^4:5On the next day,¹⁴ their rulers, elders, and experts in the law¹⁵ came together¹⁶ in Jerusalem.¹⁷^4:6Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who were members of the high priest’s family.¹⁸^4:7After¹⁹ making Peter and John²⁰ stand in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power or by what name²¹ did you do this?” ^4:8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,²² replied,²³ “Rulers of the people and elders,²⁴^4:9if²⁵ we are being examined²⁶ today for a good deed²⁷ done to a sick man—by what means this man was healed²⁸—^4:10let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ²⁹ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. ^4:11This Jesus³⁰ is the stone that was rejected by you,³¹ the builders, that has become the cornerstone.³²^4:12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people³³ by which we must³⁴ be saved.”

^4:13When they saw the boldness³⁵ of Peter and John, and discovered³⁶ that they were uneducated³⁷ and ordinary³⁸ men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

Read in Logos

Acts 4:12: And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved…

Footnotes

14 Grk “It happened that on the next day.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
15 Or “and scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateus) as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader. Experts in the law would have been mostly like the Pharisees in approach. Thus various sects of Judaism were coming together against Jesus.
16 Or “law assembled,” “law met together.”
17 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
18 The high priest’s family. This family controlled the high priesthood as far back as a.d. 6. Annas, Caiaphas, and Alexander were all high priests at one time (though Alexander held that office after this event).
19 Grk “And after.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new sentence is begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 7.
20 Grk “making them”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 By what name. The issue of the “name” comes up again here. This question, meaning “by whose authority,” surfaces an old dispute (see Luke 20:1–8). Who speaks for God about the ancient faith?
22 Filled with the Holy Spirit. The narrator’s remark about the Holy Spirit indicates that Peter speaks as directed by God and for God. This fulfills Luke 12:11–12 (1 Pet 3:15).
23 Grk “Spirit, said to them.”
24 The Western and Byzantine texts, as well as one or two Alexandrian witnesses, read τοῦ Ἰσραήλ (tou Israēl, “of Israel”) after πρεσβύτεροι (presbuteroi, “elders”; so D E Ψ 33 1739 𝔐 it), while most of the better witnesses, chiefly Alexandrian (𝔓74 א A B 0165 1175 vg sa bo), lack this modifier. The longer reading was most likely added by scribes to give literary balance to the addressees in that “Rulers” already had an adjunct while “elders” was left absolute.
25 This clause is a first class condition. It assumes for the sake of argument that this is what they were being questioned about.
26 Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō) points to an examination similar to a legal one.
27 Or “for an act of kindness.”
28 Or “delivered” (σέσωται [sesōtai], from σώζω [sōzō]). See 4:12.
29 Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
30 Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22–24 and 3:12–15.
32 A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.
33 Here ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
34 Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.
35 Or “courage.”
36 Or “and found out.”
37 Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.
38 For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiōtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.