When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.
- KJV Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
- NKJV Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
- NASB Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
- NLT The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The council marveled at the boldness of the unschooled Peter and John and recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Their courage and likeness to Christ were unmistakable.
Overview
The apostles' boldness astonished the educated council, who saw they lacked formal rabbinic training. Yet their power came from having 'been with Jesus,' a phrase rich with meaning for all disciples. Time spent with Christ, and the indwelling Spirit, transforms ordinary people into bold witnesses. The verse encourages believers that intimacy with Jesus, not credentials, equips us to testify.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 1 Cor 1:27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
- John 7:15The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man attain such learning without having studied?”
- Matt 11:25At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
- Acts 2:7–12Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
- Matt 26:73After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.”
- Matt 26:71When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
- John 18:16–17But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
- Matt 4:18–22As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
- Luke 22:56–60A servant girl saw him seated in the firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with Him,” she said.
- Matt 26:57–58Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered.
- John 7:49But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”
- Luke 22:52–54Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?
- John 19:26When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”
- Luke 22:8Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare for us to eat the Passover.”
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 4:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.