ACT 4:23-31

The Believersʼ Prayer

23Released, they went to their own and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said to them. [4:24] When they heard it, they raised their voice together to God and said: "Sovereign Master, you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them — [4:25] who through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant, said: 'Why did the nations snort and prance, and the peoples plot empty things? [4:26] The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Anointed.' [4:27] For truly in this city they gathered against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed — both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel — [4:28] to do whatever your hand and your counsel predestined to happen. [4:29] And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant your servants to speak your word with all boldness — [4:30] while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." [4:31] When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking the word of God with boldness.

In the world it was spoken into

In Acts 4:23-31, the believers gather after Peter and John’s release from the authorities, reflecting a communal response rooted in Jewish prayer practices and Greco-Roman social dynamics. The term '' (Despotēs) frames God as the ultimate sovereign, a concept familiar to both Jewish and Gentile listeners, evoking the image of a master with absolute authority over creation. The reference to David as '' (pais) aligns with Jewish tradition, where David is seen as God’s servant, while also resonating with Greco-Roman household language, where 'pais' could denote a servant or child. The believers’ prayer echoes Psalm 2, a text well-known in Second-Temple Judaism, which portrays Gentile rulers as futilely opposing God’s anointed. The verb '' (ephryaxan) vividly depicts the arrogance of these rulers, evoking the image of restless horses, a metaphor for chaotic rebellion. The request for '' (parrēsia) reflects a desire for bold, unrestrained speech, a value prized in Greco-Roman civic life and essential for proclaiming the gospel in a hostile environment.

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How other translations render this

ACT 4:23

KJV: And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
BSB: On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
Koinōnos: Released, they went to their own and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said to them.

ACT 4:24

KJV: And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
BSB: When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
Koinōnos: When they heard it, they raised their voice together to God and said: "Sovereign Master, you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them —

ACT 4:25

KJV: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
BSB: You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
Koinōnos: who through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant, said: 'Why did the nations snort and prance, and the peoples plot empty things?

ACT 4:26

KJV: The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
BSB: The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’
Koinōnos: The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Anointed.

ACT 4:27

KJV: For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
BSB: In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
Koinōnos: For truly in this city they gathered against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed — both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel —

ACT 4:28

KJV: For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
BSB: They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.
Koinōnos: to do whatever your hand and your counsel predestined to happen.

ACT 4:29

KJV: And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
BSB: And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness,
Koinōnos: And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant your servants to speak your word with all boldness —

ACT 4:30

KJV: By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
BSB: as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
Koinōnos: while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

ACT 4:31

KJV: And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
BSB: After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Koinōnos: When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking the word of God with boldness.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

ACT 4:24

Sovereign Lord,:The term translated 'Sovereign Lord' here refers to a master with absolute authority over servants or slaves, emphasizing complete ownership and control.

ACT 4:25

the:The word translated 'the' in reference to David is the same word used for a child or servant, highlighting his role as God's obedient servant.
so why:The word translated 'so why' (in 'why do the Gentiles rage') originally described the snorting and prancing of high-spirited horses, conveying a sense of wild, untamed arrogance and defiance.

ACT 4:29

boldness:The word translated 'boldness' implies not just courage, but also freedom of speech and an unreserved, open manner of speaking, often in public.