Acts 4:25
in Acts 4You 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?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David thy servant, didst say, Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples imagine vain things?
KJV
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
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This verse in Acts 4
Commentary
12 notes on this verseBy thus departing from Judaism itself, when they exchanged the obligations and burdens of the law for the liberty of the gospel, they were fulfilling the psalm, "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast away their yoke from us; "and this indeed (they did) after that "the heathen raged, and the people imagined vain devices; "after that "the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers took their counsel together against the Lord, and against His Christ." What did the apostles thereupon suffer?
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.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
It is to sue God, as one may say upon His own covenants, that they thus produce this prophecy: and at the same time to comfort themselves with the thought, that in vain are all the imaginations of their foes. This then is what they say: Bring those words into accomplishment, and show that they "imagine vain things."
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 …
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.
The Medieval Church2 voices
"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 …
Why did the nations rage and the peoples devise vain things? The prophet does not ask as if he does not know but reproves the madness of the impious in astonishment, those who rose up against the Lord the Savior, although harmed not at all …
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Who by the mouth of thy servant David has said,.... In Psa 2:1 from whence we learn, that that psalm, though it is without a title, and does not bear David's name, yet is one of his and so Kimchi says, that David composed it at the beginning of his reign; though Aben Ezra thinks, that it was composed by one of the singers for him, on the day he was anointed; yet he afterwards seems to doubt of it, and on Psa 2:7 says, they are the words of David, or the words of the singer.
(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 Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Who by the mouth ... - , Psa 2:1-2. This is a strong, solemn testimony to the inspiration of David. It is a declaration of the apostles, made in solemn prayer, that God himself spake by the mouth of David. This is the second part of their prayer. In the first, they acknowledge the right of God to rule; in this, they appeal to a prophecy; they plead that this was a thing foretold; and as God had foreseen it and foretold it, they appealed to him to protect them.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
David--to whom the Jews ascribed the second Psalm, though anonymous; and internal evidence confirms it. David's spirit sees with astonishment "the heathen, the people, the kings and princes of the earth," in deadly combination against the sway of Jehovah and His Anointed (his Messiah, or Christ), and asks "why" it is.
By the mouth of thy servant David hast said - Several add, but impertinently, δια πνευματος ἁγιου, by the Holy Spirit; but it is sufficient that God has said it; and thugs we find that David spoke by the inspiration of God; and that the second Psalm relates to Jesus Christ, and predicts the vain attempts made by Jewish and heathen powers to suppress Christianity.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὁ | ho | who | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πατρὸς | patros | father | G3962 → | 410 times |
| ἡμῶν | hemon | of us | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| διὰ | dia | through | G1223 → | 664 times |
| πνεύματος | pneumatos | [the] Spirit | G4151 → | 378 times |
| ἁγίου | hagiou | Holy | G40 → | 220 times |
| στόματος | stomatos | through [the] mouth | G4750 → | 78 times |
| Δαυὶδ | dauid | of David | G1138 → | 59 times |
| παιδός | paidos | servant | G3816 → | 24 times |
| σου | sou | of You | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| εἰπών· | eipon | having spoken: | G2036 → | 925 times |
| ἱνατί | hinati | so why | G2443 →G5101 → | 563 times |
| ἐφρύαξαν | ephruaxan | did rage | G5433 → | |
| ἔθνη | ethne | [the] Gentiles | G1484 → | 161 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| λαοὶ | laoi | peoples | G2992 → | 141 times |
| ἐμελέτησαν | emeletesan | did devise | G3191 → | |
| κενά; | kena | vain things? | G2756 → |
ὁwho
hoG3588 →19766 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
πατρὸςfather
patrosG3962 →410 times
ἡμῶνof us
hemonG3165 →1936 times
διὰthrough
diaG1223 →664 times
πνεύματος[the] Spirit
pneumatosG4151 →378 times
ἁγίουHoly
hagiouG40 →220 times
στόματοςthrough [the] mouth
stomatosG4750 →78 times
Δαυὶδof David
dauidG1138 →59 times
παιδόςservant
paidosG3816 →24 times
σουof You
souG4771 →2973 times
εἰπών·having spoken:
eiponG2036 →925 times
ἱνατίso why
ἐφρύαξανdid rage
ephruaxanG5433 →
ἔθνη[the] Gentiles
ethneG1484 →161 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
λαοὶpeoples
laoiG2992 →141 times
ἐμελέτησανdid devise
emeletesanG3191 →
κενά;vain things?
kenaG2756 →
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 1:16“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.
it leads to
- Psalms 41:9
Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
- John 13:18
I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture: ‘The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’
- Psalms 55:12–15
For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide.
- Acts 1:20
“For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’
- Psalms 41:9
Through
Acts 2:30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne.
it leads to
- Psalms 132:11–18
The LORD swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.
- Psalms 89:3–4
You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant:
- Jeremiah 33:14–15
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the gracious promise that I have spoken to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
- 2 Samuel 7:11–16
and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house…
- Psalms 132:11–18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
On this verse
About Acts
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 11 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; Tertullian, Against Marcion Book III and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.