Acts 4:24-30
New English Translation
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind[a] and said, “Master of all,[b] you who made the heaven, the earth,[c] the sea, and everything that is in them, 25 who said by the Holy Spirit through[d] your servant David our forefather,[e]
‘Why do the nations[f] rage,[g]
and the peoples plot foolish[h] things?
26 The kings of the earth stood together,[i]
and the rulers assembled together,
against the Lord and against his[j] Christ.’[k]
27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against[l] your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,[m] 28 to do as much as your power[n] and your plan[o] had decided beforehand[p] would happen. 29 And now, Lord, pay attention to[q] their threats, and grant[r] to your servants[s] to speak your message[t] with great courage,[u] 30 while you extend your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs[v] and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 4:24 sn With one mind. Cf. Acts 1:14.
- Acts 4:24 tn Or “Lord of all.”sn The use of the title Master of all (δεσπότης, despotēs) emphasizes that there is a sovereign God who is directing what is taking place.
- Acts 4:24 tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
- Acts 4:25 tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).
- Acts 4:25 tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
- Acts 4:25 tn Or “Gentiles.”
- Acts 4:25 sn The Greek word translated rage includes not only anger but opposition, both verbal and nonverbal. See L&N 88.185.
- Acts 4:25 tn Or “futile”; traditionally, “vain.”
- Acts 4:26 tn Traditionally, “The kings of the earth took their stand.”
- Acts 4:26 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.
- Acts 4:26 sn A quotation from Ps 2:1-2.
- Acts 4:27 sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.
- Acts 4:27 sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”
- Acts 4:28 tn Grk “hand,” here a metaphor for God’s strength or power or authority.
- Acts 4:28 tn Or “purpose,” “will.”
- Acts 4:28 tn Or “had predestined.” Since the term “predestine” is something of a technical theological term, not in wide usage in contemporary English, the translation “decide beforehand” was used instead (see L&N 30.84). God’s direction remains as the major theme.
- Acts 4:29 tn Or “Lord, take notice of.”
- Acts 4:29 sn Grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage. The request is not for a stop to persecution or revenge on the opponents, but for boldness (great courage) to carry out the mission of proclaiming the message of what God is doing through Jesus.
- Acts 4:29 tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18.
- Acts 4:29 tn Grk “word.”
- Acts 4:29 tn Or “with all boldness.”
- Acts 4:30 tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.
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