Acts 4

Ac 4:1-13.

PETER AND

JOHN BEFORE THE

SAMHEDRIM.

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.

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

SAMHEDRIM,

REPORT THE

PROCEEDINGS TO THE

ASSEMBLED

DISCIPLES--THEY

ENGAGE IN

PRAYER--THE

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.