troubled specifically because of the message of the resurrection, since the Sadducees, as a religious group, did not believe in life after death.
  3. Acts 4:3Peter and John are arrested and held until the next day simply because it was already late, showing a practical detail of the judicial process of the time.
  4. Acts 4:4Despite the leaders’ arrest, the preaching had already convinced many people: the text marks a jump in the number of believers, reaching about five thousand men.
  5. Acts 4:5The next day, the chief religious authorities of Jerusalem gather—rulers, elders, and scribes—forming the same kind of council (the Sanhedrin) that had tried Jesus before.
  6. Acts 4:6Annas had been high priest before and remained influential even after losing the official office to his son-in-law Caiaphas; that is why both names appear together. This is the same Caiaphas from Jesus’ trial.
  7. Acts 4:7Set in the middle of the council, Peter and John are questioned about the source of the authority used to heal the lame man: by what power, or in whose name, they had done it.
  8. Acts 4:8Peter answers filled with the Holy Spirit, without hesitation, before the same authorities who had condemned Jesus a short time before.
  9. Acts 4:9Peter notes the irony of the situation: they are being tried precisely for having done a good deed, healing a sick man, not for any crime.
  10. Acts 4:10Peter uses the interrogation as an opportunity to preach: he declares openly that the healing happened in the name of Jesus, the very one the leaders present there had ordered crucified.
  11. Acts 4:11The image of the rejected stone comes from a psalm, about a stone discarded by the builders that ends up becoming the most important piece of the building. Peter applies this to Jesus, rejected by the authorities but essential to God’s plan.
  12. Acts 4:12This is Peter’s most direct statement about Jesus as the only way of salvation, spoken right in front of the same council that had condemned Jesus to death.
  13. Acts 4:13“Unlearned and ignorant men” means that Peter and John had no formal training in rabbinic schools—they were fishermen. The council’s astonishment is precisely at seeing people without that training speaking with such confidence.
  14. Acts 4:14With no argument to counter it, the council is left without options because the very man who had been healed was standing right there, living proof of what Peter was saying.
  15. Acts 4:15The authorities order Peter and John to leave the room so they can discuss the case privately, away from the ears of the accused.
  16. Acts 4:16Among themselves, the leaders admit they cannot deny the miracle, since it was known to everyone in Jerusalem; their only problem was how to contain the fallout.
  17. Acts 4:17The solution they find is to threaten Peter and John so they stop speaking about Jesus, trying to keep the news from spreading any further.
  18. Acts 4:18The council formally orders the two of them to stop speaking or teaching at all in the name of Jesus, a direct ban they are about to defy right afterward.
  19. Acts 4:19Peter and John answer with a rhetorical question, putting it to the judges themselves to decide whether it is right to obey men rather than obey God.
  20. Acts 4:20Their justification is simple: they cannot stop speaking about what they have personally seen and heard, referring to the resurrection and the teachings of Jesus.
  21. Acts 4:21The council releases them without punishment because it finds no legal grounds, and also out of fear of the people’s reaction, since everyone was praising God for the miracle.
  22. Acts 4:22Luke highlights the age of the healed man, over forty years old, making clear that this was not a recent problem, nor one easy to fake or exaggerate.
  23. Acts 4:23As soon as they are released, Peter and John return to the group of believers and report everything the chief priests and elders had said and threatened.
  24. Acts 4:24The community reacts to the threat not with fear but with a united prayer, beginning by acknowledging God as the maker of everything, from heaven to earth to the sea.
  25. Acts 4:25The prayer quotes a psalm attributed to David that speaks of nations raging and peoples plotting vain things against God, used here as a picture of the persecution they were suffering.
  26. Acts 4:26The quotation continues: kings and rulers uniting against the Lord and against “his Christ”—the Messiah—applied directly to the alliance between Jewish and Roman authorities against Jesus.
  27. Acts 4:27The prayer names those actually responsible for Jesus’ death: Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles themselves (the Romans), and the people of Israel, all gathered together against Him.
  28. Acts 4:28Even with so many humans responsible, the prayer affirms that everything happened within the plan God had already determined beforehand, without removing the responsibility of those who acted.
  29. Acts 4:29Instead of asking for protection or revenge against the threats, the community’s request is for courage to keep speaking the message with boldness.
  30. Acts 4:30Along with courage, they ask that God keep confirming the message with healings and signs done in the name of Jesus, like what had just happened with the lame man.
  31. Acts 4:31The answer is immediate and physical: the very place where they were gathered shakes, and everyone is filled with the Holy Spirit, going on to speak with even greater boldness.
  32. Acts 4:32The idea of having all things in common repeats what already appeared in chapter 2: the first Christians of Jerusalem shared their possessions voluntarily, driven by generosity and the sense of living through a special moment, not by a permanent rule.
  33. Acts 4:33The apostles keep publicly testifying about the resurrection of Jesus with great power, and the text describes “great grace” upon the whole community.
  34. Acts 4:34No one in the community was in need, because those who owned lands or houses sold them voluntarily to help the other members.
  35. Acts 4:35The money from the sales was handed over to the apostles, who distributed it according to each person’s actual need, not in fixed equal shares.
  36. Acts 4:36“Barnabas” was a nickname given by the apostles, meaning something like “son of consolation,” or encourager. He was a native of Cyprus, a Jew of the diaspora who later became Paul’s traveling companion.
  37. Acts 4:37Barnabas, introduced in the previous verse, becomes the first named example of this generosity: he sells a piece of land, following the same pattern described for the whole community.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.