Acts 4

Acts 4:2

The priests, or those of the sanhedrim opposing the doctrine preached by them, of Christ’s being the Messias, the captain suspecting it would tend to an uproar or commotion in the city, and the Sadducees disliking the doctrine of the resurrection proclaimed by them, and so all much concerned in their preaching to the people at that time.

ᵇ into prison: ᶜ their auditors, the people, ver. 1, was about five thousand.

ᵈ they of whom the sanhedrim consisted, the chief priests, elders and scribes, and particularly Annas and Caiaphas, (see note [r] Luke iii.,) met at the court where the sanhedrim used to sit in counsel.

Acts 4:6

[a] kindred of the high priest] What is meant by ὄσω ἦσαν ἐκ γίνοια ἀρχιερατικοῦ, as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, will be resolved by the context, where an assembling or meeting of the sanhedrim is described, ver. 5, which, consisting of three sorts of men, priests, elders, and doctors of the law, (see note [c] Mark v,) is oft-times expressed by the enumeration of those parts, ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς καὶ πρεσβύτεροι, high priests, scribes, and elders, Matt. xxvi. 3, and very often in the Gospels. In this place there is another way of enumeration than is usual, the rulers, and elders, and scribes, and Annas the chief priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest. Where yet ἀρχοντες, rulers, seems to be a general word, denoting, as elsewhere, men in authority. Then Annas was the nasi or chief person among them, (see note [b] Luke iii,) and Caiaphas the person that by the procurator was put into the pontificate instead of the Aaronical line. And so there remains only the elders and scribes, and ὄσω ἦσαν, not indefinitely as many as were, but, in a more limited notion of ὄσω, those that were, in the sanhedrim of this sort, of the kindred of the high priest, (and of that number John and Alexander by name,) which therefore appear to be the same with ἀρχιερεῖς, high priests joined with the elders and scribes in other places, that is, that third sort of the sanhedrim, consisting of priests. Now the reason of these titles being applied to them is evident: for as of Aaron’s posterity the lineal descendant only succeeded him in the high priest’s office, so of his two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, sprang twenty-four families, (betwixt whom the priest’s office was divided by David, 1 Chron. xxiv,) which should by weekly turns perform the service of the sanctuary, (see Luke i. 5,) sixteen of the sons of Eleazar, and eight of Ithamar. Of every one of these families and courses there was a chief, the head of the family, and these are consequently called ἀρχιερεῖς, chief priests, and ἐκ γίνοια ἀρχιερατικοῦ, of the kindred of the high priest, viz. as springing from Aaron, and still allied to the one high priest’s family, as inferior branches of it; and many, if not all these, were members of the sanhedrim, (for here they sit in judicature with Annas and Caiaphas, as with Moses and Aaron, and the elders, and the scribes, ver. 7,) and being four and twenty in number, would make up a third part of the whole number of seventy-two, leaving the other two portions to be divided between the elders and the scribes, if there were, as it is not certain there was, this equal division.

Acts 4:7

And causing the disciples to be brought before them, they examined them on these interrogatories: first, how they came to be able to do that miracle, ch. iii. 7, and whose name they called upon that infirm man (see ver. 10.) in the working of the cure, (see ch. iii. 6,) and consequently from whom they pretended to have commission to do what they did, thus to preach unto the people?

Acts 4:8

Then Peter being by the Spirit of God (such as was promised, Matt. x. 19, 20.) endued with a great extraordinary presentness of speech and elocution, ver. 13, and taking great boldness and confidence upon him, began thus, Ye rulers of the people—

ᶜ of an action, which is so far from being a crime,

Acts 4:11

This is he that was prophesied of under the title of a refuse stone rejected by you, the chief men among the Jews, and looked upon with despite and contempt, but is now by his resurrection installed in all power and dignity, (an effect of which is this miracle wrought in his name,) and is indeed become the ruler and king of the whole church, the prime foundation stone of the whole fabric.

Acts 4:12

And by him, and him only, by receiving and embracing of his doctrine, salvation must now be hoped for by all: for there is no other religion in the world, whether that which was delivered by Moses, or by any other, by which salvation can be had for those which do not now come in to this at the preaching of it.

Acts 4:13

And when they observed the elocution ver. 8. and freeness of speech with which they taught, (see note [a] John vii.,) and withal considering that their education had not thus elevated them above other men, being neither skilled in the learning of the Jews, nor, as men of place, or magistracy among them, instructed in their laws, they were amazed at it, but withal they either remembered or were told that they were those that had been attending on Jesus in his lifetime.

Acts 4:17

And being not able to conceal what was already known, they had nothing to do but to keep others from knowing it, and thereupon their decree in council was to send for them, and to forbid them, upon severe penalties, to preach Christ and his resurrection and gospel any more. talk privately, or teach publicly any thing concerning the faith of Christ.

Acts 4:19

But Peter and John made light of this interdict, or terrors, and told them plainly they were commanded by God to preach, and that in all reason God must be obeyed before them, or the greatest magistrate on earth, and that they themselves could not but confess so much. choose but testify of Christ those truths of so high importance, made known to us peculiarly to that end, that we should proclaim them to others from our certain knowledge, being ourselves the eye and ear witnesses of them.

Acts 4:21

And so not knowing what else to say to them, being not able to deny the force of their argument, they added more threatenings, if possibly that might terrify them, and so dismissed them, having nothing to lay to their charge but the curing of the lame man in the name of Jesus; and for this all the people looked on them with admiration, and counted it an act of God’s immediate infinite mercy, for which they, that were instruments of it, ought to be blessed, not punished by them, and therefore they durst not punish or censure them for this.

Acts 4:22

For it was an inveterate lameness from his very birth, ch. iii. 2, and had been now above forty years upon him, when this cure was wrought by Peter. the rest of the apostles that were then at Jerusalem, and the believers that consorted with them, ver. 23, lifted up their voice to God— HAMMOND, VOL. I.

Acts 4:25

Who foretold by his prophet David, Psalm ii. 1, what was now come to pass, viz., that the Jews should oppose Christ, and say false things of him, deny and crucify him first, and then, when God raised him from the dead, oppose the preaching of him.

Acts 4:26

That the Roman governors in Judæa, Herod and Pilate, ver. 27, should combine against him, and the rulers of the Jews should meet in council in their sanhedrim (as ver. 15. they here did) purposely to oppose the Messias, and in him God that sent him.

both the Roman governors, Pilate and Herod, and the Jewish sanhedrim have conspired, and joined their malicious counsels against thy holy Son and servant Jesus, whom thou hast sent to be the Messias of the world, (see note [c] ch. x.)

Acts 4:28

To act in the crucifying of Christ, and so (though little meaning it) to be the instruments of God’s gracious providence and disposal, who determined to give his only Son to die for us.

and enable us to preach the gospel powerfully, fearlessly, and with authority, (see note [a] John vii.) and give power also to us thy servants, the disciples of Christ, to work miraculous cures on all those on whom we shall call the name of Jesus.

[b] thy hand and thy counsel] What is meant by the latter part of this speech, whatsoever thy counsel hath determined before to be done, hath little difficulty in it. The truth is clear that God decreed that those things should γενεῖσθαι, be done, although he decreed not that the Jews should do them, but only permitted them to do what he foresaw they would do if they were thus permitted. The only difficulty is, what is meant by ἡ χεὶρ σου, thy hand, and that will best be explained by looking on the law of Moses, Levit. xvi. 8, where Aaron casts lots on the goats, one lot, on which was written ὕψω for the Lord, another, on which

Acts 4:31

And upon this prayer of theirs there came the like wind as is mentioned ch. ii. 2, and shook the place where they were, and special eminent gifts of God’s Spirit fell upon those that were there present (see note [d] ch. ii.); and this was such a confirmation to them all, that without all doubt or fear they published the gospel of Christ: see ver. 29.

Acts 4:32

And the believers, although there were many nations, Ibræ: see note [e] Matt xxiv., and note [b] Matt. xxviii., and note [g] Rev. xl. 1 and, γῆι: see note [e] Matt. xxiv., and note [u] Rev. xl. 10 Here is added in the King’s MS. and other printed copies, & τῇ πόλει σου ταύτῃ, in this thy city. 11 nations, Ibræ: see ver. 25.