Acts 4:26
in Acts 4The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The kings of the earth set themselves in array, And the rulers were gathered together, Against the Lord, and against his Anointed:
KJV
The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
⋯
This verse in Acts 4
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThe kings of the earth have taken their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. It speaks of the leaders of the Jews and Pilate himself; but it mentions kings in the plural because of Herod the tetrarch, …
This site's exposition
You spoke by the Holy Spirit
on Acts 4:25-28
The church reads Psalm 2 as its own crisis, with Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and Israel as the psalm's raging rulers. They did what God's hand and will had decided beforehand, so God's plan and their guilt stand together, as at 2:23.
This site's exposition
against His Anointed One
Clarke notes that the Greek word is Christ, best rendered Anointed to match the anointing named in the next verse. Bede applies the kings to Pilate and Herod the tetrarch, and the rulers to the leaders of the Jews. The psalm had named the conspiracy in advance.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Which nations rose up against Christ? The nations of the Jews, namely. For although they were all Jews, nevertheless they came from various nations among which they were scattered.
Scripture is wont thus to speak of one as of many. "For of a truth, Lord, against Thy Holy Child Jesus, Whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, etc." Observe how, even in prayer, they circumstantially describe the Passion, and refer all to God.
See how complete is this prayer and how fitting to the occasions of the times. For when they said, "You, Lord, knower of all hearts," (Acts 1:24) there was indeed a need of foreknowledge. But here, since it was necessary to stop the mouths of …
The Medieval Church1 voice
"You by the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said through the Holy Spirit: 'Why did the nations rage, and the peoples devise vain things?'" They bring forward this prophecy, as if asking God for the fulfillment of the covenant, and at the same …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The kings of the earth stood up,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
(4.) That the rulers would gather together against God and Christ; not only monarchs, that have the power in their single persons, but where the power is in many rulers, councils, and senates, they gather together, to consult and decree against the Lord and against his Christ --against both natural and revealed religion. What is done against Christ, God takes as done against himself.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Against the Lord and against his Christ - Κατα του Χριστου αυτου should be translated, against his Anointed, because it particularly agrees with ὁν εχρισας, whom thou hast Anointed, in the succeeding verse.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The kings of the earth - The Psalmist specifies more particularly that kings and rulers would be opposed to the Messiah. This had occurred already by the opposition made to the Messiah by the rulers of the Jewish people, and it would be still more evinced by the opposition of princes and kings as the gospel spread among the nations. Stood up - The word used here παρίστημι paristēmi commonly means “to present oneself, or to stand forth, for the purpose of aiding, counseling,” etc. But here it means that they “rose,” or “presented themselves,” to evince their opposition. They stood opposed to the Messiah, and offered resistance to him. The rulers - This is another instance of the Hebrew parallelism. The word does not denote another class of people from kings, but expresses the same idea in another form, or in a more general manner, meaning that all classes of persons in authority would be opposed to the gospel. Were gathered together - Hebrew, consulted together; were united in a consultation. The Greek implies that they were assembled for the purpose of consultation. Against the Lord - In the Hebrew, “against Yahweh.” This is the special name which is given in the Scriptures to God. They rose against his plan of appointing a Messiah, and against the Messiah whom he had chosen. Against his Christ - Hebrew, against his Messiah, or his Anointed. See the notes on Mat 1:1. This is one of the places where the word “Messiah” is used in the Old Testament. The word occurs in about 40 places, and is commonly translated “his anointed,” and is applied to kings. The direct reference of the word to the Messiah in the Old Testament is not frequent. This passage implies that opposition to the Messiah is opposition to Yahweh. And this is uniformly supposed in the sacred Scriptures. He that is opposed to Christ is opposed to God. He that neglects him neglects God. […]
The words behind it
20 Greek wordsEvery 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| παρέστησαν | parestesan | Took [their] stand | G3936 → | 41 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| βασιλεῖς | basileis | kings | G935 → | 114 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς | ges | earth | G1093 → | 248 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄρχοντες | archontes | rulers | G758 → | 37 times |
| συνήχθησαν | sunechthesan | were gathered | G4863 → | 59 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | together | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τὸ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| αὐτὸ | auto | themselves | G846 → | 5565 times |
| κατὰ | kata | against | G2596 → | 468 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κυρίου | kuriou | Lord | G2962 → | 711 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| κατὰ | kata | against | G2596 → | 468 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| χριστοῦ | christou | Christ | G5547 → | 523 times |
| αὐτοῦ.¶ | autou | of Him.’ | G846 → | 5565 times |
παρέστησανTook [their] stand
parestesanG3936 →41 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
βασιλεῖςkings
basileisG935 →114 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆςearth
gesG1093 →248 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
ἄρχοντεςrulers
archontesG758 →37 times
συνήχθησανwere gathered
sunechthesanG4863 →59 times
ἐπὶtogether
epiG1909 →883 times
τὸ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
αὐτὸthemselves
autoG846 →5565 times
κατὰagainst
kataG2596 →468 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
κυρίουLord
kuriouG2962 →711 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
κατὰagainst
kataG2596 →468 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
χριστοῦChrist
christouG5547 →523 times
αὐτοῦ.¶of Him.’
autouG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Acts 10:38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
it leads to
- Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight…
- Acts 2:22
Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.
- Isaiah 61:1–3
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty…
- Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
- John 3:34
For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
- Luke 4:18
Through
Psalms 2:2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
it leads to
- Matthew 26:59
Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.
- Matthew 27:1
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Matthew 26:59
Through
Daniel 9:24Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up…
it leads to
- Hebrews 9:11–14
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part…
- Hebrews 9:11–14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
On this verse
About Acts
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 Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Retractions on Acts; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 11; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.