1A keď to hovoril ľudu, prišli na nich kňazi a veliteľ stráže chrámu i sadúceovia, 2namrzení preto, že učia ľud a zvestujú v Ježišovi vzkriesenie z mŕtvych. 3A položili na nich ruky a vsadili ich do rána do žalára, lebo už bol večer. 4Ale mnohí z tých, ktorí počuli slovo, uverili, a narástol počet mužov tak asi na päť tisíc. 5A stalo sa na druhý deň, že sa shromaždili ich kniežatá a starší a zákonníci do Jeruzalema, 6aj Annáš, najvyšší kňaz, a Kaifáš a Ján a Alexander i všetci, koľko ich bolo z rodu najvyššieho kňaza, 7a postaviac ich do prostredku vypytovali sa: Jakou mocou alebo v akom mene ste to vy učinili? 8Vtedy Peter, razom naplnený Svätým Duchom, im povedal: Kniežatá ľudu a starší Izraelovi! 9Ak sme my dnes vyšetrovaní pre dobrodenie, učinené nemocnému človekovi, že čím alebo kým je tento uzdravený, 10nech vám je všetkým známe aj všetkému ľudu izraelskému, že menom Ježiša Krista, toho Nazarejského, ktorého ste vy ukrižovali, ktorého Bôh vzkriesil z mŕtvych, tým tento tu stojí zdravý pred vami. 11To je ten kameň, opovrhnutý vami staviteľmi, ktorý sa stal hlavou uhla. 12A nieto v inom nikom spasenia, lebo ani nieto iného mena pod nebom, ktoré by bolo bývalo dané niekomu medzi ľuďmi, v ktorom by sme mali byť spasení. 13A keď videli Petrovu smelosť i Jánovu a spozorovali, že sú ľudia neučení a prostí, divili sa a poznali ich, že bývali s Ježišom. 14A keď videli s nimi stáť človeka, toho uzdraveného, nemali čo proti nim povedať. 15A rozkázali, aby vyšli von z vysokej rady a radili sa medzi sebou 16a vraveli: Čo urobíme týmto ľuďom? Lebo že sa stal zjavný div skrze nich, je známe všetkým, ktorí bývajú v Jeruzaleme, a nemôžeme to popierať. 17Ale aby sa to viacej nerozširovalo medzi ľudom, prísne im pohrozme, aby viacej v tom mene nehovorili niktorému človekovi. 18A zavolajúc ich prikázali im, aby viac vôbec nehovorili ani neučili v mene Ježišovom. 19Ale Peter a Ján im odpovedali a riekli: Rozsúďte sami, či je to spravedlivé pred Bohom, aby sme vás poslúchali viac ako Boha. 20Lebo my nemôžeme nehovoriť o tom, čo sme videli a počuli. 21A oni, keď im ešte prihrozili, prepustili ich nenajdúc ničoho, jako by ich boli mohli potrestať, pre ľud, lebo všetci oslavovali Boha nad tým, čo sa stalo. 22Lebo človek mal vyše štyridsať rokov, pri ktorom sa stal ten div uzdravenia. 23A keď ich prepustili, prišli k svojim a porozprávali im všetko, čo im povedali najvyšší kňazi a starší. 24A oni, keď to počuli, jednomyseľne pozdvihli hlas k Bohu a povedali: Samovládca, ty, ó, Bože, ktorý si učinil nebo a zem i more i všetko, čo je v nich, 25ty, ktorý si povedal skrze ústa Dávida, svojho služobníka: Prečo zúria národy, a ľudia smýšľajú márne veci? 26Postavili sa kráľovia zeme, a kniežatá sa dovedna sišli proti JeHoVaHovi a proti jeho Pomazanému. 27Lebo sa naozaj sišli v tomto meste na tvojho svätého Služobníka Ježiša, ktorého si pomazal, Heródes a Pontský Pilát s pohanmi aj s izraelským ľudom, 28aby vykonali všetko, čo predurčila tvoja ruka a tvoja rada, aby sa stalo. 29A tak teraz, ó, JeHoVaHu, pohliadni na ich hrozby a daj svojim sluhom prosto a s celou smelosťou hovoriť tvoje slovo, 30kým ty vystrieš svoju ruku uzdravovať, a aby sa dialy divy a zázraky skrze meno tvojho svätého Služobníka Ježiša. 31A keď sa pomodlili, zatriaslo sa miesto, kde boli shromaždení, a zrazu boli všetci naplnení Svätým Duchom a hovorili slovo Božie prosto a smele. 32A toho množstva uverivších bolo jedno srdce a jedna duša, a ani jeden z nich nehovoril o ničom z toho, čo mal, že je to jeho vlastné, ale mali všetko spoločné. 33A apoštolovia vydávali s velikou mocou svedoctvo o zmŕtvychvstaní Pána Ježiša, a veliká milosť bola na nich na všetkých. 34Lebo ani nebolo nikoho medzi nimi núdzneho; lebo všetci, ktorí boli majiteľmi polí alebo domov, predávali ich a nosili peniaze za to, čo ktorí predali, 35a kládli k nohám apoštolov, a rozdávalo sa každému podľa toho, jako to ktorý potreboval. 36A Jozef, ktorému dali apoštolovia prímeno Barnabáš, čo je v preklade: Syn potešenia, Levita, rodom z Cypru, 37majúc pole predal ho a doniesol peniaze a položil k nohám apoštolov.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 PETER AND JOHN BEFORE THE SAMHEDRIM. (
Acts 4:1-
Acts 4:13)
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" (
Acts 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
Matt 2:4).
6 Annas . . . and Caiaphas--(See on
Luke 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 (
Acts 4:16).
8 Then, filled with the Holy Ghost, said--(See
Mark 13:11;
Luke 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
Acts 3:13, &c.).
even by him doth this man stand before you whole--for from
Acts 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" (
Matt 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 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 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.
23 PETER AND JOHN DISMISSED FROM THE SAMHEDRIM, REPORT THE PROCEEDINGS TO THE ASSEMBLED DISCIPLES--THEY ENGAGE IN PRAYER--THE ASTONISHING ANSWER AND RESULTS. (
Acts 4:23-
Acts 4:37)
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
Luke 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
Acts 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 place was shaken--glorious token of the commotion which the Gospel was to make (
Acts 17:6; compare
Acts 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" (
Acts 4:29,
Acts 4:31); 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 (
Deut 18:8).
Cyprus--a well-known island in the Mediterranean.