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Acts 4:21

in Acts 4

After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And they, when they had further threatened them, let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified God for that which was done.

KJV

So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

This verse in Acts 4

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Bede

Retractions on Acts · Written before 735.

Because all were praising for what had been done. It is better in Greek: "For all were glorifying God for what had been done." And what in our Codices is added, "for what had happened," is not in the Greek. Indeed, "glorifying" and "praising" are …

This site's exposition

After further threats

on Acts 4:21-22

The council releases them after further threats, unable to punish them because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened. Luke adds that the healed man was over forty years old, so the healing cannot be taken for a passing ailment.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Homily on Acts 10 · Written before 407.

proposed

"So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done." Again they threatened in vain. So then the people glorified God, but these endeavored to destroy them: such fighters against God were they! Whereby they made them more conspicuous and illustrious. "For My strength," it is said, "is made perfect in weakness."

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Hugh of Saint-Cher

Commentary (church-history corpus) · Written before 1263.

proposed

on account of the people, not on account of God.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

So when they had further threatened them,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

They threatened them, and that was all they did now: when they had done this they let them go, 1. Because they durst not contradict the people, who glorified God for that which was done, and would have been ready (at least they thought so) to pull them out of their seats, if they had punished the apostles for doing it.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Finding nothing ... - That is, not being able to devise any way of punishing them without exciting a tumult among the people, and endangering their own authority. The Sanhedrin was frequently influenced by this fear; and it shows that their own authority was much dependent on the caprice of the multitude. Compare Mat 21:26. All men - That is, the great mass or body of the people. Glorified God - Praised God for the miracle. This implies: (1) That they believed that the miracle was genuine.
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

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. PETER AND JOHN DISMISSED FROM THE SANHEDRIM, REPORT THE PROCEEDINGS TO THE ASSEMBLED DISCIPLES--THEY ENGAGE IN PRAYER--THE ASTONISHING ANSWER AND RESULTS.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

When they had farther threatened them - Προσαπειλησαμενοι, When they had added to their former threatenings, repeating the former menaces, and adding new penalties. Finding nothing how they might punish them - Or, as the Codex Bezae reads, μηεὑρισκοντες αιτιαν, πως κολασωνται, not finding a cause why they might punish them. This reading is supported by the Syriac and Arabic. Bp. Pearce says, “This is better sense and better Greek.” Because of the people - The people saw the miracle, confessed the finger of God, believed on the Lord Jesus, and thus became converts to the Christian faith; and the converts were now so numerous that the sanhedrin was afraid to proceed to any extremities, lest an insurrection should be the consequence.

The words behind it

22 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Matthew 9:8

    When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

    it leads to

    • Luke 7:16

      A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”

    • Matthew 15:31

      The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

    • Luke 23:47

      When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”

    • Mark 2:12

      And immediately the man got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything…

    • Luke 17:15

      When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice.

  • Through

    Luke 20:6

    But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

    it leads to

    • Matthew 21:26

      But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    Matthew 21:46

    Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 21:11

      The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

  • Through

    Acts 5:26

    At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them.

    it leads to

    • Acts 5:13

      Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them.

Where this verse is studied

About Acts

The Pentecost, El Greco, about 1600, Museo del Prado. Public domain.
The Pentecost, El Greco, about 1600, Museo del Prado. Public domain.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Acts of the Apostles; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Retractions on Acts; Hugh of Saint-Cher, Commentary (church-history corpus); J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 10; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.